Iguazu Falls – Bucket List

Several years ago, Janeen mentioned that seeing the Iguazu Falls was on her ‘bucket list’.  Iguaçu Falls are waterfalls of the Iguazu River on the border of Argentina and Brazil. Together, they make up the largest waterfall system in the world.  Not having been in this part of the world I had no ready reference to how to get there or how to coordinate the trip.  After looking at a variety of tour options, my travel agent found a land excursion as part of an ocean cruise that would work out wonderfully.  So, we signed up – the trip, started in Buenos Aires and ends 30-plus days later in Miami, Florida visiting several countries along the way.

After connecting flights from Dulles via Houston we arrived in Buenos Aires, the final flight of 10 plus hours connected us with our friends Jim and Sally Bell and we overnighted at the Hotel Emperador.  We have been friends of Jim and Sally for the over 40 years – and when they heard about our upcoming adventure, they signed on to join us for the trip.  We had previously travelled with them when we did our Panama Canal transit in 2020 – just before the world changed and cruising become impossible for a while.  

Our first night was at a lovely hotel – Hotel Emperador where we crashed early.  Following breakfast, at the hotel, we transferred to the domestic airline for our 90-minute flight to Iguazu.  After arriving, we boarded the bus and headed into the Iguazu Falls National Park on the Brazilian side.  The Falls are located within the Park as was our Hotel for the evening.  After lunch, the fun began.

The afternoon adventure was to be a “motorized Boat Cruise” a Zodiac adventure.  

However, prior to getting on the boat there were 240 steps down from the parking area to the river.  Going down, not so much of a problem, climbing back up was a bitch.

We were repeatedly told that “You will get wet on this trip” and they weren’t fooling around.  Once down the steps, we donned life jackets and climbed aboard the boat for the trip.  Our first views, of the Falls, was from quite a distance but they take up a good amount of space and are maybe two or three distinct sections – each several hundred feet wide with LOTS of water flowing.  

After getting in the boat, I am fairly certain the skipper was aiming for the big waves as we headed towards the falls as several times I was slammed with a big wave of water – yes, I got wet repeatedly!  

After getting close to the falls, we then motored directly into them and through the downpour!  If you could get any wetter, I would be very surprised.  No wonder they gave us dry bags for our shoes and other stuff before leaving the dock!  Fortunately, I had the foresight to get a waterproof case from my iPhone and was able to take a bunch of pictures throughout the adventure.

After the trip through the St. Martin falls (twice!), the boat headed back to the dock where we got out and headed back up the 240 stairs.  Needless to say, Janeen and were the last to get to the top and it was not an enjoyable climb, particularly after using up 150% of any adrenaline during the boat ride.  Once we are at the top, we climbed into the ‘truck’ to take us to the Hotel.  As we got closer to the hotel and the drop off point, it started to rain.  Nothing like getting wet all over again! But as all guides repeated “It’s a Rain Forest!”

Once in the Hotel, a truly lovely place with a fantastic view of the Falls from our room, we changed into dry clothes and tried to relax for a bit before going down for dinner.

The following day we gathered for a walk along the lower walkway that traverses through the Park with spectacular views of the falls.  All of the Falls have names and our guide was able to tell us a bit about each of them and how they got their name. 

 In many areas, where the mist was rising from the Falls, there were rainbows. 

 Along the elevated walkway there were lots of different plants and some wildlife – it is a jungle after all.  

While I did see some monkeys after the boat ride, I wasn’t able to get any pictures – and the Toucan that several people saw flew away before I got to see him.  All very beautiful and wonderful adventure for sure.  After our walk, we returned to the hotel for some lunch and the final bus trip back to the airport for the flight back to Buenos Aires and the Hotel to be reunited with our cruise luggage.