To Foz do Iguacu, and also to the falls

Foz do Iguacu continues to be on my record of places to see to get a very long time and, after an uncomplicated flight from Rio, I arrived there yesterday lunchtime. It’s only a short bus ride from the airport to the gates of the National Park where you are able to catch a shuttle to the top of the Cataratas – or “waterfalls” as they’re understood in English.

Legend as it that, when Eleanor Roosevelt seen the Cataratas she exclaimed “lousy Niagara!”. As you’ll see from these photographs taken on my fairly substandard camera phone, it’s not difficult to see why she would say such a thing.

After a 15 hour bus journey from Sao Paulo, we were hoping Foz Do Iguacu would live up to our expectations. In the event you do not already know, the Iguacu falls is a string of over 275 massive waterfalls that lie on the boundaries of Brazil and Argentina covering an area over 3km wide making the Iguacu falls broader than Niagara!

There’s an incredible view of the falls around every corner!

The falls can be considered from either the Brazilian side, or from Argentina. We elected for the Brazilian side, largely because it was not more expensive for us, but we’d also heard it was better to the internet. This was confirmed to us by a good aged Canadian couple today, who told us that the views from the Brazilian side are far more striking. Although 2/3 of the falls are situated on the Argentinian side, they told us that the views are no where near as good, as you walk along the top of the falls, rather than walking down beneath them on the Brazilian side.

We were not disappointed! The ticket contains a bus that takes you from the entry of the park, to various along the stops on the way, and finally to the falls themselves.

Some facts you may not know about Iguazu Falls:

Taller than Niagara; broader than Victoria

Greatest average yearly flow of water in the world

Featured in the film Mr. Magoo and Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

The identical opportunist in me would say, both sides are excellent! That is the honest truth. You must definitely see both. Having had the opportunity to see with both sides of the autumn, I ‘ve my favorite and so does Gerard.

However , before you make your pick, it all depends on what you wish to see. And how. Here’s hoping that will help you determine.