Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
192
BY TAXI
Taxis are unmetered and r elatively expensive, with most driv ers charging a
flat fee of $20 (£14) wher ever you go, whether it 's to the airpor t or par k.
Parada 10
(
&
3757/421-527
) and
Remisses Falls VIP,
Bompland 185 (
&
3757/420-805
), pro-
vide 24-hour taxi ser vice. Within both P uerto Iguazú and the national par k, you can
easily walk or, in the former, take the narrow-gauge train.
BY CAR
The main roads are excellent but be prepared for wretched mud baths if y ou
stray.
Budget R ent a C ar,
Paulino Amarante 76, P uerto I guazú (
&
3757/421-675;
www.budgetargentina.com), offer small cars for $70 (£47) a day .
BY MOTORBIKE/BICYCLE
Ride Cataratas,
Av. Rep. Argentina 184, P uerto Iguazú
(
&
3757/422-815), offers scooters for $30 (£17) a day .
Internet Yguazu,
Av. Victoria
Aguirre 552 (
&
3757/424-034), offers bicycles for $10 (£6.80) a day.
VISITING THE NATIONAL PARK
Your first stop will likely be the
visitor center
(
&
3757/491-444
), where you'll find
maps and information about the ar ea's flora and fauna. Kno wn as the Centr o de Inter-
pretacion, it is .8km (
1
/
2
mile) fr om the par k entrance, close to the par king lot and
footbridges for the waterfall circuits. Adjacent to the visitor center, you will find a restau-
rant, snack shops, and souv enir stor es. A natural-gas train takes visitors to the path
entrance for the U pper and Lo wer cir cuits and to the footbridge leading to D evil's
Throat. (If you'd rather walk, footpaths ar e available, but note that the walk to D evil's
Throat is about 3km/1.75 miles.) The visitor center is staffed with a number of English-
speaking guides, av ailable for individual and priv ate tours. You may opt to see the falls
on your own or with an experienced local guide. A guide is not really necessary, however,
unless your time is limited or you want to ask detailed questions about the region's geog-
raphy and fauna. The entrance fee is $20 (£14), which also co vers the train ride, for
non-Argentines to enter the national par k. The national park is open daily 8am to 7pm
in summer, and from 8am until 6pm in winter.
The two main paths fr om which to vie w the water falls ar e the
Circuito Superior
(Upper Circuit)
and the
Circuito Inferior (Lower Circuit)
, both of which begin
within walking distance (less than .8km/
1
/
2
mile) from the visitor center. You may want
to save your energy, however, and catch the train to the path entrance. There's a small
snack shop near the beginning of the trails. The Upper Circuit winds its way along the
top of the canyon, allowing you to look down the falls and see the area's rich flora, includ-
ing cacti, ferns, and or chids. The Lo wer Cir cuit offers the best vie ws, as magnificent
waterfalls come hur tling do wn befor e y ou in walls of silv ery spray. The water falls ar e
clearly marked by signs along the way.
The best time to walk the
Upper Circuit
is early in the morning or late in the after-
noon, and rainbo ws often appear near sunset. This .9km (.5-mile) path takes 1 to 2
hours, star ting at the vie wing to wer and leading past
Dos H ermanas (Two S isters),
Bossetti, Chico (S mall), R amírez,
and
San Martín
(the par k's widest) falls. You can
come right to the edges of these falls and look o ver them as they fall as far as 60m (197
ft.) below. Along your walk, you can also look across to San Martín Island and the Brazil-
ian side, and you'll pass a number of small str eams and creeks.
The 1.8km (1.25-mile)
Lower Circuit
takes 2 hours to walk, leading y ou first past
Lanusse
and
Alvar Núñez
falls, then along the Lower Iguazú River past the raging
Dos
Mosqueteros (Two Musketeers)
and
Tres Mosqueteros (Three Musketeers)
falls. The
trail winds its way to ward
Ramírez, Chico,
and
Dos Hermanos
falls. Here, you'll find
an inspiring view of the
Garganta del Diablo (Devil's Throat)
and
Bossetti
falls. From
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