After visiting Rio de Janeiro and its Carneval we jumped in the plane heading to Iguazu Falls. The flight was fairly quick and in couple hours we landed on the Brazilian side of the falls and took a cab to our accommodation, just to leave our bags there and just before noon we got to the huge parking lot next to the falls. Since the road there is closed for regular vehicles we boarded an eco-friendly bus and in roughly 30 minutes we were at the base for a small walk along the coast of the river. Nice views of the falls started to pop out right from the beginning of the trail and we were amazed by the beauty of the nature. The narrow path curved in the forest, sometimes ascending sometimes going down and in approximately every 5 minutes there was a nice viewing platform. We were suprised that the path itself was not crowded at all, most people probably visited the falls earlier in the morning or later in the afternoon when it was cooler. The weather itself changed quite a bit in comparission with Rio, since here it was much more humid and hot, but we did not mind at all. Along the path we encountered just a few mosquitos which we were glad, moreover there were dozens of beautiful butterflies flying around. Simply a great place to get lost for a couple of hours. We spend roughly 2 hours on the path, but we were walking slowly and took many small stops to make pictures and videos along the way. At the end we got to the base of a huge water fall and the rumbling cascading water was amazing. When we got enough we took stairs to the top of the waterfall and walked a bit upstream to admire the huge river and then we were ready to take the return bus to the parking lot. The sun was slowly setting down and we relaxed at the hotel's beautiful pool and then had superb dinner in nearby restaurant which served everything from steaks to risottos.
The next morning we packed our stuff and found a taxi that would take us to the Argentinian side of the falls. Finding the cab was fairly easy, the ride to the border took about 10 minutes and we did not even have to exit the car, our taxi driver just took our passports, went into the office to obtain the required stamps and in less than 2 minutes we were back on the road, trying to find our hotel. The hotel was newly opened and a bit further from the town center, but at the end we managed to find it, dropped our bags there and went on. We stopped at few places in town to get some cash from the ATM, which was much more complicated than we expected, since most of the ATMs we tried were out of money. The one we found was working gave us the money, after we waited for about 30 minutes in the queue. We got to the falls at around 9:30 am which gave us enough time to explore. Right at the information center were more ATMs, so I guess that it is possible to get the money there instead of the city. We boarded a train that took us into the park and from there we walked. First we visited the Circuito Inferior, which was fairly easy walk in the jungle with views of the falls and the view were amazing. It was also the place where we boarded a small boat which got us right under the fall. I got a chance to test my Xperia Z3 phone there but I have to say, that eventhough it is said to be IP 68, the phone did not last very long under the waterfall (the touch screen stopped working and it took 4 days before it dried out and could be used again). Otherwise the boat ride was really great, took about 15 minutes and we were soaked, so it might be a good idea to bring a spare clothes and some quick drying shoes. From here you can also take a boat to the Isla San Martin, but during our visit the water level was high and the boat was not operating.
After the Circuito Inferior we continued to the Garganta del Diablo. Since we had a lot of time we decide to walk there instead of taking the tram. Along the way we made a small stop for lunch at Subway, where we got a sandwich. Mistake was to take the food outside since there were animals that were hungry too. We ended up with only half of the sandwich right after we got to the table, so it might be better to eat inside. The walk to the Garganta del Diablo was nice, we walked along the river under the sun and with not many people around. The last portion of the path was a bit crowded since most people took the train instead. It is great to watch for the wildlife along the path, there were tons of butterflies, some turtles, aligators and racoons. The Garganta del Diablo is probably the best know attraction and it is worth the walk. The amount of water cascading down the falls is enormous and the sound it makes gives you a goose bumps. When the sun is shining a rainbow appears in the falls almost all the time. From here we took the path back to the train stop, where we waited for almost an hour until we got to the train, there were quite many people so it took some time. To sum it up, this place was really amazing, I would say that the Argentinian side has really great views and its vast so you can spend hours walking there. The Brazilian side is smaller, does not offer as much different vies as the Argentinian side, but the view of the Garganta del Diblo from the bottom is really fascinating.
