Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TOP OF CHAPTER
Parque Nacional Iguazú
03757
115, car entry AR$40; 8am-6pm)
has plenty to offer, and involves a fair amount of walk-
ing. The spread-out complex at the entrance has various amenities, including lockers, an
ATM (you have to pay for everything in cash in pesos) and a restaurant. There's also an
exhibition,
Yvyrá-retã
, with a display on the park and Guaraní life essentially aimed at
school groups. The complex ends at a
train station
, from which a train runs every half-
hour to the Cataratas train station, where the waterfall walks begin, and to the Garganta
del Diablo. You may prefer to walk: it's only 650m along the
Sendero Verde
path to the
Cataratas station, and a further 2.3km to the Garganta, and you may well see capuchin
monkeys along the way.
There's enough here to detain you for a couple of days; admission is reduced by 50%
if you visit the park again the following day. You need to get your ticket stamped when
leaving on the first day to get the discount.
Sights
Walking around is the best way to see the falls, with sets of paths offering different per-
spectives over the cascades. It really is worth getting here by 9am: the gangways are nar-
row and getting stuck in a conga line of tour groups in searing heat and humidity takes
the edge off the experience.
Two circuits, the
Paseo Superior
(650m) and
Paseo Inferior
(1400m), provide most
of the viewing opportunities via a series of trails, bridges and
pasarelas
(boardwalks).
The Paseo Superior is entirely level and gives good views of the tops of several cascades
and across to more. The Paseo Inferior descends to the river (mostly wheelchair access-
ible), passing delightfully close to more falls on the way. At the end of the path a free
launch makes the short crossing to
Isla San Martín
, an island with a trail of its own that
gives the closest look at several falls, including
Salto San Martín
, a huge, furious
cauldron of water. It's possible to picnic and swim on the lee side of the island, but don't
venture too far off the beach. When the water is high - and this is the case more often
than not - island access is shut off. At the same junction you can buy tickets for the pop-
ular boat rides under the falls.
From Cataratas train station, train it or walk the 2300m to the Garganta del Diablo
stop, where an 1100m walkway across the placid Río Iguazú leads to one of the planet's
