Iguaçu, heaven on earth

The idea for this blog was born out of the infinite excitement and joy that I felt on a recent trip my husband and I took to Iguaçu Falls. Iguaçu Falls are the most gorgeous waterfalls on the planet, and my very first post is going to be about that. This is just to say that I felt obligated to write about and share this incredible place with the world. See for yourself!

Iguaçu Falls - view from Brazil side

When my husband and I arrived in Brazil late November, we headed straight to Foz do Iguacu, a small town on the Brazilian side of the waterfalls. We were dying of anticipation to see these world famous waterfalls of incomparable beauty, so we got to the Iguacu National Park early. When we finally paid for our tickets with a credit card (yes, technology was spot-on at the Brazilian park), we joined another fast-moving line to get on a modern and fun-looking bus towards the waterfalls.

Travel Tips:

1. You must visit both the Brazilian and Argentinean sides to get the full picture.

2. Take a boat to the bottom of the waterfalls if you are an adventurous type.

3. Bring a waterproof case for your camera to take pictures in the waterfall mist.

I have to mention right away that no pictures, no matter how good of camera they were taken with, can reveal the beauty and grandeur of Iguacu Falls. We got off the double-decker bus at the very beginning of the walking route and found ourselves in front of the most stunning panoramic view that we’ve ever seen. It did not seem real at first; in fact it did not seem real the entire time we were there to admire nearly 290 small and gigantic waterfalls. To the left, to the right, and all around our eyes gazed at, the cascades of Iguacu Falls stretched as far as we could see. It was incredible how the countless waterfalls would vary from extremely wide and massive ones, gushing down from the top tier, to very narrow and thin threads of water, bursting through the deep-green bushes. In amazement, we were staring in every direction, taking numerous pictures, and pleading other visitors to snap a photo or two of us. :)

Many more pleasant surprises waited for us at Iguacu. First, as worried as we were about tropical bugs and mosquitoes at the rain forest, I could not believe that we did not get a single bite by the end of our trip. We did wear hiking pants and used a mosquito repellent with 100% DEET, so that must have helped or maybe there were no mosquitoes around us at all :)

The Boat

If you are ready for a real wild adventure, then you have to put on a lifejacket and get on a boat that takes you very very close by the waterfalls. The travel book and all the websites we checked warned us that we would get completely wet. I thought that a layer of poncho would not hurt and maybe would even make some difference when we go on that boat. So I put it on, we took off our socks and shoes, and prepared to glide on the Iguacu waters. 

This boat ride was far beyond our expectations as it gives you a complete(ly wet) waterfall experience. What seemed to be very a safe and mellow ride from above (we saw those boats from the observation points overlooking the river), down on the river turned out to be a real survival test. The entire time on the boat, I was holding on to the safety strap with all the strength of every muscle in my arms, hands, and fingers. I could not even dare to imagine what would have happened to me had I fallen off that boat.

We reached a culmination of this fun ride when the boat approached one of the bigger waterfalls and the intense cloud of mist covered us up completely. At that point, I could not keep my eyes open any longer (so if you do this, my advice to you would be to bring along a pair of swim goggles), I had swallowed about a cup of Iguacu water, and I could not tell whether we were under or still above the seething body of water. It felt like we were taking a shower, except we were small ants and the shower was the size of the Hoover dam. It was an unforgettable moment, at least for me as I could not believe I was doing something as insane as that. After all, we safely made it back to the starting point of the ‘river cruise’, but the books and websites were right - nothing could have helped us from getting totally soaked. It actually felt really good to cool down after a hot, long day of walking in the park. We were very glad we did it!

We had the most incredible day exploring the Brazilian half of the falls and thought that nothing could be better than that. Until we made it to the Argentina side…

Iguaçu Falls - view from Argentina side

To get to the opposite side of Iguacu Falls, we had to cross the border to Argentina. That trip across the border, however, took forever. Well, maybe not exactly that long, but it felt like an endless trip. In the small town of Foz do Iguacu, we had been getting around by bus all along and decided to take a public bus to Puerto Iguazu, Argentina, as well. We did all the necessary research in advance, so we showed up at the bus stop in plenty of time. A few people had been already waiting for the same bus, and that gave us confidence that we were at the right place approximately at the right time. After one hour of waiting, one of the people waiting with us explained to another person, who translated it to English for us, that the bus schedule was actually in Argentina time, not the local, Brazil time. Apparently, there is a one hour difference between Foz do Iguacu in Brazil and Puerto Iguazú in Argentina that are on the opposite sides of Iguacu Falls. That meant that we had to wait for another hour for that bus, which finally came and brought us somewhere, but not to the park…

It’s another long story how we were dropped off at the Brazilian border control to get our passports stamped and had to wait around for another hour until the next bus showed up because the first bus simply left us there. There, in the middle of nowhere, we met two people from Denmark who were also going to the Argentinean park for a day. They had spent about 4 months in Brazil at that point and also spoke Portuguese, which gave us some confidence that we would be okay. It was pretty easy to get around without knowing Portuguese in places where at least some people spoke limited English or where we could take an easy way out by hopping in a cab. But it was not the case in this situation - sitting, actually standing, on the side of the highway between two foreign countries with no certainty that the bus would pick us up soon, or come at all. There was no one around to ask about the next bus and there were no cabs. Besides a few other lost tourists, there were some horses and cows freely wandering around. Perhaps we should blame the weekend bus schedule or unfriendly bus drivers for all that, but on the way back we learned that it actually was a standard practice that we simply were not prepared for. After that bus experience, I thought it is totally worth it to spare 80 Reals for a cab just to get to Argentina without this kind of adventure. On the way back to Brazil, though, we took that bus again and again we waited at the customs control point for an hour, but what counts is that we did it!

When we made it to the Iguazú National Park that day, luckily it was still morning. Even with the several-hour journey to the park, we had the entire day to enjoy the close-up views, shaded trails, and the monstrous Devil’s Throat. And that’s where we sprinted first. The Devil’s Throat waterfall (Garganta del Diablo in Spanish) was something unbelievable. It was so huge and loud and powerful that it looked more like a volcanic eruption, or gigantic gazers of flour shooting up in the air above the level from which the running waters are slipping off into the abyss. It was very scary to be standing almost on the edge of this waterfall, so close to this destructive force that is so magnificent and magnetic at the same time.

It’s impossible to pick the most stunning view or the favorite waterfall at Iguacu. Every panorama, every new perspective was more unreal and stunning than the previous one.

Without playing favorites as it would be unfair to all uniquely beautiful waterfalls, I have to say that my favorite part about being at Iguacu Falls was the ubiquitous rainbow. We saw more rainbows in those two days at Iguacu than I will probably see for the rest of my life. For some reason, the Iguacu rainbows were so magical that it felt very unreal and almost like a fairy tale. It was amazing to see so many waterfalls and rainbows in one place. There I realized that rainbows make people, and especially me, happy!

Before we left Argentina, we made another unexpected discovery of the trip. As we were exiting the park, we walked by Argentina’s flag and it dawned on me that the light blue color of the flag and the marvelous Argentinean sky were the same exact heavenly shade of blue. I found this to be absolutely fascinating.  

At the end of our visit to the waterfalls, we felt overjoyed and fulfilled, and extremely lucky that we were able to see, smell, and even touch that incredible gift of nature - Cataratas do Iguacu. We felt a touch of rainbow on our skin and in our hearts, and I hope this wondrous feeling will always stay with us.


We had an unbelievable time at one of the most fascinating places on earth. You should absolutely make a trip to this wonder of the world if you get a chance. Add it to your bucket list, you won't regret it!