Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
7
Iguazú Falls &
the Northeast
by Charlie O'Malley
“Niagara on Viagra” is ho w one
visitor put it when he saw I guazú for the
first time. Twenty-three kilometers (14
miles) of deafening waterfalls plummet up
to 70m (229 ft.) into a giant gorge in a
spectacular subtr opical setting. The sheer
power is overwhelming. You come face to
face with raging sheets of water , with
sprays so intense it seems as though geysers
have er upted fr om belo w. I guazú is a
must-see on any trip to Argentina.
It's shocking that this ecological block-
buster is a 90-minute flight fr om the civi-
lized, cosmopolitan buzz of B uenos Aires.
Many people drop into this humid corner
of Misiones province on a day trip or for 2
days max. Yet this fascinating jungle z one
of r ed soil, giant butter flies, and comical
toucans has mor e to offer than jaw-dr op-
ping water falls. M isiones P rovince is a
heady mix of str ong indigenous tribal
culture, blond eastern E uropean settlers,
and tr opical fr ontierland. I ts abundant
wildlife and its long-fallen, mysterious
Jesuit ruins are worth exploring. With its
multitude of isolated national par ks and
huge swaths of untouched rainfor est, it is
an eco-tourist's paradise, with sev eral gen-
uine jungle lodges. Civilization has
encroached in the form of tea plantations
and pine forests, yet it is possible to get off
the beaten track and visit isolated wonders
such as Esteros del Ibera, a vast marshland
teeming with wildlife that is fast becoming
one of Argentina's hottest destinations.
1
IGUAZU FALLS & PUERTO IGUAZU
1,330km (825 miles) NE of Buenos Aires
A dazzling panorama of cascades whose po wer overwhelms the sounds of the surr ound-
ing jungle,
Las Cataratas del Iguazú
(Iguazú Falls)
refers to the spectacular cany on of
waterfalls fed by the Río Iguazú. Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1984,
these 275 water falls were shaped b y 120 million y ears of geological upheav al, forming
one of earth's most unforgettable sights. Iguazú Falls are shared by Argentina and Brazil,
and are easily accessible from nearby Paraguay as well. One million visitors a year means
the park has become some what overdeveloped, with too many r estaurants and a theme
park-style railway. However, the falls ar e too huge and magnificent to be encr oached
upon completely b y humans, and the ex cellent walking cir cuits on both the Argentine
and Brazilian sides allow visitors to peek over the tops and almost touch the torrent. Most
visitors stay in the towns of Puerto Iguazú, in Argentina, or Foz do Iguaçu, in Brazil, or
in some well-appointed hotels on the road to the park.
Worth exploring is the par k's subtr opical jungle (see “B ehind the F alls & into the
Jungle,” below). Here, cupay trees (South American hardwoods) tower over the various
layers of life that compete for light; and the national pak is known to contain 200 species
