After checking out the Cataratas del Iguazú, we wanted to see the Cataratas do Iguaçu—the Brazilian side. Small issue, we didn’t have a visa for Brazil (Canadians need one), and we could very well be turned back at the border.
But the entire tres fronteras region between Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina is kind of a free-trade zone, we reasoned. And we were just going there for the day.
“Look, it’s a matter of luck,” I said. “Just let me talk to the border officer if we are asked anything.”
I talked my way in before… and I wasn’t wearing a bra. Just in case. Oh kidding! (Well, I’m not wearing a bra when it’s 40°C outside, but I wasn’t going to go all French on the officer…)
We debated on whether it was best to take a bus to the city or to the falls. Eventually, we ended up boarding the Rio Uruguay (what does Uruguay have anything to do with the region??) to the falls. A few kilometres into the ride, we had to do the migración to exit Argentina. We boarded the bus after getting exit stamps.
And then, we just sped up. “I think we are in Brazil,” I said, noting the signs in Portuguese.
The bus didn’t even stop at the Brazilian border. Good for us!
We arrived at the park entrance, paid the fee and climbed on the double-decker bus that took us to the beginning of the long pathway along the canyon. The Argentinian side of the falls offers amazing close-ups, but the Brazilian side delivers the grand overview. We walked up and down, following the falls, and eventually arriving at the bottom of the Devil’s Throat.
The view is predictably amazing—if you can manage to open your eyes because you will get soaked!
The falls are beautiful !