Iguazu Falls: A Wonderful Wonder of the World indeed

We got soft in Buenos Aires, in terms of energy, physique and brainpower. A trip to Iguazu Falls – a set of ginormous waterfalls that span both Brazil and Argentina and were recently inducted into the Seven Wonders of the World hall of fame – couldn’t have come at a better time. We were ready to get back in tune with nature, work muscles whose primary use in BsAs had been to pick up a cup of coffee and, as I like to put it, feel alive again.

They say you need two hours to explore the Brazilian side of the falls and two days to explore the Argentine side; the latter, more expansive side gets you close to the falls, while the former offers a panoramic view. (You also need to pay the $140 visa fee to go to Brazil if you’re American. Wasn’t about to do that!) So we spent two days exploring what Argentina had to offer. Funny, because at the beginning of the trip, neither of us really understood what could be so great about some waterfalls…

On Sunday we boarded the Tigre Iguazu bus for an 18-hour ride to falls. Surprisingly, the ride itself was painless; it was the movies played on board that killed us: Furry Vengeance, starring Brendan Fraser, Just Go With It, starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston and The Beaver, starring Mel Gibson – all in Spanish. Oh, and they played Twilight and New Moon, the latter of which they played the same 20 minutes three times over until they realized the disc was broken. I’m not quite sure how the Argentines manage to select the most hideous and widely panned films of all time, but the movies put us into a deep sleep, so thanks for that, Gibson et al.

Arriving at 7:30 a.m. on Monday and being the morning go-getters that we both are, we hit the national park that day itself. People had warned us that it resembles Disney World, what with it’s signage and gas train that runs through the park, but for a weekday, I found it refreshingly tranquil.

We walked the two main routes, but, friends, this wasn’t hiking. There’s one upper circuit and one lower circuit, both with metal walkways, meaning ladies in their high-heeled wedges can do these walks. And I, in my hiking shoes and mesh shorts, saw these ladies. That aside, the routes were a brilliant way to see the falls from every possible angle and the incredible butterflies along the way.

But the crème de la crème of close-ups was the quick (and free) boat to San Martin Island. Our luck couldn’t have been better; the Island was closed the day before and day after we went due to high water levels. Score for us! On the beach at San Martin, we also got some time to indulge in the makeshift lunch we prepared with food we had stolen from breakfast at our hostel – a stale cheese sandwich and apple. Score again!

Next up was a AR$125 boat ride around two falls, which really just meant, Let’s see how wet we can get these gringos. It was less thrilling than I imagined but still worth it to get realllly close for just 30 bucks.

That was us in the boat. Well not really because it’s a picture I took of different people in the same boat, but you get the idea.

At that point, we liked the park but still didn’t get it. OK, beautiful falls. So what?

But then, we saw Garganta del Diablo, or “The Devil’s Throat,” the scariest fall in the park which boasts the highest flow rate in the world. If you want to see Mother Nature at her fiercest, go to Garganta. It was one of the craziest things I’ve ever seen, and all my masochistic self could think about was what it would feel like to fall from the top into its hazy, fatal depths. I wish my pictures could do it justice, but they simply don’t.

There are always rainbows, but we lucked out with a double rainbow! You can’t really see it in this picture unfortunately.

After a long, sweaty day at the park, we headed back to the hostel – Bambu Mini – which could double as a hostel in the Caribbean considering how chilled out it is. We struck up a friendly game of poker with the 18-year-old bartender, hostel receptionist and a traveler from Texas over tropical drinks set to the tune of Bob Marley.

Side note: It’s amazing how quickly we snapped back into hostel life after seven weeks of cush apartment living. In fact, BsAs and all its comforts felt like a distant dream. Being at the hostel, talking to other backpackers, making lunches out of scraps and even showering with flip-flops felt exciting and energizing. My mind had become rather stale after seven weeks of cafes, dinners and bars in BsAs, and, like I said, I had to remind myself how great life was there. Being back in the world of hostels was the instant jolt I needed. The backpacker life is what I really want out of this trip, and it felt so, so good to be back.

The next day involved some real hiking – albeit on a flat path – on the Macuco Trail. (Entry to the park costs 100 pesos per person, but you get 50% off on day two if you get your pass stamped.)

Sadly, we didn’t see any jaguars or toucans, but we did see hummingbirds, hamsters, lizards and monkeys, nearly a dozen of whom made their way from tree to tree. It was quite the sight to see, and thankfully, they didn’t hurl branches at us, like they did to someone else at our hostel.

Besides primates, we also had the (dis)pleasure of dealing with the many, many, many, many mosquitoes. They were insanely aggressive. Just look at what one of them did to Eaman’s eye!! Poor guy.

Anywho, the Macuco Trail leads to the Salto Arrechea, a skinny, serene waterfall with a natural pool perfect for a swim and cool-down. Being there was one of those moments when I thought to myself, “I am in a natural pool in Iguazu Falls. This is freaking AMAZING.”

Eaman at the pool:

Once we got out, we just had to go back to Garganta for a final glimpse, and with the higher water levels on that second day, it was like we were seeing a different fall all together. It was that much more powerful, that much more fierce and we got that much more soaked. Literally drenched. But it was an incredible way to end our visit.

Back at the hostel, after dinner at a local parrilla, we went bar-hopping with a few other backpackers, but seeing as how Puerto Iguazu – the entry city to the falls – is quite small and it was a Tuesday, the night got about as rowdy as us alone at a pool hall while the workers played with their smartphones. But if you ask me, I prefer those random nights in small towns over ragers in the city. It feels special and different. Even being at a hostel in a smaller town is more fun IMHO. The people who work there take the time to sit, chat, tell you their life stories and hear about yours. It feels like a real community.

So of course that was a part of what made this trip so great, but credit really goes to Garganta, San Martin Island and the Macuco Trail. What an amazing piece of land Iguazu is. All I can say is, now I understand the fuss. Sorry for doubting!

By the way, in case you were wondering, the movie selection was worlds better on the way back to Buenos Aires on Thursday. The Town? Not too shabby, Ben Affleck!

Today, we said our final goodbye to BsAs – we were back for a mere 1.5 days – and hopped on an early flight to El Calafate in Patagonia, where we’ll be roaming around for the next month and a half. CANNOT WAIT.

See you in Patagonia!