Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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of trees, 448 species of birds, 71 species of mammals, 36 species of reptiles, 20 species of
amphibians, and more than 250 species of butter flies. Iguazú's climate also pr ovides for
the flowering of plants y ear-round, lending brilliant color to the for est. Because spray
from the waterfall keeps humidity lev els over 75%, there's a tremendous growth of epi-
phytes, or plants that grow on other plants without taking nutrients fr om their hosts.
You can visit the water falls on y our o wn, but y ou will most cer tainly need a tour
operator to explore the jungle. Allo w at least 1 full day to explor e the water falls on the
Argentine side, another to visit the Brazilian side, and perhaps half a day for a jungle tou.
Many visitors base themselves in the sedate town of Puerto Iguazú, 18km (11 miles) from
the park. Though hardly the most memorable place, Puerto Iguazú has a subdued charm,
pretty vegetation, and friendly people, and it's not yet ruined by the tourist trade. Accom-
modations options are improving all the time. I f you want something mor e vibrant, go
to the Brazilian town of Foz do Iguaçu, on the other side (see “Border Crossing,” later in
this chapter).
ESSENTIALS
Getting There
BY PL ANE
Aerolíneas Argentinas
(
&
0810/222-86527
or 3757/420-194; www .
aerolineas.com.ar), and
LAN
(
&
3757/424-296;
www.lan.com/chile) offer up to fiv e
daily flights from Buenos Aires to
Aeropuerto Internacional Cataratas
(
&
3757/422-
013
); the trip takes 1
1
/
2
hours. R ound-trip far es cost appr oximately $420 (£283),
depending on whether any specials are on offer. Aerolíneas Argentinas occasionally offers
flights to Iguazú from Ezeiza international airport, usually on Saturday or Sunday. Catch
a taxi (for about $20/£14) or one of the shuttles fr om the airport to town ($5/£3.40), a
20-minute drive.
BY BUS
The fastest bus service from Buenos Aires is with
Vía Bariloche
(
&
11/4315-
4456
in Buenos Aires), which takes 18 hours and costs $70 to $80 (£47-£54) one-way ,
depending on the seat y ou choose. ( The more expensive fare gets y ou a fully r eclining
cama
[bed] seat.) Less pricey but longer (21 hr .) are
Expreso Singer
(
&
11/4313-3927
in Buenos Aires) and
Expreso Tigre Iguazú
(
&
11/4313-3915
in Buenos Aires), which
both run for about $65 (£44) one-way .
Puerto Iguazú Bus Terminal,
Calle Córdoba
and Avenida Misiones (
&
3757/423-006
), is located in the town center.
Visitor Information
In Puerto Iguazú, obtain maps and par k information fr om the
Parque Nacional
office
at Victoria Aguirre 66 (
&
3757/420-722
), open Monday through Friday from 8am to
9pm. F or information on the to wn, contact the municipal tourist office, at Victoria
Aguirre and Brañas (
&
3757/420-800
). It's open Monday to Friday from 8am to 9pm,
Saturday and Sunday from 8am to noon and 3 to 9pm. Visitor information is also avail-
able near the national park entrance (see below).
In Buenos Aires, get information about Iguazú from Casa de la Provincia de Misiones,
Av. S anta F e 989 (
&
11/4322-0686
), open M onday thr ough F riday fr om 10am to
5pm.
7
Getting Around
BY BUS
El Práctico
local buses r un ev ery 45 minutes fr om 7am to 8pm betw een
Puerto Iguazú bus terminal and the national par k; the cost is $2 (£1.10).
