Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
202
2
THE BRAZILIAN SIDE:
FOZ DO IGUAÇU
A visit to the Brazilian side of Iguazú Falls affords a dazzling perspective on the waterfalls.
Trails here are not as extensiv e as on the Argentine side, but the vie ws are no less spec-
tacular. In fact, many people find B razil's unobstructed panoramic vie w of I guazú Falls
even more inspiring.
ESSENTIALS
Getting There
BY PLANE
Foz do Iguaçu Airport
(
&
4535/214-200
) is 11km (6
3
/
4
miles) from Foz
do Iguaçu, on the Brazilian side.
Airport Varig
(
&
4535/214-292
),
Gol
(
&
4535/214-
230
), and
TAM
(
&
4535/214-242
) fly ther e fr om Rio de J aneiro and other major
Brazilian cities. Public buses make frequent trips to the national par k and into town for
a small fee.
FROM THE ARGENTINE SIDE
For most nationalities, cr ossing the bor der is fairly
easy with a passport. Citizens of the United States, Canada, and Australia must obtain a
visa to visit B razil. The visa costs $120 (£81); see “Bor der Crossing,” below). The most
convenient way to get fr om the Argentine to the B razilian side is b y taxi (about $35-
$40/£24-£27 round-trip). Buses are considerably less expensive, but less convenient, too.
Tres Fronteras
and
El Práctico
buses make the half-hour trip to Foz do Iguaçu 15 times
per day ($3/£2) from the Puerto Iguazú bus terminal; to visit the National Park, ask the
bus driver to let you off just after the border check, then catch the National Park bus.
BY CAR
To avoid border hassles and international driving issues, it's best to take a bus
or taxi to the Brazilian side.
Visitor Information
Foz do Iguaçu's
municipal tourism office,
at Praça Getúlio Vargas (
&
4535/211-455;
www.fozdoiguacu.pr.gov.br), is open weekdays from 9am to 5pm.
Teletur
(
&
0800/454-
516
) is a toll-free information service that operates from 7am to 11pm.
7
SEEING THE BRAZILIAN SIDE OF THE FALLS
The national park entrance to the
Cataratas do Iguaçu
is at Km 17, R odovía das Cat-
aratas, and the entrance fee is $8.50 (£5.75). P ark your car or get off the bus her e, and
pay your entry fee; priv ate vehicles (except for taxis and guests of the Tropical) are not
allowed in the park. From here, you board a shuttle bus bound for the falls.The waterfall
path begins just in fr ont of the Tropical das Cataratas Hotel and Resort, which is 11km
(6
3
/
4
miles) fr om the national par k entrance (if y ou are taking a taxi, hav e your driver
bring you directly to the Tropical das Cataratas hotel and jump onto the trail from here).
You will catch your first sight of the falls fr om a small viewpoint at the foot of the hotel
lawn, fr om which the path begins. The trail zigzags do wn the side of the gorge and
trundles along the cliff face for about 2km (1.25 miles) past
Salto S anta M aría,
Deodoro,
and
Floriano
falls. There are 275 separate water falls with an av erage drop of
60m (197 ft.). The last catwalk plants you directly in front of the awesome
Garganta do
Diablo
(Devil's Throat),
where, once again, y ou will get w et (there's a small stor e in
front where you can buy rain gear and film, if y ou need it). B ack on the main trail, a
tower beckons visitors to take an elevator to the top for an even broader panoramic view
