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Today we went to the incredible Iguazu Falls! We had booked this excursion 3 months ago (before the Machu Picchu situation) and as it got closer we were more than a little hesitant about leaving the ship again to trek to a location requiring buses, airplanes and trains…but we did making sure to pack extra clothes, toothpaste and underwear! (You never know…)
There were about 100 of us brave souls on this excursion. We took a 20 minute bus ride to the airport and boarded our charted 737 to Iguazu (pronounced Ig–oo–a–zoo). We then boarded another bus for a 30 minute transfer to the Sheraton Hotel located on the Argentina side of the Falls. Iguazu Falls is the result of the Panama River, which creates the border here between Argentina and Brazil, falling off of tremendous cliffs and ledges – some 250 feet in height.
We had a large room reserved for us so we could leave our change of clothes, bags, etc. and where they supplied us with towels to use for our next encounter — taking zodiac jet boats out into the Falls! They told us we would get “very” wet — actually I think they used the term “soaking” — Margaret and I looked at each other and decided perhaps it was best to let the other guests have that fun and we would entertain ourselves with the view and taking splendid photos of our more adventurous friends! (We also thought that since Margaret was getting over bronchitis…that maybe it wasn’t such a good idea for her to exert herself too much and get soaking wet in the process!).
We then walked from the Sheraton down to the Falls…it was about a 1/2 mile downhill. Those electing to go on the Zodiac had another 1/4 mile or so walk down some steep and slippery rock steps (about 100 in all) to get to the water and then over to the dock area. I went down the steps so I could take some photos and then made my way back up. Margaret stayed at the top of the steps at another lookout/view area that was close enough to the Falls that the spray would get you soaked if you stood close enough! By the time I made it back up the stairs I was soaked…not just from the spray, but from sweating! It was 90+ degrees and 90+ percent humidity. We were lucky it was partly cloudy this morning because that kept the temperatures down…our guide told us it had been over 100 for the past 3 weeks!
The group of us that didn’t take the Zodiac walked along a really nice path that had fantastic panoramic vistas. At one lookout point we saw our group down below loading into the boat and we were able to take videos and pictures of them (check out the photo gallery for these and other pictures).
We then walked the 1/2 mile or so back to the Sheraton — uphill — for lunch. The buffet lunch was good and we all had time to catch our breath and fill our stomachs (you have to eat every 2 hours or so when you are on a cruise ship…you body comes to expect it!).
Throughout lunch I noticed the sky was clearing and it was becoming gloriously blue with white puffy clouds. Our next adventure was to walk from the Sheraton to the train station (another 1/2 mile or so) and then board the narrow gauge train for a short ride to the park entrance where we would see the “Devils Throat”! It was getting REALLY hot and we had to wait a bit for the train…we wondered how some of the older folks could handle this heat and the multiple 1/2 mile walks…but they seemed to be doing OK. We bought some water and a Popsicle and tried to cool off a bit as we waited for the train. While we waited we met some rather friendly “Coatimundi’s” which is a member of the raccoon family…these guys were pretty tame and actually poked their rather long noses into our bags looking for food! Check out the photo gallery for pictures of these rascals!
The train ride itself was fairly short and when we arrived at the station we found out we had another 1/2 mile walk to get to the top of the falls where the lookout area is for the Devil’s Throat. The walk was on a metal catwalk structure that went over the multiple arms of the river that would eventually become the Falls. We understood, upon reaching Devil’s Throat, how it got this name — it was an incredible site. The Devil’s Throat look-out area is at the very top of the Falls so you are standing right where the water makes it’s plunge down a 250+ foot drop. Spontaneous rainbows would appear and disappear magically…it was quite a sight. We have been to Niagara Falls…and this must be at least 5-10 times more water and twice as high..it was fantastic!
We stayed there for 15 minutes or so and then began our 1/2 mile walk back to the train. At this point the sun was glaring and we were pretty close to our threshold…and this is from 2 people who are, on average — 20-30 years younger than a lot of the people on this adventure! Back at the train station we waited (again) for the train and finally made it back to the area where we were to catch our buses (after another 1/4 mile walk!).
The bus ride to the airport was only 15 minutes or so and we were on our chartered flight on time and winging our way back to Buenos Aries. The flight only lasted 1 hour & 40 minutes so it wasn’t too bad. Before we knew it we were back on another bus at the airport and another 20 minutes to the cruise terminal.
All in all it was a great day and we saw a lot. If you want to learn more about Iguazu Falls click on this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iguazu_Falls
The hardest thing to believe was at the end of the day (Margaret and I were both exhausted) a bunch of our fellow travelers decided they hadn’t had enough and decided (after all of that) to take a bus into Buenos Aires and catch a Tango show!! Incredible! We ended up having dinner on the ship at La Veranda and then went to the Observation Lounge so Margaret could work on perfecting her “Green-teani” recipe!
Iguazu Falls Picture Gallery 1: http://travelwithdm.smugmug.com/Travel/South-America/Iguazu-Falls-Feb-17-2010/25172758_PF6gRC#!i=2064514059&k=qdLZ4vf
Dale - test
Dale - testing again
Dale - testing again