Iguazu ~ Argentina Travel Pictures & Information

Iguazu Falls without Devil's Throat Falls

A few days earlier, during lunch on the Gauchos Tour near Buenos Aires, several visitors from Beijing who had just come from Iguazu, told me that Devil's Throat, the fiercest of the 275 waterfalls, was closed for repairs.

Well, not the falls itself, of course, but due to recent, unusually heavy rains, portions of its access trail on San Martin Island had washed away, and repairs were some months from completion, though river tours at its base were still on offer.

Ah well, I can always go back! And, as those Beijingers had also informed me, Iguazu was indeed 'stinking hot'.

Iguazu Falls View From the Sheraton Hotel

As the only hotel in the park, the Sheraton is often fully booked months in advance. Very comfy, though costly, this hotel affords guests easy access to the trails and boat rides in Iguazu national park. I took this picture just past noon, which is possibly the worst light of the day for photos. Late afternoon is supposed to be best, but tours from town run between 9 a.m. and noon. Next time, I'll take a cab and tour the park on my own. The park office has a good map of the trails. The airport bus route is through the park, with a stop here to and from Puerto Iguazu for Sheraton guests.

Iguazu Falls sends mists on Upper Circuit Trail

From the park office, a 20 minute walk along easy trails through the 'jungle' leads to falls views. It is very hot, and very humid very early in the day, so make sure you have a hat and sunscreen. Pack lots of water, as the first stop at a cafe is a long way off. The morning sun is almost directly in line with falls views, an angle that's absolutely abysmal for photos. Even the park photographer, who trails along making a video, photoshops his digital stills into a perfect background before he offers them for sale.

Five Iguazu Waterfalls all in a row

Sections of boardwalk intersperse the Upper Circuit trail, with 'bump out' viewpoints where all visitors reach at nearly the same time to shuffle around as they try to get a clear shot of the falls. The park sees some 2 million visitors a year. This day was not considered anywhere close to being the busiest. A hundred or so students (not sure which country they were from) were here on a field trip, walking the same route as busloads of tourists, and at the same time. Most of the foot bridges are only a few feet wide, so it was slow going in many spots. Did I mention how hot it was?

Iguazu Falls Park Boardwalk

The upper trail continues to the last of five viewing platforms, then everyone retraces the route to where the lower circuit trail begins. Here, the bridge takes you right along the edge of a waterfall, its muddy waters testament to the heavy rains upstream. All along the way, newcomers and 'already been theres' sidled past each other, or waited for a clear path. A number of trail walkers were wearing bathing suits, or halter tops and shorts. My guess is they were repeat visitors who knew what to expect.

Close to Water's Power at Iguazu

The boardwalk bridge takes you right to the edge of this falls. Admission to Iguazu park, a Unesco World Heritage site, is about $10 U.S. (half price for second consecutive day), including two rides on the park train and the boat to San Martin island. With sections of track to Devil's Falls (upper circuit) washed out, as were paths on the island (lower circuit), our group went on neither. Park hours in Summer (September 1-March 31) are 8 a.m.-7 p.m. daily; in Winter, (April 1-August 31) 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Over 5 nights at each full moon throughout the year, the park offers guided evening Moon Walks. Wear good walking shoes, as paths can be very slippery.

Iguazu Falls Lower Circuit Lookout

On the lower circuit trail, there's a split level view point. It's roomier, though still crowded, and visitors inadvertently step into one another's shots, and ask others to move away from the railing. I was no different. Our driver for the day mentioned that the Argentina side isn't at all crowded compared to the Brasil side, saying, "On Sundays, they can get 11 thousand visitors. It's very, very crowded."

Three Waterfalls and San Martin Island

There are at least three named waterfalls in this view (from left) -- San Martin, Mbigua and Bernabe Mendez -- though with the high water levels, they blend together. The patch of dark green to the left center is San Martin Island. In non-flood times, the boat crosses the river below here, and you climb the trail to the top of the dark green in the center. It must be wonderful. Just before reaching this part, we took a long set of stairs down to this lower circuit trail, and stopped for a half hour at an air-conditioned cafe, and the washrooms. It's much cooler here, closer to the river.

Optional Iguazu River boat ride

Sharp-eyed viewers may have noticed that despite all my talk about no boat trips to the island at the time, there is indeed a boat on the muddy waters. This is an optional zodiac ride that leaves from the riverbank dock below here. down another long series of stairs. The half hour or so ride takes you right up to, and under, both Devil's Throat Falls, shown here, and to the series of falls, above. You will get very wet. I believe the price of this optional tour is about $40 U.S. Those going to San Martin Island are required to be very fit and able to climb, as there are no stairs. The island is not included on the usual tour circuit.

Zodiacs Below Iguazu Falls

You can barely make out the several zodiacs flirting with the heavy mists and turbulence at base of the falls. It's not unheard of for tourists to get too close to the river's edge, especially on the island, where a misstep can send you rushing out to sea. Keep an eye out for coatis, a relative of raccoons. Several were snuffing around the patio tables at the coffee shop, begging for food. Be careful, they may bite. Less often seen are the shyer, nocturnal jaguars and pumas; that's why the park closes at night.

World's Highest Waterfalls

From the lower circuit, and a good soaking near the bottom of our final waterfalls (way too wet for my camera!), we make our way more directly up a ramp and the shopping & restaurant area. With all the tours arriving at lunch time, the two restaurants were fully packed. I looked for a cash machine at the gift shop, but it wasn't working that day. However, the fellow said, you'll find one over at the Sheraton. And I did, as well as a burger and fries ($30 ARS/$10 U.S), which I enjoyed immensely.

Puerto Iguazu

From the airport, through the park and into town, it's 18 kilometres (11 miles). Drivers stop at the park entrance, and any guests for the Sheraton are asked to pay the fee. Others are in transit, and don't pay.
This is the Puerto Iguazu bus terminal, across the street from La Esquina restaurant and the Hotel St. George. There are several hotels and hostels within a few blocks of here, as well as several hotels on the highway to the park. Go two blocks west from here, cross at the traffic lights, turn right -- there's a good and cheap internet cafe, then a bank about 3 blocks down the hill.

Av Cordoba Puerto Iguazu

Traffic in front of the bus station was light all day -- mostly delivery vans, tour buses and a few cabs. But on the larger Av Victoria Aguirre, two blocks west, a steady stream of battered cars, trucks -- you name it -- demonstrated exhaust systems in need of immediate mechanical attention. In late afternoon and into the evening, the humid air was so thick with the smell of fumes and wood smoke that I stayed indoors. Mosquitoes are bad only from 5 p.m.-7 p.m., I was told, and there were no recent reports of any disease-bearing ones.

La Esquina Restaurant

The same rains that had washed out the park trails had overwhelmed and rendered unpotable (not safe to drink) the area water supply. Though the hotel staff assured me tap water was most likely safe, it was cloudy with sediment. Better to err on the side of caution, they said. And so, Iguazu was the only place in Chile, Uruguay and Argentina where I HAD to buy bottled water. La Esquina offered really good buffet meals as well as a full menu; a good choice. As you can see, there were ongoing renovations.

Hotel St. George

There's a bar and snack counter (right, in shadow); all is quiet here in early morning, but packed in late afternoon when the tours return. The pool closes at sunset, so it's quiet at night. The older section of the hotel desperately needs renovating, which is scheduled for Spring and Summer 2006, once construction of the new tower is finished. Ask for a room in the new part -- you'll be happy you did. Breakfast at La Esquina, which is part of the hotel, is included.

Google Earth can give Bird's Eye View of Iguazu

Google Earth download

This is the best way to see how the borders meet at the river. The falls are at the bend (bottom, blue) of the Iguazu River.

When you are 'live' on Google Earth, you can zoom in close enough to see the white water cascading over the falls itself.

Google Earth basic downloads are available for PC, Macintosh or Linux through the above link. As well, there are details of what your system needs to support it.

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