Argentinian Iguaçu Falls Park
You can arrange for a car/driver to take you to the Argentinian side of Iguaçu Falls Park and wait for you. Set the fee in advance. You can also take a Porto Iguaçu bus from Foz. Allow at least one hour for the journey, even though the bus ride is quite short. When you get to the international bridge, Ponte Presidente Tancredo Neves, a Customs and Immigration inspector will board; have your passport ready. Get off the bus at the Puerto Iguazú bus station and ask for the parque (par-KAY) bus; it is usually at stall 5. The park bus leaves every hour from 7:30 am to 7:30 pm daily and the ride takes 20 minutes. At the end of your visit, return buses leave from the park between 8 am and 8 pm daily. At the bus station, look for the Foz do Iguaçu bus. You will have to pass Customs and Immigration again. If you decide to rent a car and drive from Foz to Argentina’s park, Avis has a rental agency in Foz. It’s an easy drive and won’t cost more than a car/driver. You do not need a guide to explore either park. Make your reservations using the US number, 800-331-1212.
The Argentine town here is Puerto Iguazú. The Argentineans have invested a lot of pesos into modernizing their sector of the park. The entrance complex has restaurants and shops and there is a visitor center but no literature in English. The key spot here is the Devil’s Throat (Garganta del Diablo) walkway. You reach it by a small-gauge railway that leaves every 30 minutes from the visitor center.
You can also board at a second station along the paved walking trail. The ride is fun and 20 minutes later you’ll find yourself at the steel catwalk that leads into the heart of the falls.
There are other trails (pasarelas) to follow as well. The “Circuito Superior” (Upper Trail) loops around the top of the falls for spectacular views, but the “Circuito Inferior” (Lower Trail) is much more interesting. It starts at the visitor center and can be steep at points, eventually leading to the edge of the Iguazu River. You’ll pass several falls en route, and if you have a swimsuit you can take a dip in the calm pools near the end of the trail. You can also hop a park boat for a ride to Isla San Martin, an island that’s surrounded on all sides by falling water. This short trip is free at this writing. The Zodiac Adventure Nautica leaves from the dock at the end of the Lower Trail. It heads to several falls on the Argentinean side of the river and costs under $20 per person.
Ischgl is a small mountain village turned hip ski resort, with massive appeal among the party-hearty young crowds. It is... Read More
Andorra la Vella is its own little world, and not just because it’s a 290-square-mile independent principality (a fifth the... Read More
Bariloche (officially San Carlos de Bariloche) is the place to be seen. It is to Argentina what Aspen is to the... Read More
Aspen is America's most famous ski resort. And that's an understatement. For, as a ski complex, Aspen is unsurpassed. Its... Read More
Zermatt is a small but glamorous mountain resort town, with a population of approximately 5,700. It is one of Switzerland's... Read More
St. Moritz is a glitzy, alpine resort town in the celebrated Engadin Valley of Switzerland, with huge notoriety as the... Read More
Lake Tahoe is the premier lake resort of America, and the largest alpine lake in all of North America. It is an absolutely... Read More
St. Anton, Sankt Anton am Arlberg in German, is Austria's premier ski-bum resort! It's actually a small village cum... Read More
Kitzbühel, a small, Tyrolian resort town in the Kitzbüheler Alps, comes with international renown and huge snob appeal, and... Read More