by Nick Adams

Created on: April 28, 2009

"Poor Niagara!"

So remarked Eleanor Roosevelt upon seeing the Iguazu Falls for the first time; it is this sense of immediate and lasting awe that best defines 250+ waterfalls that together form the blanket of crashing water separating Brazil and Argentina. Second though it may be to Victoria Falls in statistics of size and volume, in more subjective terms of comparison, there can be few other natural sites with such impact and inherent raw beauty.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Reaching the Falls ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Around two hours' flight north of Buenos Aires and west of Rio, the Falls lie just to the south-east of the Brazil-Argentina-Paraguay border. Although technically three towns, Foz do Iguazu, Puerto Iguazu and Ciudad del Este form one large urban sprawl around the confluence of the Parana and Iguaz rivers. Both Foz and Puerto Iguazu make good bases for seeing the Falls (or Cataratas), as the site can be visited from both the Brazilian and Argentine sides of the river, each offering different views and facilities. The Brazilian side is considered to have better views, although you can get more of an 'up close and personal' experience from the smaller Argentine side of the park. Either way, superlative views are guaranteed, and it's easy enough to cross the border. Foz is a much larger town, but both are geared towards tourism, so there'll be no shortage of amenities wherever you are based.

I can't speak much for Puerto Iguazu and the access it provides beyond the above; my experiences of the Falls came from Foz, via Ciudad del Este, which offers nothing to the visitor save chaotic buy-anything markets. To reach the national park housing the Falls from Foz, catch the bus with Parque Nacional as its destination from the main bus station on the rather un-Brazilian sounding Av. Juscelino Kubitschek. The journey is about twenty minutes long and costs a little less than 1, dropping you right outside the visitors' centre - the return bus leaves from the same place.

The visitors' centre is a shiny, well-organised facility recently built - tickets are sold just to the right as you enter, and shuttle buses to the falls themselves leave all the time from the rear of the building. Tickets cost around 6-7, and offer a day's entry, although if returning a second day, give the holder a discount.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The Devil's Throat and other places ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The shuttles take ten minutes or so to make the journey from the centre,

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