Argentina - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 84

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Lilian Fray Luis Beltrán 183 T 03757 420 968, E hotellilian
@yahoo.com.ar. One of the slickest of the budget options,
offering spotless modern rooms with good bathrooms.
AR$310
Marcopolo Inn T 0375 421 823, W hostel-inn.com.
Recently refurbished HI hostel with six-bed dorms and
double rooms. There's a pool, free interne t and w i-fi, large
kitchen, and friendly ambience. Dorms AR$90 , doubles
AR$360
Noelia Residencial Fray Luis Beltrán 119, between Moreno
and Belgrano T 03757 420 729, E residenciafamiliarnoelia
@yahoo.com.ar. Excellent-value, family-run hotel not far
from the bus station, with a/c, priva te baths and a lovely patio
where breakfast is served. AR$170
Viejo Americano RN12, 5km from town towards the
national park T 03757 420 190, W viejoamericano.com.ar.
Excellent hotel/campsite out of town with beautiful l verdant
grounds and a large pool. Camping/person AR$60 , doubles
AR$420

Strung out along the rim of a horseshoe-
shaped cliff 2.7km long, their thunderous
roaring can be heard from many
kilometres away, while the mist thrown
up rises 30m high in a series of dazzling
rainbows. In the Guaraní language
Iguazú means “great water”, but clearly
the Guaraní are not given to over-
statement, for there's little doubt that
these are the most spectacular falls in the
world: only the Victoria Falls in Africa
can compare in terms of size, but here the
shape of the natural fault that created
the falls means that you can stand with
the water crashing almost all around you.
This section of the Río Iguazú makes up
the border between Brazil and Argentina
and the subtropical forests that surround
the falls are protected on both sides: by
the Parque Nacional Iguazú in Argentina,
and the Parque Nacional do Iguaçu
(see p.353) over the border. hese parks
are packed with exotic wildlife, and even
on the busy catwalks and paths that skirt
the edges of the falls you've a good chance
of seeing much of it. Orchids and
serpentine creepers adorn the trees,
among which flit vast, bright butterflies.
You may also see toucans overhead and
- if you're lucky - shy capuchin monkeys.
Look out too for the swallow-like vencejo ,
a remarkable small bird, endemic to the
area, which makes its nest behind the
curtains of water.

EATING AND DRINKING
With a few exceptions, restaurants in Iguazú serve bland
and touristy fare. At the falls there are several cafés, but
the food is expensive and uninspiring, so consider packing
a picnic.
Las Canitas Av Victoria Aguirre, at Pombero. This lively
local peña is a little off the main restaurant strip, but worth
the walk for the warm welcome, live music and tasty
grilled meats. Non-carnivores can tuck into vegetable
kebabs and some interesting salads. Mains AR$40-65.
Daily 6pm until late.
Gallo Negro Av Victoria Aguirre, at Curupi. Probably
the best in town; a good-looking ranch-style parrilla
on the main street, with outdoor seating on a veranda.
Cover charge of AR$14 per person includes unlimited
access to the inviting salad bar. Mains AR$45-95. Daily
11.30am-late.
Gustos del Literal Av Misiones 209. This pocket-sized
restaurant and bar serves lip-smackingly good dishes
from neighbouring Paraguay. Try the chipá guazú - a
warm, crumbly combination of fresh corn and white
cheese; covered here in tangy tomato sauce. Good cocktails
too. Mains AR$40-45. Daily 8.30am-midnight.
La Rueda Córdoba 28 T 03757 422 531. Pleasant
restaurant, with outdoor seating. Fish is a speciality
(mains AR$50-110). Mon-Tues 8pm-midnight, Wed-
Sun noon-midnight.

Parque Nacional Iguazú
Thanks to an extensive system of trails
and boardwalks that lead around, above
and below the falls, the Argentine side
offers better close-up views of Iguazú,
while the Brazilian side has sweeping
panoramic views. Everything lies within
the Parque Nacional Iguazú (daily
8am-6pm; AR$130; W iguazuargentina.
com), whose entrance is 18km southeast
of Puerto Iguazú along RN12. Buses
drop passengers off here, and the visitor
centre just inside can provide a map of
the park and various handy leaflets. It's
also the departure point of the Tren de la
Selva , a natural-gas-fuelled train. This
leaves every 30 minutes from 8.30am
(last at 4pm, 4.30pm in summer) for
Cataratas Station, which gives access to

IGUAZÚ FALLS
Around 275 individual cascades, the
highest with a drop of over 80m, make
up the stunning IGUAZÚ FALLS ( Cataratas
de Iguazú , or simply Las Cataratas ).