Iguazú Falls and Rosario
After a 1300km bus ride of 17 hours, we arrived at the bus terminal of Puerto Iguazú in northern Argentina. This busride was by far the best we had. Lunch, dinner and breakfeast were nice, and they even served whiskey and champagne!
The small town, located next to the Rio Iguazú, shares the international border with Brazil and Paraguay. The climate is quite different from Buenos Aires with temperatures going above 30°C. Being the most popular destination for both the Brazilian and Argentinian national parks of the Iguazú falls, the town is filled with hostels, hotels and restaurants. Thus, the town has lost a part of its authenticity. We noticed plenty of empty and desolate buildings, and unfinished tourist developments.
On the first day of our three night stay in the Iguazú Falls Hostel, we visited the monument dedicated to the three frontiers of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. The 20 minute walk to the monument, and the 30 minute walk back was exhausting. It will take some time before getting used to the high temperatures and high humidity. The town and falls are located in the rainforest.
We decided to visit the Brazilian side of the falls first. On the second day of our stay in Puerto Iguazú we took a bus from the bus terminal to the Brazilian national park. The round trip tickets were 80 pesos per person, about €5. The bus took us through the Argentinian passport control on both directions. A one-way trip to the park entrance was a 45 minute drive. After paying for the park admission in Brazilian Reals we got onto the shuttle to the only trail the park has to offer. Luckily we had nice weather. The trail was hardly an hour walk. Several viewpoints gave us the opportunity to shoot pretty pictures. The most impressive part of the trail is right at the end. The final walkway goes all the way to the garganta del diablo (Devil’s Throat). The enormous amounts of water gets all visitors soaked. The Brazilian park has a single huge downside: without any extra expensive activities one can see all of the park within two hours.
We got up early on the third and final day in Puerto Iguazú for a visit to the Argentinian side of the falls. The round-trip bus tickets were 20 pesos per person more expensive than the tickets to the Brazilian park. Probably, because the Argentinian park is more popular. This time it was just a 30 minute drive to the park entrance. The Argentinian park has a lot more to offer too.
We started our visit by going on the lower trail first. The trail is the farthest from the main falls. It brings you close to a couple of smaller falls, and has a couple of great overviews of the rest of the Iguazú falls. It even has a platform that brought us close to the bottom of one of the smaller falls.
The second trail, the upper trail, brings us to the top of a couple of falls. It is astounding how close the walkway gets to the edges of some of the falls. As we get closer to the main falls, we can see the remains of the old walkways above the water. The thousands of cubic meters of water that pass there day by day has a big impact on the condition of the man made bridges. It is likewise amazing that these bridges have been build, as it is not possible for watercraft to get that close to the falls.
To get to the final trail we had to take a short train ride. The walkway, which is more than 1km long, takes us to the edge of the garganta del diablo (Devil’s Throat). We visited the lower end of the fall yesterday, yet now we are on top. Right at the edge! The Iguazú falls are one of the highlights of Argentina!
Sunday, 7th of February we got on the bus to Rosario. We booked two cama seats (fully reclining) with the bus company Crucero del Norte. The 1300km drive took just over 20 hours. Traveling by bus is the primary way of long distance transportation. It is far cheaper than flying. Furthermore, it is actually comparable with flying. There is on-board service, including multiple meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and drinks.
Rosario
Before moving south to visit Patagonia, we decided to have a stop-over in Rosario. It was either visiting Rosario, or going back to Buenos Aires. The ride from Puerto Iguazú to Puerto Madryn is nearly 3000km!
The first impressions of the city were not positive. The outskirts of Rosario and the neighborhood near the bus terminal appear badly maintained and poor. Recent economical issues have had a huge impact on the city. Luckily for us the city has improved several areas, and has quite a lot to offer nowadays. Because of the carnival festivities during our two-night stay in Rosario, almost all shops were closed. Especially during the first day of the visit it was really quiet in town.
The city of Rosario has an important place in Argentinian history and in the hearts of the Argentine people. It is the birthplace of the Argentine flag, Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara, and Lionel Messi among others. The costanera, a 15km long boardwalk and park along the river, is one of the highlights city has to offer. Angelo and I spent our days in the city strolling the costanera, and visiting the many historical places. With temperatures reaching far above 30°C we just relaxed for a bit.
From Rosario we took another bus south. Unfortunately there are just a couple of busses that go in that direction. We had to take another 22 hour bus ride to reach the city of Puerto Madryn, where we will be staying for 4 nights.