Day 18

LEAVING RIO

An annoyingly happy tune blared from my Iphone at 4:30 AM.  Our flight didn’t leave until 8:15 AM and we were at an airport hotel flying domestic – no immigration lines – but we would rather be early at airports in case something goes amiss so we have more time to react. 

After a very mediocre buffet breakfast in the Linx Hotel lobby (don’t pick this hotel for the breakfast) we caught the 6:10 AM shuttle to Terminal 2, which was less than ¼ mile away. 

Our Guide Service in Iguazu recommended we have some Argentinian Pesos for our second day in Iguazu to pay the National Park entrance fee of $800 pesos per person.  While the ticket counter takes $USD and credit cards, if you have pesos, you can give them to your guide who can then go to a special “guide only” line and buy your tickets for you, but he can only use local currency at this special line.  We were advised this could save us a lot of time as this ticket window can get crowded.  As it turned out, we left early enough and there wasn’t any line, but we didn’t know that at the time.  We also learned later that you could buy your tickets online in advance and avoid buying tickets in the park all together. 

Since we had time to kill, I decided to change $50 USD to Argentinian Peso’s at the airport.  Big mistake.  They required me to exchange the dollars into Brazilian Real first – then from Real into Peso’s.  I figured – how bad could it be – maybe lose 10 – 15% on each transaction.  So my $50 USD, which would get me $3000 pesos at the bank, netted me only $1200 pesos once the smoke cleared.  I should have asked for the final number first; they usually show you what you will get before they do the deal.  But I didn’t anticipate a 60% penalty for changing money!  Live and learn. 

Navigating the airport was a breeze.  We checked in online, had our boarding passes on our phones in the Apple Wallet.  Worked great. 

To enter the security area, we scanned our phone/boarding pass which opens the gate.  The well marked security area has the standard metal detectors and Xray machines.  Our laptop needed to be taken out, but we could leave our liquids in the bag, and wear our shoes and belt.  No line and we were finished in minutes. 

Once past security we navigated thru the typical duty free gauntlet and proceeded to our gate arriving at 6:48 AM for our 8:15 AM flight which would being boarding at 7:25 AM.  We spotted a few other Amsterdam travelers and fellow blogger “Captain Ricky” and chatted for a bit before getting on the plane.  

Judy and I were in seats 2E and 2F (no first class on this plane!) and we were soon joined by another couple from the USA, Marie Joe and her husband Tony, both now living in Thailand.  We struck up a great conversation and learned that she and her husband, who was sitting across the isle, are on an independently arranged Around- The- World 93-day land tour using a special ticket program offered by United Airlines.  They managed to snag Business Class tickets for their round the world trip for about the same price as a single round trip from North America to Europe.  Nice!  We chatted all the way to touchdown in Iguazu and traded some great tips about travelling and some useful apps. 

ARRIVING AT FOZ DO IGUACU AIRPORT (IGU)

There aren’t any jetways at the IGU airport, which required us to walk down the airstairs to the tarmac and then about 200 yards to the terminal.  With only carryon bags on a domestic flight, there wasn’t any customs or immigration to clear.  We were in the terminal in minutes, greeted by Spiderman from a local wax museum. 

 

Fábio, our guide from Iguassu Private Tours, was waiting for us with a sign with our name. 

Fábio can be reached via WhatsApp at +55 (45) 9104-1044

His car was by the curb and we were on our way in minutes.  Fábio has been a guide here for 11 years and has the reputation and experience to work year-round.  There are about 1000 guides in the Iguazu Falls area, but only about 200-300 work year-round because of the lower demand off-season.  These full-time guides with long years of experience are valuable because they have developed contacts with many of the park and immigration officials and know what to ask and who to ask to help speed things along during the high season. 

 

IGUAZU FALLS – BRAZIL SIDE

The Brazil side national park entrance to Iguazu Falls is only a few minutes from the airport, but once inside, the viewpoint trailhead is over 6 miles away.  Tourists must park or be dropped off outside the main entrance and then take shuttle buses to the viewpoints inside the park. 

NOTE: The Tickets cost $R 72 or about $18 USD.  You can buy your ticket on line in advance and probably save some time.  HERE is a link to their website    The site is in Portuguese, but Google Chrome can translate webpages automatically and it works fine. 

The website for the Argentina Side of the falls is HERE  .  You can buy your tickets online, the ticket purchase pages are in Spanish but Chrome was able to translate them easily.  Getting your ticket in advance could save you some time when you arrive, but if you arrive early enough, there won’ t be much of a line regardless.  The ticket for the Argentina side costs $800 pesos or about $14 USD. 

If you are visiting around the time of a full moon, they offer a “walk in the moonlight” tour. 

After we left the airport, Fábio took us directly to the entrance to the Brazil National Park and he waited while we bought our tickets.  Once we had our tickets we went inside a large covered area to wait for Fábio to pick us up on the other side of the building.  We were next to the line to board the buses that take tourists to the beginning of the trail to The Devil’s Throat, the largest of the many falls in the Iguazu falls park complex.  This bus line can get pretty long during the busy season. 

 

Since Fábio is a licensed guide with a vehicle permit, he can drive his car inside the park.  This allowed us to bypass the long queue for the buses and proceed directly into the park in his car.  To ensure that the drivers don’t speed inside the park, they are given a GPS when they enter the park that records their speed.  When they leave the park, then turn in the GPS and park officials download their speed.  The drivers face suspension of their park access if they exceeded the speed limit by more than 10%. 

It’s 6 miles from the park entrance to the beginning of the scenic trail that follows the river to Devil’s Throat viewing platform.  Take the time to review a map of the falls that shows their orientation and general layout.  This will help you understand what you are seeing as you move along the trail. 

Brazil park information HERE:  

 Argentine park information HERE: 

 

 

We saw quite a few Coatis, a racoon looking animal, that are everywhere.  Don’t work to hard to take their picture, you will soon have your fill of them as they wander about anywhere people might drop food.  We spotted a few monkeys and a couple of Iguanas.  The rare animal to look for is the park mascot, a Toucan.  Our guide said he has only seen a few over the 11 years he has been working in the parks.  Jaguars are also present in the park, but they tend to shy away from the crowds. 

 

About every 100 yards or so, as we walked along the trail, we came across an extension from the main trail that took us to a view spot.  There are plenty of steps on this trail, with no visible ramps, so not a place for wheelchairs.  

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After seeing all the minor view spots, we arrived at the “Mother of All View spots” which is a long, elevated trail that runs out over the river to a spot in front of the Devil’s Throat.  Be prepared to get wet as the mist will be intense.  If you don’t already have a waterproof camera, think about how you will take pictures under very wet conditions.  You will want to put your passport, wallet and money in a ziplock bag as they will probably get wet through your clothes.  If you don’t have a poncho, they sell them at the entrance souvenir shops for $200-$300 pesos. 

 

 

Another photo option is to pay about $8-$10 USD and have your picture taken by one of the photographers who are usually hanging around the most popular view spots. 

 

At the end of the ¾ mile trail, (which took us about 90 minutes for us to walk) there is a elevator will take you up to Naipai Square which has gift shops and restaurants.  There was quite a line to use the main elevator, but Fábio directed us to an alternate elevator with a much shorter line.    . 

 

We ate at the buffet style restaurant called Porto Canoas which cost about $20 USD.  They had a nice selection of dishes to choose from – everything from salmon to steaks.  There was seating outside, under a canopy or inside where it was air conditioned. 

After lunch we walked past the massive lines of people waiting to catch a bus back to the park entrance, once again glad that Fábio had his own car. 

MACUCO SAFARI

Macuco Safari is a company that operates speedboats on the Iguazu River carrying passengers to see the falls.  We chose the “wet” option and got a refreshing soaking as our boat drove under the waterfalls.  The price is $65 USD.  More information on their website HERE 

To get to the river, we rode in a tram thru the forest for a mile or so while the guide gave a brief overview of the area and some of the animals that are in the area.  The tram stops at a clearing where we transferred to a jeep, with seating in the back, that took us to a platform where there are rooms to change your clothes. 

Lockers are available and there is a small souvenir store.  As we had changed into our ‘wet’ clothes in the restrooms before we boarded the tram, we went straight into the queue to ride the short funicular down to the waters edge.  Here is where they ask if you want to go on the Dry Ride or the Wet Ride.  I recommend the wet ride – it is fun as long as you are prepared to get SOAKED.  Don’t bother with a poncho, just bring a change of clothes and be ready for the equivalent of walking into a shower on full blast. 

Unlike any ride in the USA, there wasn’t a safety briefing.  They fit you with a life preserver and off you go.  The boat races up the river around 30 mph, hopping over the wakes of the other boats as they appear.  As we closed in on the falls, our driver waited in a lagoon for our turn to drive under the falls.  Once the falls are clear of the earlier boats, our driver took us under some of the smaller falls, making four or five passes until we headed back down the river to the starting point. 

 

 

 

 

The crew will take a GoPro video of the experience available for purchase afterwards.  We had our own GoPros, so we didn’t take them up on their offer. 

We had fun and would recommend everyone taking the “wet ride”.  The entire experience took about 2 hours from the time we bought our tickets until we were back in the car.  

It was now 4 PM and time to head to Argentina to check into our hotel for the next two nights.  Right before we crossed the border we stopped at a tourist shop selling a variety of souvenirs, food and chocolates.  They have a money exchange here that gave me $3000 pesos for $50 USD, which was almost the bank exchange rate. 

CROSSING THE BORDER

Crossing the border took about 45 minutes due to the long line that moved quickly for the most part, until some people traveling with small children held things up for 15 minutes while the immigration officials worked to sort thru some issues.  Once we got to the front of the line, we weren’t asked any questions and were on our way in 15 seconds.  Verify that your passport has the Brazilian entry stamp or retain your entry paperwork to prove you entered Brazil legally. 

PUERTO IGUAZU

We were now in the small town of Puerto Iguazu, which sits at the intersection of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay.  Fabio took us to an overlook where we could see the three countries and take a few pictures. 

 

After a long day, we arrived at our hotel, the Panoramic Grand Hotel, and settled in for evening.  We decided to stay in and order some wonderful room service Empenadas.