Iguazú, Day 2

April 18

Up Close & Personal

Back at the Hostel, I met a guy from China. He was traveling around the world, and had already been to multiple countries before arriving in Argentina. When he first arrived at the hostel, I was setting up my bunk. He arrived wet, as though he had went for a swim earlier. He told me that he had took one of the boat rides that the park offers visitors, and he recommended it to me.

With this in mind, I bought a ticket to go on the Aventura Náutica (Nautical Adventure), when I arrived on Friday for my second day in the park. I headed straight to the dock where the boats embark, because my reserved time was within the hour.

I walked some of the paseo inferior and passed by a few waterfalls on the way.

When I was closer to the dock I received a dry bag to put my things in, and a life vest before entering the line waiting to board the boat!

Aventura Náutica = Nautical Adventure

It was a blast! The boat went back and forth twice between different sets of waterfalls on either side of the island there. The driver would position the boat fairly close to the bottom of the falls, and therefore all of us passengers were soaked by the spray coming off of these powerful falls. I'm glad I participated and was definitely worth the price of admission, $220 ARS (~$27.50 USD). Thanks to my lifeproof cell phone case, I was able to take some pics and
record some sweet video clips!

After disembarking the boat, taking some more pictures, drying off, and changing clothes, I proceeded to the Garganta train station. The station is named after one of the main attractions at the park, a massive waterfall called Garganta del Diablo, the Devil's Throat. Once arriving at the other station, there were a number of connecting bridges that led to the waterfall.


On the way, I was able to see some wildlife.

Coati- these guys were all over. Kind of a raccoon-like animal. 

Birdie 

After a good walk, I arrived at the grand daddy of them all...

Garganta del Diablo

The sound of the crashing falls, the white foam of the rolling water, and the misty air filled with water vapor, created quite a spectacle of nature. Closer to where the waterfall began its descent, people were soaking wet because of all the spray from the falls being blown on to them. I stayed fairly dry in my rain jacket, but my face and camera got a little wet. 

Standing there, atop of the enormous waterfall, I attempted to soak-it all in [pun intended :)]. What an experience!

Afterwards, I returned to the Garganta train station and walked to the beginning of a nature trail in the park that was about 3km. I made it to the trail-head after traversing some muddy ground, and began to walk it, but unfortunately I was too late to complete the trail. I had already walked a good bit, before some park officials came by on a four-wheeler and informed me that the trail had closed and that I had to return to the entrance. Bummer. However, I was able to see some wonderful examples of nature and wildlife along the part of the trail I had walked.

Fermiga grande. Big ant.

A black bird ;)

Before heading for the park exit, I stopped by some souvenir shops. Nearby the shops, was a children's musical group. I approached and realized that this group represented the native peoples who once inhabited the area. On their shirts was printed "Coro Guaraní." I remember studying about the Guaraní people in my South American culture and history class in college. It was neat to see them perform a song, and afterwards I donated some money to their cause.

Hito Tres Fronteras

I left the park an hour or so before its closing, in order to make it back to Puerto Iguazú before the sun set. There was one more place I wanted to visit before heading back to Brazil in the morning, Hito Tres Fronteras. This is the point, on the Argentinian side, where Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina meet. The Paraná and Iguaçú Rivers divide the three countries. So, rather than getting off the bus at the terminal, I stayed on until the next stop at Hito.

Looking out across the two rivers, I could see
a similar marker (yellow & green) in Brazil,
and a another marker over in Paraguay.

When I arrived, there were a number of artisans selling their
products along the road that curved around the point.  

Panorama view of the Paraná and Iguaçú rivers that form the natural borders between the 3 countries.

I walked back to the hostel, with my map in hand. The walk gave me the chance to see some glimpses of every-day life for the people of Puerto Iguazú. One prevalent observation of my time spent in Argentina, was the number of times I saw a person with a cup, some kind of straw, and a thermos. Argentines love them some Yerba Mate (or Mate for short)  <-- {articles explain}. People walked around with their cups and filtered special straws, had these containers on their desks at work, and seemed to be drinking this beverage throughout the whole day! 

Cataratas del Iguazú

April 16-17

Adventure to Argentina

A month or so ago, I began planning for a trip to visit the waterfalls of Iguaçú / Iguazú (name based on which side they rest- the Argentine Spanish or Brazilian Portuguese side). These majestic waterfalls lie on the natural border between the two countries. I traveled during the feriados (holidays) of Holy Week.

I took a bus at noon, heading for the international airport in Guarulhos, São Paulo. My flight was late, set to take-off at 23:55 (11:55pm). So when I arrived there around 5pm, I had ample time to explore the terminal, eat dinner, write in my journal, and prepare for the flight.

Shortly before heading to my gate #, this girl passed by
with her puff-ball of a dog. Walking around, haha.

I spent the wee-hours of Thursday
morning in the Foz do Iguaçú airport
while I waited for the bus system to
start running for the day.

We took-off at midnight, and approximately an hour later landed in Foz do Iguaçú, Brazil. This city is located very close to the border with Argentina, and my destination of Puerto Iguazú- a city in Misiones, Argentina. The following covers my transit between the airport and arriving at the hostel, where I stayed for two nights:






Bus -> bus station in Foz do Iguaçú -> international bus -> Brazil immigration -> other int'l bus -> Argentine immigration (the attendant that saw me wasn't quite sure how to accept me in to the country, I was delayed, and the bus driver left me) -> 3rd int'l bus -> bus station in Puerto Iguazú -> short walk to the hostel.

One of the many buses I took on my journey.

By the end of my journey, I had became very familiar with how the bus system works, ha.

Parque Nacional 

After dropping my duffel bag off at the hostel, I headed back to the bus station to catch the next bus heading to Parque Nacional del Iguazú. When I arrived at the park, I saw that South American residents from the neighboring countries, received admission at a lesser rate, than those of general admission. I explained my Brazilian resident status to the employee working the ticketing booth and after being transferred to a second ticketing window, I received the Brazilian price of admission! So after saving a few bucks, I began to explore what the park had to offer.




My first day there, Thursday, comprised of two scenic walks with many different views of the waterfalls. I walked the Paseo Inferior (lower trail) first, and the Paseo Superior (Higher Trail). Both trails offered wonderful views from a variety of angles. The weather was nice and sunny, so there were plenty of rainbows to be seen! :D

Paseo Inferior

The beauty of the waterfalls was the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

The park had boats that went over to the island periodically throughout
the day, but unfortunately the island was closed during my visit.

Paseo Superior

After spending a few hours on the trails, I decided to head back to the hostel to rest up for the night's planned activity. On the way out, I stopped by the Visitor's Center to see the park's exhibition about the nature and history of the park and region of the country. It was an interesting exhibit, with colorful pictures and descriptions, in both Spanish and English.

I had reserved a place in the Luna Llena event that was to take place that night. This was a private tour in the park that takes place the nights of a full moon. When I first discovered that the park offered this cool opportunity, I adjusted my trip schedule to make it there for the last full-moon of April, on the 17th. For $550 ARS (~$68.74 USD), I had paid to take part in the first group of the night, and to have dinner afterward. Unfortunately, we can't predict the weather, and rain rolled-in that evening. The event was canceled :/ After learning of the cancelation, I went back to the hostel and arrived just as the rain began. I went to bed earlier than usual, after one looong Thursday.

My room at the hostel. I was top bunk, to the left.