Puerto Iguazu

One of the first things that Sandra and I wanted to do together was go see Iguazu Falls. And since this was a priority and we found a good deal on flights, that was our next stop. So after spending a couple of days in Buenos Aires, we got on a plane to head north. It was a pretty short flight, but we were definitely in a different part of the country. Our neighbor on the plane mentioned that sometimes pilots fly around the falls before they land. We were hoping for this, but instead we just landed. Although it's still amazing to see what's below (that's why I love the window seat). We were still rewarded and got to see some cool landscape.

From the plane.

We grab our bags, paid for our minibus ticket, and headed into town. It took a while since it was a shuttle and we were apparently staying the furthest from the airport. And the driver missed a hotel so when we got to town, he had to make a u-turn and head back the way we came. We got a nice tour of the area though. We checked into the hotel, which we were pleasantly surprised about. We had a pool and our own kitchenette area. After settling in, we obviously took a dip in the pool. It was way more humid in Puerto Iguazu. 

The pool was a nice welcome.

Before we went to dinner, we took a detour to Plaza Hito Tres Fronteras, the point where Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay meet. Across the Rivers Iguazu and Parana, we could see the corresponding obelisks in the other countries. It would have been great to visit each country since they were so close, but not this time around. The visa for Brazil was too much and the process seemed a bit too complicated for being out of the country. I also want to do Brazil properly, so it would just need to wait. Paraguay would also need to wait. 

Plaza Hito Tres Fronteras.

We grabbed some dinner and of course we were the first ones in the restaurant. A very common occurrence on this part of my trip. I'm not sure how it's sustainable to eat dinner so late every night. The later you eat, the later you have your downtime, the later you go to bed. And then the later you get up. I would be too tired to do this if I had a job. But maybe everyone goes into the office much later? 

The following morning, we got up early in order to have the entire day to spend at Iguazu Falls. We caught the bus to the entrance and we were joined by a ton of tourists. We paid for our entrance fee, and of course our ticket price was more expensive than locals. I wish the US government would give it's citizens a massive discount for our national parks. Unless there's something I'm not aware of, everyone has to pay the same price, no matter where you are from. 

The first thing we did was do the Sendero Macuco trail to the Salto Arrechea waterfall. It was a nice hike in the rain forest, where we got to see a ton of butterflies. They were hard to capture on camera, but we got a few here and there. 

Swimming in waterfalls.

Throughout the hike and all day, we saw so many butterflies. It was amazing. Some landed on us. 

They liked my shoes.

And others landed around us. 

We tried to be quiet.

We eventually made it to the waterfall and by then we were ready for a swim. We did a quick change on the sly, and made our way into the water. It felt so good after that hike. Since this isn't too popular of a spot to visit, there weren't that many people there. Which was great. After swimming around for a bit and playing in the waterfalls, it was time to continue on to the main event. 

We made our way back to the main area and headed down the lower trail. We heard the falls before we actually saw the falls. Once we caught a glimpse, we could see why. As we walked along, our views just got better and better. 

Wow.

After getting lunch, we made our way to the upper path to see more views. Since the sun was out, there were rainbows everywhere. Even some double rainbows. Since it was St. Paddy's Day, it was very fitting. 

Rainbows.

We wrapped up our day by getting on the train to Garganta del Diablo. We were seriously up and close with the rushing water. I kept thinking of all those movies where someone gets caught in a fast-moving river and all of a sudden they are flung over some powerful waterfalls. I kept an eye out for any lost boats or barrels. 

In awe.

The falls were pretty awesome. They totally put Niagara Falls to shame. Even though Niagara Falls are home and will always be something special. I've just added some other spectacular falls to the list. 

One more shot.

After all that hiking around, and dealing with the humidity, we treated ourselves to some ice cream. Apparently Argentina has the best ice cream in the world. Not sure if that's necessarily true but I'm willing to judge. When I get paid to take an ice cream tour of the world, I'll come back to you on that. In the meantime, this was pretty tasty. And since it was St. Paddy's Day and I couldn't find a Guinness in town, whiskey ice cream would have to do. 

Yummy.

We wished we had some extra time in Puerto Iguaza. We heard there wasn't much to do, so only booked a couple of nights. However, the town was actually pretty nice and we could have used a day by the pool for sure. But we had a flight out and it was time to figure out our next stop. Which we didn't actually figure out until we got to the airport the following morning. But not before some more mate. 

Mate.