Subject: Tropical Depression
Date: Mon, February 15, 2010 9:04:43 PM
Buenos dias (o tardes o noches),
My flight out of Iguazu was at 2:30pm. I checked out of the hotel this morning and walked back to the Upper Circuit Trail -- ending my sightseeing in Iguazu the same way I began. This time though, I was a little less confused where I was or what I was looking at. And seeing the people on the Lower Circuit trail did not make me wonder how they got down there. But other than that, it was pretty much the same as on Saturday! Excellent. So I won't write too much about that again here. I'm now in Buenos Aires airport waiting for my flight to Dallas. The tv monitors say it's 20 minutes late, which means I have 1 hour to go through customs in Dallas and make my connection to SFO tomorrow morning! My photos from today will be uploaded by Tuesday night California time.
On my flight from Iguazu I was sitting next to 4 elderly ladies (2 next to me and 2 more across the aisle) and we had seen each other on the trails yesterday. We started chatting and I learned a thing or two from them... They were on the Brazilian side of the falls on Friday and told me all about it. With that in mind, I've devised the following itinerary for visiting Iguazu Falls... so for your benefit and (more importantly) mine for my next trip here:
Day 1: Arrive in the afternoon (most flights from U.S. reach Iguazu in the afternoon from the international gateway city -- either Santiago, Rio de Janeiro, or Buenos Aires). Check in to the Sheraton hotel on the Argentina side -- this is THE BEST place to stay. You'd be spending more $$$ and time if you stayed outside and commuted. A "Falls view" room is not necessary as you get the same view from the breakfast room downstairs and much much better views from near the falls themselves. Get acquainted with the hotel concierge -- you'd be going to him many times during your stay. Tip well -- since tipping is not common practice in Argentina he'll REALLY appreciate it and give you lots of advice! :) Go for a leisurely stroll around the grounds, not necessarily on any of the trails. Get acquainted with the surrounding buildings, noting where the cafeterias are.
Day 2: Start as early as possible. Eat a big breakfast. Wear a swimsuit under your clothes and pack a towel in a waterproof bag. Wear shoes for the trails but take a pair of slippers/flip-flops too. First go to the Upper Circuit trail. That will take anywhere between 1-2 hours. You will get wet but not drenched. After this, take the train to Garganta del Diablo and do that trail. Before you get to the falls, strip down to the swimsuit. Enjoy the water, then dry off with that towel you packed, don't put your clothes back on yet, and head to the Lower Circuit Trail. Just before the entrance to the trail there is a cafeteria. Now would be a good time to have lunch or take it packed to-go. Take the "Jungle" company's speedboat ride -- you cannot come to the falls and not do this! You will get drenched on this ride, and also at the viewpoint at the bottom of the Bossetti Fall (this is convenient because it's right next to the booth for the speedboat tickets). After you've done with both, you can put your clothes back on over the swimsuit. I saw many people doing exactly this... and other people were just staying in the swimsuit throughout the trail. The Lower Circuit Trail + speedboat ride takes anywhere between 3-5 hours. That will be the end of a long tiring day. The Sheraton has a NICE restaurant with reasonable prices for dinner. (All other places in the area are cafeterias). Arrange with the concierge to book a tour to the Brazillian side the next day.
Day 3: Tour of Brazillian side. I did not do this, but the information here is from my co-passengers on the flight from Iguazu today. It is much better to do a tour than rent a private car to cross the border. Border formalities mean that the private car line is more than 2-3 miles long, while tourbuses can skip all that completely (they still check your passport, so for U.S. citizens, make sure you have your visa). Once across the border, do everything the tour group does. There is no need to hire a separate guide unless you're really interested in the local plants and animals and want to learn more about everything around you. There is a 2 miles long loop trail that gives good views of all the falls. Expect to get drenched again at the Devils Throat viewpoint. Return back to hotel same everning.
Day 4: Fly out of Iguazu and make a promise to the almighty waterfalls that one day, you will return to enjoy the spectacle again. :-(
That is all.
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