Two nights at Iguazu Falls

During a trip my husband, Joe, and I took to Argentina (Sept. ’06, pg. 84. & Oct. ’06, pg. 76), we visited Iguazú Falls. We are so glad we went. It was absolutely spectacular!

We left our luggage at the hotel in Buenos Aires and flew out of the city airport to Iguazú. The city airport looks new, so it was probably refurbished a short time ago. We flew Aerolineas Argentinas, which, after having seen bad reviews, surprised us by providing a very clean new plane with a pleasant staff. We were fortunate that there was no strike during the time we were there in early April ’06.

At Iguazú we shared a cab with another couple we met at the airport (30 pesos, or near $10, for four) and went directly to the Sheraton Hotel, located within the park on the Argentine side. We checked in for our 2-night stay and promptly signed up for tours for the next day.

We went into the park and took the train to Estación Garganta and walked along the catwalks (not scary at all) to Garganta del Diablo, which was awesome!

The next day the driver we hired at the tour desk met us and took us to the park in Brazil. We had purchased our visas in the U.S. ($100 each because we went directly to the embassy; they are good for five years), so our entry was easy.

Our driver waited while we entered the park and took the bus to the walkway to the falls. We exited the bus at the Tropical Cataratas Hotel and began walking. The view of the falls from the Brazilian side was absolutely incredible. We enjoyed every moment of that walk and took lots of pictures. It took about two hours and then our driver took us back to our hotel.

We then took a 4x4 tour of the jungle and a boat ride through the falls, where we got really wet, but it was a lot of fun. Go prepared with a plastic raincoat. An underwater camera would have come in handy. We took a towel, which was handy for wiping our feet to put our socks back on. They do give you a watertight bag for your shoes and personal items. It was a great trip and cost about $60 for both of us.

We were pleased with our choice to stay at the Sheraton. Although there was construction underway, it did not interfere with our enjoyment of the hotel and the park.

We ate at the Sheraton and at the inexpensive indoor and outdoor concession stands outside in the park. Buffet breakfast was included in our room rate, but for the lunch or dinner buffet it cost $25 per person. Since we felt that that was a lot of money for lunch, we ordered off the à la carte menu. Food and drinks were good at the hotel, although the meals were much more expensive than in the rest of the country.

After our second night, we entered the park at 7:30 a.m. when it opened and walked the lower circuit. By then we were ready to leave and tried to get an earlier flight. For us, the day and a half at Iguazú were enough.

We couldn’t get the earlier flight on standby, so we ate lunch at the airport in the Blue Sky restaurant and found it surprisingly good. My husband had beef, I had pasta and the service was excellent. We paid $25 for two. In general in Argentina, you do not have to go to a fancy restaurant.

LINDA LIBERTUCCI
Redondo Beach, CA