04.01.2008
Exploring the Argentinean side of Iguazu Falls Most tourists spend only one or two days at the Iguazu Falls. Well, we felt that even three days were not enough. Besides the falls, there is bird and butterfly sanctuary and a national park that can be visited off the beaten tracks for those who have time and stamina. The heat turned out to be a major challenge for all of us. At 11:00 am it was already very hot, and at 01:00 pm it was simply unbearable. The afternoon of the day we arrived, we visited “Garganta del Diablo” or “Devil’s Throat” on the Argentinean side of the falls: A little train takes you to the entry of a 1 kilometer long trail that leads to the Mirador. The view from there is simply breathtaking! Incredible amounts of water are rushing by, their spray providing a pleasant cool off for the sweating tourists, but also leaving layers of water on the lenses of the cameras. The noise from the huge masses of water plunging down is so loud that it is difficult to talk. Also the walk to the Mirador was very pleasant, we crossed the wide river on the “catwalks” and even saw a caiman and lots of exotic birds. On the second day, we started early with “Gran Adventura”. This one hour tour starts off with an eight kilometer ride through the rainforest in a 4-wheel drive truck. The ranger explained the fauna and flora of the rainforest and stopped to point out various rare trees. But the fun part is the boat ride on the river that takes you close to the falls so that everybody gets completely wet. It is not just a little sprinkle but a thorough “Ducha”. That makes you duck and takes your breath away. We all enjoyed it very much and even little Raphael, aged 18 months, braved the adventure with the help of a sailor who covered him with a poncho. Apart from the shower, the boat ride passed by some other waterfalls and we had the most amazing view by being so close. After the “Gran Adventura”, we took a little ferry to Isla Grande San Martin. This island has a trail of its own that offers the best view of Salto San Martin. The rocks and walls of this cascade are covered with what looks like grass. Despite the force of the water rushing over these plants, they miraculously manage to cling to the rock. Another thing that baffled us was what effect the water has on the rocks at the bottom, the constant pounding and hammering … From the ferry dock, we made our way up walking the “Paseo Inferior” stopping at more viewpoints. By then, it was around 01:00 pm and the heat was so unbearable that we decided to skip the Paseo Superior, which takes you along the top of the cascades. |