Passport. Phone. Camera. Bug spray. Some Argentinian pesos. My Argentinian SIM card.
A bit of luck.
The Argentinian side of the magnificent Iguazú Falls is only 20 kilometres from Foz de Iguaçu, Brazil, where I’m staying. But I set up my alarm at 8 a.m. because I knew it would take at least a couple of hours to get there.
First, I had to take the bus from Foz do Iguaçu (Brazil) to Puerto Iguazú, Argentina. This involves 1) finding the right bus 2) exiting Brazil 3) entering Argentina. Then I had to switch SIM cards and to another bus from Puerto Iguazú to the Iguazú Falls National Parque.
We got stuck in Puerto Iguazú a few times with buses that just wouldn’t show up. Same on the Brazil side, where you can add the “where the hell is the bus stop?” game.
So I got up at 8 a.m. and walked to the bus terminal, which took me about 25 minutes. It was already 30 °C. I drank an entire bottle of water when I arrived.
I knew where the bus to Argentina stopped thanks to Google Maps, Feng’s memory and a late-night tip from my Brazilian friend. Except when I asked at the bus terminal, I was told the bus would stop somewhere else, “over there.”
“Where?”
“By the tree.”
A very white gringo was apparently also looking for the bus.
It came.
It didn’t stop by the tree.
We both ran after it and luckily, it had stopped at a red light.
“Yeah, well, the Brazilians told me I had to go around,” the Argentinian driver explained in Spanish. “I didn’t know where to stop so… I didn’t.”
I don’t know what they teach at bus driving schools in Argentina but I’m pretty sure stopping for passengers should be a big part of the curriculum.
Never mind. I handed 10 reais and took a seat. It was just the two of us, me and the white gringo who turned out to be German.
The bus didn’t stop at the immigration on the Brazilian side but he did to enter Argentina. No stamp, we were waved through. All in all, it was a pretty efficient ride—the toughest part had been to get the driver to pick us up.
The first bus to the falls was packed at the Argentinian bus terminal. I bought my ticket, both ways, for 40 reais and I jumped into the next bus that showed up a few minutes later.
All in all, a smooth cross-border trip.
The first thing I did at the National Park was to sign up for the “Gran Aventura,” a boat trip on the river and under a few waterfalls. I’ve always wanted to do it, this was my chance. Also, it was now 45 °C and I didn’t mind the “ducha”—we were guaranteed to be completely soaked.
So I took a bus through the jungle, then after a short hike, we boarded the boat. It was fun and yes, you get completely soaked. I couldn’t even open my eyes under the waterfalls. It was amazing.
After that, I walked both trails, the Passeio Inferior and the Passeio Superior, to see as many waterfalls as possible from different angles. The changing light made them special as well.
I eventually left the park around 5 p.m. to take the bus back to Puerto Iguazú. There isn’t much to see in town so I decided to walk to the Hito Tres Fronteras, a nice viewpoint from where you can see Paraguay in front and Brazil on the right.
Now the tough part, going back to Brazil.
I caught the 6:30 p.m. bus. It stopped at the Argentinian border where again, my passport wasn’t stamped. We all boarded the bus again and a few kilometres later, we stopped at the Brazilian border where we all got off.
“And take your bags with you, I’m not waiting!” the bus driver said.
I knew I would get stuck somewhere!
I watched the sunset waiting for the next bus to Foz do Iguaçu.
All in all, it was a pretty smooth cross-border trip, though.
C’est quand même vachement mieux que les chutes du Niagara.
Carrément! Et sans le côté Disneyland.
It’s amazing!
You’d love it (add it to your bucket list!)
OMG it must be the most beautiful falls on Earth! What a spot!
They are amazing! I saw them before Niagara Falls in 2002 and I must say I was less impressed by Niagara Falls than I should have been 😆
No kidding! Lol!
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