Naomi K.
Yelp
After being to both Niagara falls and Victoria falls, I wondered if Iguazu would live up to its reputation. Clearly, it has. Though we went in off season, the falls were not at all dry and the crushing force of the water made for amazing cascades. Even if you have seen those other landmark waterfalls, this is definitely worth the trip since it's quite different in that it's a large series of waterfalls, several layers and several miles long. It is quite different to look at from all the angles, from the Brazil side you can get a good overview of all the falls except for the Garganta del Diablo (the Devil's Throat). On the Argentina side you can walk along the waterfalls, on top of them and down near the bottom of them as well, so the catwalks are more extensive and much closer to the water.
As others have stressed, getting to the falls earlier in the day provides a lot of benefits. Since we stayed at the Sheraton in the park itself, the paths were literally outside the front doors, which saved a lot of time in transportation. There are a lot more wild animals to be seen in the early morning before the large crowds of tourists take over with their cameras snapping away at every nature scene. Granted, it's beautiful out here, so do take a lot of pictures, but take some time to take it in for yourself, not just behind the camera lens. We also saw two types of toucans, lots of monkeys, several green parakeets, acuti (rodents), gray swifts playing in the falls and vultures.
We did the adventure tour which included the open truck ride through the forest (didn't see too much except a few birds) but learned a little about the butterflies and other wildlife. Then took the boat ride up the river, fast and windy, not incredibly scenic, but with a few waterfalls on the side. The best part, was when the boat drove into the rushing falls and you get soaked with the mist and water. They provide waterproof bags and offer a few scenic shots before getting everyone drenched. Definitely go during hotter weather and have a change of clothes handy unless you don't mind walking around the park soaking wet. I wore quick dry sports clothes and flipflops to keep things simple and luckily our hotel was fairly close by. If you want to just do the waterfall boat ride into the spray, it is only 12 minutes and a little cheaper. The path back from the boat is quite scenic, so that alone in a great views but you are only allowed down there if you have a ticket for the boat. If you don't want to do a boat, there's several walkways that get close enough to the falls that you can get plenty of mist depending on how strong the wind is.
The maps of the park show all the paths, and note that they are not to scale. The point from the entrance to the end of the train for the Garganta del Diablo walkway, looks ridiculously but it's really not that bad and is actually walkable. The waits for the train were so long (upwards of an hour or more, and didn't guarantee you would get on that train, just closer to the front of the line) were not worth it. If you don't have any issues walking, its actually faster to walk from the train stations and there is a foot path available along the tracks.
The food here...is not so great. I was not impressed with the rodizio at Fortin, though the waitress who brought us our drinks was nice. The other places are mainly snack bars and lunch stops (empanadas, sandwiches, pizzas, frozen icecream). If you can, I would recommend bringing your own snacks and planning on eating only lunch here. Hardly anything is open in the morning and the park is closed by 6pm so there is no dinner. Watch out for the agressive blue birds with a yellow ringed eye and the coatis who try and steal your food.
