Week 192 · Argentine Side · Brazilian Side · Eco Hostel · The Lost Passport
Iguazu
One of the seven natural wonders of the world. I am lucky that right after I booked the framework of the trip I saw a post on FB with a friend at Iguazu Falls — so we had to work that into the plan. The border with Argentina runs through the centre of the falls and we stayed on the Brazilian side in a hostel.
The original plan was to wake up in Rio and have until about 2pm at Copacabana beach, then catch an Uber to the airport — scheduled relaxation. The side trip to Búzios put us back at the Rio AirBnB at 11am. We decided to investigate south of Ipanema via the coast road. But going south the traffic was horrible. Then the tunnel road we planned on taking closed. Google Maps advised going further south to Barra — which basically looked like suburban Seoul with new high rises going up the sides of mountains. Then our phone battery died. We saw a sign for "RioCentro" and assumed it led downtown. It led to a bus transit centre at the Olympic Park. The road name changed to "TransOlympic." We ended up about 20 miles out of the way. From Ipanema to the airport: 3.5 hours of driving with 30 minutes on the beach in between.
The flight to Iguazu was fine and the logistics should have been easy — hostel 3km from airport, hostel picking us up. That is when the problems happen. Hostel pick-up a no-show. Alexandra found another shuttle and booked our Argentina-side tour (which we needed anyway). The shuttle took us to the wrong hotel. Once at the right hostel, Alexandra realised her purse was still in the shuttle — now gone. Including her passport. Trip killer. Wouldn't be able to go to the Argentine side of the falls.
Front desk spoke no English and little Spanish. I got a taxi to the airport to try to catch the shuttle. Travel company closed — but they had a contact number on their kiosk. I went to the taxi stand and asked in a loud voice: does anyone speak English and can I use your phone. It worked. Another taxi driver called the contact number. About 40 minutes later the shuttle showed up — the guy had his wife and son too, a late Friday night for him. Alexandra's purse was still on the floor with her passport. Crisis averted. Got back to the hotel about 10pm — 14 hours after leaving Búzios. Sometimes these days happen.
After we got the passport situation squared away and properly checked in, things dramatically improved. The first day was a full day tour on the Argentine side — the tour is almost required to get all the tickets and permits and for faster access through border control. It is a huge area. At least a mile wide of waterfalls. Similar in some ways to Niagara Falls with the geology and the formation — but much greener. Pictures don't do it justice.
Iguazu Falls (Cataratas del Iguazú / Cataratas do Iguaçu) straddles the border between Argentina and Brazil. The system comprises approximately 275 individual falls spread across nearly 3 kilometres — significantly wider than Victoria Falls or Niagara. The largest single drop is the Devil's Throat (Garganta del Diablo), a U-shaped chasm 82 metres high and 150 metres wide. When Eleanor Roosevelt first saw the falls, she reportedly said "Poor Niagara!" The falls are UNESCO World Heritage Sites on both sides. The Argentine side contains approximately 80% of the falls and requires a longer visit; the Brazilian side offers the panoramic overview. A perspective on distances: Rio sits at the same latitude as Havana, Cuba; Iguazu Falls at roughly Fort Lauderdale; Buenos Aires at Charlotte, NC — which explains the 17-hour bus journey.
We mostly hiked with the group but did take a boat ride — a combination of Maid of the Mist and a Jetboat tour. Except it went into the falls (not the biggest falls) — that wasn't fun. It was like getting shot with a power washer. Close would have been good enough. Still more stable than our water taxi in Búzios. Great tour operator — especially since they helped us get Alex's passport back.
On Sunday we rode bikes from the hostel to the Brazilian side. We had low expectations because most of the falls are on the other side — but we were pleasantly surprised. Had planned to put bikes on the bus for the return trip, but a marathon was finishing and the bus line was too long. Although I was pretty beat riding the hills out, the people running opposite me were on mile 24 — so I couldn't feel too sorry for myself.
Outside of not picking us up as scheduled, the Iguazu Eco Hostel worked out pretty well — like going to camp with simple meals included. Not too primitive, but not a lot of flash either. Beds were effectively a 4×8 sheet of plywood with 2 inches of foam and the only temperature for the shower was boiling hot. But it did have laundry facilities and plenty of warning signs for snakes and spiders.
"I asked in a loud voice at the taxi stand — does anyone speak English and can I use your phone. It worked. Alexandra's purse was still on the floor with her passport. But Iguazu Falls was worth it."