My new Australian friend and I caught an early flight to Iguazu, eager to see the famous falls that same day. After a quick check-in at our hostel and a short taxi ride, we were off to witness one of the great natural wonders of the world.
Iguazu Falls, straddling the border between Argentina and Brazil, is a collection of around 275 individual waterfalls spread across three kilometers of the Iguazu River. It is Argentinas most visited tourist attraction and Brazil’s second (after Christ the Redeemer).
The falls weren’t too crowded, and we spent half the day exploring the different viewpoints. The falls were as impressive as you’d imagine, and definitely worth the trip. We wrapped up the day with dinner and an early night, ready to cross into Brazil the next day.
The border process to get into Brazil was quick and easy and within 2 hours we were at our Brazilian accomodation and in an Uber to see the falls from the other side. The Brazilian side was more crowded, though that might just be because it’s a smaller area compared to the Argentine side. You definitely get wetter on the Brazilian side, with the mist from the falls drenching the walkways.
So which side was better?
A hard one! I think the Argentinian side had more wow moments. You can get incredibly close to the waterfalls at this side. At Devil’s Throat, the most iconic spot, you’re practically perched on the edge of the most powerful part of the falls and it makes you feel incredibly small.
The Brazilian side, whilst it had less wow moments, offered a much better panoramic view of the whole falls. Because 70-80% of the falls are on the Argentinean side, you really can’t see the scale of them from the Argentinean side, whereas on the Brazilian side, you can see everything from a much wider point of view.
I think if I could only visit one side though it would be Argentina.
A brief visit to Paraguay:
After parting ways with my friend the next day—him heading into Paraguay and me prepping for a night bus to São Paulo—I found myself shamelessly crossing yet another border. This time, it was for a day visit to Ciudad del Este, the commercial hub of Paraguay, even if only for a few hours. This day pissed it down with rain and I didn’t soak in Paraguayan culture as much as planned apart from a visit to a few of the shopping centres. The shopping centres here are practically tourist attraction themselves though. Known as the ‘shopping mecca’ of South America, It’s a place – I was told – where you can buy the cheapest electronic goods in all of South America. Thousands of Brazilians make the pilgrimage across the bridge daily, skipping immigration (unlike me), just to go shopping before heading back home.
Will I ever return to Paraguay? Probably not, but its been ticked off the list anyway 😉
https://photos.app.goo.gl/3tRLpk7AccEftXDX6
Lekker