Puerto Iguazú, Misiones

This is my last night in Iguazú. I have seen the Falls from all angles, in full sun and full moon. They are spectacular and exceeded my expectations.

I raced up here to catch the special Full Moon tour (Luna Llena) of the Falls. I was fortunate to arrive on the last night of the tour, on Tuesday 11 July. It could not have been a clearer night – absolutely perfect! For obvious reasons they only run the tour a few days each month (when the moon is full). And so this is how I first experienced the Falls. It was both quite eerie and exhilarating, walking along the platform to La Garganta del Diablo (Devil’s Throat – the main Falls) with the grown roar ahead of you. If at all possible, time your visit with a full moon.

The next day, Wednesday 12 July, I covered all three of the main walking circuits around the Argentinean side of the Falls. I was adopted by Oscar, Rosa and their daughter Miriam from Buenos Aires who gave me a fantastic guided tour (and great Spanish practice).



It could not have been a better day – warm, sunny and clear. It was busy, but not completely overrun. I could see everything I wanted to see in the 7 hours I had in the park. There are some adventure boat rides you can take that include a proper baptism under one of the Falls. I’ll save that one for my next visit. But I have a photo showing one of the boats disappearing under the Falls. The park has a good web site at http://www.iguazuargentina.com/.

To get the complete view of the Falls I crossed over into Brazil today. I always find it exciting to cross into another country over land. Perhaps because it is not something I have done many times before. US citizens have to pay US$100 to get a visa for Brazil. I think several countries are taking out their revenge on the US in the way because of how the US makes it very difficult for people from South America to visit. Fortunately they seem to be more welcoming of British citizens and so I did not need to get a visa.

Although the Brazilian park covers a large area, there is only one pathway from where you can view the Falls. And so you only need a couple of hours. However, there are some interesting sounding guided tours through the forest that I did not have time for. I need to save some things for my next visit when I will stay in the Sheraton Internacional Iguazú Resort in Agentina or the Hotel das Cataratas in the Brazilian park for +US$200 a night (compared to my six man dorm at the Hostel-Inn for US$8 a night).

I have photos from both sides of the Falls in the usual place (just in case you forgot). I am not sure how to articulate just what a spectacular sight this is. Those photos do not do it justice. You will just have to come and see them for your selves!