Argentinian Side of Iguazu Falls
After two months in Brazil it’s time to say good-bye to this beautiful country and hello to Argentina. I have already been to Argentina a couple of years ago when travelling from Buenos Aires to Lima. This time I will travel a different route going from Puerto Iguazú in the north of the country to Ushuaia in the very south.
The border crossing procedure went pretty fast since we were not allowed to line up individually but our group as a whole was registered and stamped into the country. What took quite some time was the money changing procedure since for each exchange you were requested to read and sign six papers. Most of us changed larger amounts of money since you usually get favorable exchange rates at the border and we will spent 3-4 weeks in Argentina. We also collected all the coins since they cannot be changed. Instead we will donate them to a charity.
The actual border between Brazil and Argentina is a huge bridge. We stopped at the middle of it to get our picture taken as we are crossing the border. With the border crossing we are now in a Spanish speaking country and quite a number of people in our truck speak some Spanish which wasn’t the case with Portuguese in Brazil which only our leader Anki spoke.
Once arrived in Puerto Iguazú we went straight away to the Iguazú National Park to see the Iguazu Falls from the Argentinian side. The entry fee was 100 Peso (24 USD). Compared to the park on the Brazilian side the one on the Argentinian side offers you more possibilities to hike along the falls. You are also much closer to the water why many people prefer this side over the Brazilian one. In total I walked along three different routes. The first one was the lower route which led me down to the river into which the water is dropping. On this route you have a similar view at the falls than from the Brazilian side but you are much closer to the water. Down at the river I took an optional boat trip costing around 120 Peso (29 USD). It lasted 10min and took us very close to the falls so we got completely soaked in water which was very much fun. Whenever you visit the falls at the Argentinian side this is a must do activity! I knew already what to expect from the boat trip by talking to other people in the hostel. Therefore, I was wearing only a very short and thin dress which, due to the heat of the day, was completely dry half an hour later.
The second route I took was the upper route on which you walk over small bridges which give you access to fascinating views on the water on top of the falls before it’s actually falling down. From this perspective you could also see many colorful rainbows right above the water.
Lastly, I went to Devil’s Throat which is a narrow u-shaped chasm which is the most impressive part of the Iguazu Falls. You go there by a small train and once left it, long bridges guide you over the river all the way to Devil’s Throat. There is a huge amount of water dropping down at this narrow chasm so it’s not possible to see the water hitting the surface of the river since the whole chasm is filled with spray of the falls.
We spent the night at a beautiful campsite in Puerto Iguazú which featured a massive pool. After the heat of the day I couldn’t wait to jump into the water and it was actually the first thing I’ve done after arrival. Some others joined for a swim and we also had some refreshing drinks right in the pool.
