Mar 21, 2013 - Iguazu/Iguacu Falls

Magnifico, fantastico, incroyable, incredible, totally awesome all come to mind when we think of the past few days. We have now visited both the Argentinian and the Brazilian side of the world's widest waterfall. On the Argentinian side we spent 7 hours--there is just so much to see. On the Brazilian side we spent a mere 4 1/2 hours....to see in essence much more but....On the Argentinian side one walks above the falls first and then the lower trail takes one down immediately in front of the falls. Each trail takes an hour. Then there's the...

Jan 18, 2013 - Rio and the amazing Iguassu falls

Sadly, we are about to leave the spectacular Iguassu falls. We have been staying in an opulent Orient Express hotel, Das Cataratas, on the Brazilian side of the waterfalls (they span the Brazilian and Argentinian borders). The hotel is a serene oasis amidst the Brazilian forests and looks out onto the waterfalls. It is definitely one of the most luxurious places we have stayed. Last night we sat in the piano bar drinking mojito cocktails and snacking on smoked salmon canapes. While mojitos are Cuban, I tried the local Brazilian cocktail...

Oct 10, 2012 - Week 2 - Paraty, Foz do Iguacu, Ciudad Del Este (Brazil & Paraguay)

On our last full day in Paraty we decided to go kayaking around the bay and into the mangroves with a guide. It was more of a sprint than a relaxing paddle but we did see thousands of colourful crabs in the mangroves that the guide told us had eaten a man alive but a year ago... (!?!) Issues The sun was out and I had burnt legs to prove it and the sea was so warm it was like being in a jacuzzi. The following morning we were up early and packed and headed to the bus station across town for our journey to Foz. The first step was a luxurious...

May 14, 2012 - Brazil - Foz do Iguacu

Stayed in YHI resort out of town - in a wooden cabin. Beautiful grounds with camping, swimming pool, cafe, restaurant etc. Visited the Iguacu Falls National Park. Awesome panoramic views of falls from Brazilian side. Lots of Coaties on the paths (see photos when available later). Next day whilst waiting to go to Argentina, a Argentinian? woman and man tried to engage us in conversation, even though we kept saying "que?". After a while when no bus came we shared a taxi across the border - which was much easier than we expected at the...

Mar 3, 2012 - Falls de Iguazu

February 28th 2012 We were all quite sleepy still when we got off the bus and unfortunately our rooms at the hotel were not ready, we took the opportunity to change our clothes and freshen up and then we all got on the minibus and went to the Brazil side of Iguassu Falls. It was so beautiful. So much water and spread over a reasonable distance. Although the Brazilian side only makes up 30% of the falls, tomorrow we would be doing the Argentinian side which is 70%. It was a good day and we walked slowly stopping to take pictures along the...

Jan 10, 2012 - Iguacu Falls

Jan 10 to 12 Iguacu Falls Brazil and Argentina We heard that Iguacu Falls was supposed to be bigger than Niagera Falls and really beautiful but nothing could have prepared us for the breathtaking views. First we saw the falls on the Brazilian side which allowed for beautiful pictures of all the falls on the Argentina side. We took a ride on a boat up the river and the drive brought us right up to the falls and made sure that everyone was drenched in water. We took an electric trolly through the jungle and Jenelle was loving this kind of...

Dec 16, 2011 - Iguazu

This is without a doubt the most spectacular place on EARTH!! The gigantic waterfalls, made up of about 30 different waterfalls all spanning across a large gorge are truly spectacular. We visited both the Argentinian side where we are staying in a fantastic hotel called Jardin de Iguazu and also the Brazilian side yesterday afternoon. WOW!!! Incredible place!! I think that Queen Victoria was right when she said ...¨makes Niagra look like a tiny stream¨. We took a boat trip out and got soaked, but it was well worth it to be virtually...

Dec 3, 2011 - poor little Niagra

We flew out of Sao Paulo very early in the morning after dealing with the usual unorganized madness of a country which does not value organization and bureaucracy. Doubtless our confusion was compounded by our language deficiencies; there were announcements in English but they were like no English I have ever spoken. But the plane was not full and a light breakfast was served. We cannot complain too much. Less than an hour after we checked in at the hotel we found ourselves on the way to Iguassu Falls National Park, listed as one of the...

Nov 25, 2011 - Iguassu Falls - Brazil

Welcome The plan was simple. Take a taxi with the Dutch geezers to the Argentine side of the falls. Yes, yes, we did have to go through Brazil but, by not actually stopping in Brazil there was little likelihood that I would be caught, jailed, whatever. Actually Lonely Planet lays out how to do it in just this way before giving the mandatory warning that this is wrong, wrong, wrong and you could go to jail. Just lawyer stuff, right. We made it safely through the checkpoints on either side of the International Bridge. No one stops. No one. So...

Oct 21, 2011 - Iguaçu Falls

Hiya, A 24 hour bus ride from Rio, on the border between Brazil and Argentina, lie the Iguaçu Falls. 3km wide and 80 metres high the 275 individual falls make stunning viewing. You can view the falls from both sides of the border - the Brazilian side gives you a more panoramic overview of the falls from the other side of the river, whereas the Argentinian side you can walk through walkways on the same side the falls are coming down. Both sides are equally impressive, although I much preferred the Brazilian side and being able to see a...

Aug 27, 2011 - Foz du Iguacu - Igazu Falls

Today we took a trip from our hostel (again camping in tents and again quite a nice one) to take a look at these impressive waterfalls. After paying the exuberant entrance fee we went down the winding path to the many lookout stations and got exactly what we were expecting. A wonderful view of the falls covered in tourists. I guess these attractions lose a bit of majesty with the way people are funneled and fed into it, but even still the devils throat was impressive, as well as getting us completely soaked, opting out of any...

Jun 30, 2011 - Iguassu falls

Iguazu falls feels like the end of the earth. Especially on the Argentina side, where you walk along a path over the top of the falls. They are like nothing I´ve seen and it was my favourite thing so far. The water is just huge. The photos don´t do it justice. Amazing place. Then we went in a boat, which took us up to the falls and under some of the water. We were the only ones brave enough to go in swimming stuff, because it was chilly but glad to say we were the only ones with dry clothes at the end- ha!