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best of IGUAZU falls -South America
Rainbows, butterflies & waterfalls!
How much more awesome could one of the most spectacular sights in the world get?
Stunning Photos -Stunning Facts- Travel tips -to inspire you to add Iguazu Falls to your 'Must See' destination list!
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WHY ARE THE IGUAZU FALLS FAMOUS?
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Iguazu Falls is the largest waterfall system in the world with 275 waterfalls spread over nearly two miles (3.2km in a horse shoe shape. The longest drop is 82 meters. (269 feet)
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In 2011 Iguazu Falls was declared as one of the 'New 7 Wonders of Nature' through a global poll.
WHERE ARE THE IGUAZU FALLS?
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They are on the Iguazu River on the border of Argentina and Brazil in South America. Just under two hours flight time from Buenos Aires in Argentina and two and a quarter hours from Rio de Janeiro.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE FALLS ON THE ARGENTINAN SIDE & THE FALLS ON THE BRAZILIAN SIDE?
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80% of the falls are in Argentina and 20% in Brazil. Brazil provides the big panoramic type views and Argentina gives the close up experience .
HOW DO THEY COMPARE TO NIAGARA FALLS?
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When Eleanor Roosevelt visited them she declared "Poor Niagara!"
Iguazu Falls are, taller than, and twice as wide as Niagara Falls and set in an amazing rainforest jungle.
HOW DOES IGUAZU FALLS COMPARE TO VICTORIA FALLS?
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Iguazu Falls are wider and second in size to Victoria Falls, but in terms of beauty, they are said to be the best.
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The Iguazu Falls were declared a World Heritage Area by UNESCO in 1986.
WHAT DOES THE WORD "IGUAZU" MEAN?
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The name "Iguazu" translates to "big water" and indeed they are!
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It is said that an average of 1500 cubic meters of water flows through the Iguazu Falls per second. This figure will vary according to rainfall. Nevertheless, it's very impressive and even more so when you're standing anywhere near it with the thundering noise and getting soaked with the spray.
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WHAT IS THE MOST WELL KNOWN OF THE 257 WATERFALLS?
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The "Devil's Throat" is the most well-known waterfall. It is made up of a U shaped cliff, 2.7kms wide, with about 14 separate falls and a drop of 350 feet. It creates a permanent cloud of mist that we were amazed to see from the airplane as we flew into Puerto Iguazu. A boardwalk system has been created in the park so that it is accessible to view and experience from various locations. There is also a thrilling boat trip where you can really get up close and thoroughly drenched!
IS THERE MORE THAN RAINBOWS, MIST & WATERFALLS?
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Because the Iguazu Falls are situated in the tropical jungle there is plenty of wildlife to see too. We saw lots of beautiful butterflies, cute Capuchin monkeys in their natural habitat, and lots of Coatis, constantly rushing around with their snouts down, in search of food scraps. We saw signs to be careful of jaguars.
TRAVEL TIPS! OUR EXPERIENCE.
When did we go?
We went in June. The weather was perfect for us. It was about 22 to 25 degrees Celsius, and we had no wind and no rain.
It was perfect sightseeing weather as we did a lot of walking and the weather wasn't an issue.
Was it crowded?
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June is off season but there were plenty of tourists around. We never had to queue for anything but sometimes had to wait for a few minutes to get good viewing spots. However, if this was considered the offseason, we decided we definitely wouldn't like to be there in the peak season. (January, February, Easter)
How did we get to Iguazu Falls?
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We flew from Buenos Aries on the 8.00 am flight that got us to Puerto Iguazu at about 10.00 am. We were only staying one night, so we just had hand luggage and a small backpack.
We took a taxi from the airport directly to the park and arranged for the taxi driver to collect us at the end of the day to take us to our hotel.
Our original return booking was for 8.00 pm the following night, but the airline changed it to 4.30 pm which was disappointing because we lost half a day sightseeing. We decided we wouldn't have time to go to the Brazilian side of the Falls. It would have been a rush and we were just loving experiencing the falls, up close, on the Argentinian side.
Getting around the park.
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Getting around the park was a breeze! You can pick up a map at the main entrance and there are lockers where you can leave your bags and you can buy a throw away plastic poncho to help keep you dry.
There is plenty of signage and the staff are very helpful. The boardwalks are easy and safe. There are plenty of food outlets at key points.
Where did we stay?
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We stayed at the Mercure Hotel in Puerto Iguazu. It was great. The trip advisor reviews had been a bit on the negative side but we thought it was great.
It is a newish hotel and everything was modern and well laid out. We had an exceptionally good dinner at the restaurant and the breakfast was also excellent. We didn't want to leave.
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The only negative was that the hotel was situated a long way from the main road and main town so we were dependant on taxis to get around.
What would we have done differently?
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Next time we will stay for three or four days. There is so much to see and do. We would stay at the Mercure again.
We would consider hiring a car or negotiate with a taxi driver online before we arrived to be our driver for the duration of our stay. The taxi and bus fares were all considerably higher than those we'd read about on blogs and posts online and you are very much at their mercy if you are at the airport or park and need transport.
THE AUTHOR:
Maureen Spencer
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Maureen is a travel writer lucky enough to be living in New Zealand and has a great passion for travel. Since she became "empty nested" in the late 1990s she has traveled and worked in over 70 countries!
Now she writes articles to share her amazing experiences with other travelers in the hope of providing practical information to help them to prepare and plan for their travel trips.
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