Brasil’s Iguazu Falls
It wasn’t part of our original plan. (not that we really have a strict plan.) We were very impressed and content having experienced the magnificent Iguazu Falls from the Argentinian side. The plan was to spend another day in the hot, peaceful town of Puerto Iguazu relaxing and routing the rest of our journey.
They say if you want to feel the falls, go to the Argentinian side, but if you want to see the falls go to the Brazilian side…
I mentioned this to Marc after talking to another traveling couple at our hotel that morning who had gone to both sides of this natural wonder. How could the view be any better than what we had encountered the previous day? The experience had already superseded my expectations!
It was an abrupt decision – we were going to Foz to see Iguazu Falls from the Brazilian side then taking a bus to Florianopolis, a city we only read about that morning. It was 9:30 am. We cancelled that nights accommodation, showered and booked out within thirty minutes.
Marc devised the plan – it’s not as straight forward as it seems… But we managed to travel from Argentina to Brazil’s Igauzu park, spend a few hours at the falls, catch a local bus to central station, then another to the main bus station and still manage to be on time to catch our overnight bus to Florianopolis. We are still not quite sure if we are legal in Brazil because the bus driver collected everyone’s passports at the Brazilian border and had them all stamped while we waited in the bus… We have a stamp… It just seemed a bit too easy… Border crossings are usually a bit intimidating or scary or at least create some inconvenience. I hope we won’t have any problems when leaving the country!
It was so worth seeing the Iguazu Falls from a different angle! I didn’t think I could be impressed again but it was overwhelmingly amazing! There seemed to be water everywhere! There are double layered waterfalls as far as your eye can see. I felt as if I was swallowed in then spat out again by this magnificent force of nature.
So, should you see the falls on the Argentinian or the Brazilian side? Which side is better?
If you can, see both! Really, both sides are so magnificent in their own way! The view is more panoramic on the Brazilian side and it’s more overwhelming. Overall we enjoyed our experience on the Argentinian side more. The Argentine entrance fee is a bit cheaper and it’s easier to walk around with more trails close by. We saw more wildlife in the Argentine National Park and more spiders on the Brazilian side. Both parks had tons of tourists. I suppose 1st prize goes to the Brazilian side but 2nd, 3rd and 4th prize plus the all-rounder trophy goes to the Argentinian side… So it’s best to see both! I’m so glad we did!
