Forces of Nature

There are things in this world that are absolutely amazing, breathtaking, incomprehensible in their essence and magnitude. You can see photos, videos, and learn the facts and figures, but there is nothing like being awe-struck in their presence. Iguazu Falls is one of these world wonders. There is good reason it is or should be on your Bucket List.

Christina and I arrived Thursday evening into tiny Foz do Iguacu airport on the Brazilian side. I wonder how that little airport handled the X Games just a few weeks before! We were met on arrival by our lovely guide Indi, born and raised in Iguacu, and a proud guide in her 9th year, and escorted into the Iguacu Falls National Park.
With just one night/day to experience the falls it is important we stay inside the park and the only place to do so on the Brazilian side is at the historic Orient Express Hotel Das Cataratas. When we got out of our car at the hotel I put my hand up into the mist – “oh it must have started raining” – but Indi quickly corrected me – it was the mist from the falls I was feeling! Amazing. It was too dark so we could not see the falls but certainly could hear them and to feel so close in their mist gave me goosebumps!

Das Cataratas enjoys a perfect location right at the falls. The next morning we walk out the front door – there they are! I knew the hotel was the closest place you could stay to the falls but right out the front door was even more special than I had imagined. Another crucial advantage to staying inside the park is that you can get an early start and experience the falls before the park opens to the public and the tour buses descend and unload at the falls. Indi met us about 30 minutes before park opening time so we were able to soak in the sheer magnitude and magnificence undistracted, take all the pictures we wanted without unwanted background characters, and walk out over the falls bridge all to ourselves.

I have included some photos here but there is not much more I can say about the falls except photos do not do justice (and I am sure you have seen much better photos than mine!) and words cannot explain.

There is, though, the always-burning question: which side is better? Argentina or Brazil? One thing to keep in mind, for the American traveler, to enter Brazil you need a visa, which must be processed in advance of travel. Now Argentina also requires a reciprocity fee to be paid prior to travel as well. So basically you need to know which side you are going to visit (or both) in order to get your paperwork in order. You can’t decide ‘on a whim’ to include the other side in your itinerary. The typical answer to the question is true: from the Brazilian side, you have a more panoramic view of the falls, while from the Argentinean side, you can get closer to the falls. The falls are at a diagonal almost ‘facing’ Brazil which allows a more panoramic view. That being said, we got pretty darn close to the falls on the Brazilian side, walking across the pathway built at the bottom of one cascade and just over the breaking point of another! I’m not sure how much closer we could have gotten without taking a swim! On the Argentinean side there is a similar catwalk and they also have a pretty spectacular view. So my vote: you can’t lose either way.

Another note on the hotel: Not only is Hotel Das Cataratas perfectly convenient, but a 5* experience in itself. The dining room is beautiful and offers a la carte dining or the traditional Brazilian buffet. Christina and I chose the latter and I had probably the best lamb I’ve ever had, as well as the traditional rump steak with chimichuri. The service at each meal, as well as the front desk and guest relations, was wonderful.