Believe it or not, you may want to fly to Lima and then to Foz do Iguaçu.
Seriously, the economics just may be on your side by doing so,
especially if you take the time to research the travel packages that are
constantly on sale in Peru. As I mentioned before, my trip was part of a
$650-$700-per-person sitch that included airfare, comfortable (not
luxurious) accommodations with breakfasts, and all transportation to
and from the airport and to the parks.
General admission tickets to Iguazú – to the Argentinean side – are set
to cost visitors ARS $260 in 2015 (keep in mind that the exchange rate
in October 2014 was about 8 pesos per dollar); tickets must be paid in
pesos. General admission to the Brazilian side, as of November 2014,
was about R$50, with the exchange being 40 cents per Brazilian real.
When to go
Now, here's som'in' you absolutely will want to consider when booking
your trip: The seasons in North America? They are the opposite of South
America. And the falls are in a subtropical area, which means that rain
can very much be a factor (so bring a poncho; a sturdy plastic bag for
your passport and all your valuables, which you'll want to keep in a
water-resistant backpack); some insect repellent; and an extra T-shirt).
December through February, that's the summer, rainier months.
Meaning that that's probably not necessarily when you'll want to visit.
Sure, the more water the falls get, the mightier they'll look. But the
trails may be hard to walk if you have heavy rain pouring down on ya:
the Argentinean side, for one, features many winding pathways and
catwalks that lead folks above or below the cascades, and taking a boat
to, say, the Isla San Martín, may end up going off the table, for safety.
A good time to visit would be South American fall or spring. You may
get rain, but you'd be hard-pressed to get rained in at your hotel.
As for the matter of which side you should visit?
Well…both.
The majority of the falls are on the Argentinean side – which means that
you totally will want to visit the Brazilian, for it offers better vistas.
Conversely, the Argentinean side has both an upper and a lower trail,
the Isla San Martín trails, and the famed Devil's Throat trail, which,
unfortunately, was closed for repairs when I visited (see, kids – the
greater the volume of water, the greater the chance for damage).
One day for each will be all you need.
Oh, and what about Paraguay? What's it got to offer when you go
chasing the Iguaçu waterfalls?
Duty free shopping, but more impressively, there's the Itaipu
hydroelectric dam on the Paraná River.
A binational joint endeavor of Brazil and Paraguay that officially opened
in 1984 after 11 years of construction, the $19.6 billion dam is
considered to be one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. No
wonder why! It supplies about three quarters of the electricity
consumed by Paraguay and about 17 percent of that is consumed by
Brazil. So, if you're into that kinda thing, then it's worth a visit.
For more information about the Iguaçu waterfalls, though, visit
cataratasdoiguacu.com.br or parquesnacionales.gob.ar. For more
information about the Itaipu dam, visit itaipu.gov.py. ML
MIAMI LIVING 123
When visiting the Argentinean side, you can take a boat this close to the falls of the Isla San Martín.
