Iguazu Falls is one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature and it’s located between Brazil and Argentina, inside the Iguazu National Park. The Park is situated in one of the few remaining rainforests in South America and has an abundant biodiversity with a plethora of plant species, birds, mammals, insects and invertebrates.
Visiting Iguazu Falls for the first time, I decide to take a guided tour on the forest to get to know a little more about this scarce environment, and get some adventure.
The Macuco Safari tours started with an electrical cart ride into the Atlantic Forest, where the guide explained about the fauna and flora of the Park and then a 20min walk along the trail until the dock to take the boat.
On the dock I took of my shoes, put my life vest on and seat in the front of the inflatable boat designed exclusively for the needs of this route. The speedboat goes up the Parana River and I felt the adrenaline running through my veins. The boat made one stop for pictures and started to run again towards the Iguazu falls. As we got closer we started to scream our heads off until we get the “waterfall bath”. In some moments I couldn’t see anything, just felt the impact of thousands of liters of water pouring down on my body and heard the strong roar of the falls. I felt like a child! Everyone got completely soaked and cheerful.
The boat left the Three Musket Fall, the climax of the ride and took the way back to the dock. But we were so happy and laughing out loud, that the captain decided to go back to the falls. We got so exhilarant and started to scream even more. The vessel approached to the falls, and the water was coming down on my back, shoulders and head; I screamed a lot and had a blast time. The felling of being literally under one of the falls was terrific. On the way back the captain was driving in zig-zag, and we were screaming, giggling again, and getting even more soaked… I’ve never felt so good being extremely wet!
The boat ride was the best thing I did when I visited Iguazu Falls!!
Table of Contents
∗ This is part of the article Three days in Foz do Iguaçu.
Watch video: Boat ride into Iguazu Falls.
Visiting Iguazu Falls
- Where is it located?
Because the Iguazu National Park is located between Brazil and Argentina, there are two options when you visit Iguazu Falls: Foz do Iguaçu (Brazil) and Puerto Iguazu (Argentina).
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- How to get there?
∗ By plane: There are three international airports in the area:
– IGU – Aeroporto Internacional de Foz do Iguaçu, em Foz do Iguaçu (Brazil)
– AGT – Guaraní International Airport, Ciudad Del Este (Paraguay)
– IGR – Cataratas del Iguazú International Airport, Puerto Iguazú (Argentina).
And the companies that fly to these airports are:
AGT: Tam
IGR: Aerolíneas Argentinas, LAN Argentina, Andes Líneas Aéreas
∗ By car:
To get to Foz do Iguaçu there are Brazilian, Paraguayan and Argentinian highways.
In Brazil you can get the highway that cut the Paraná state BR-277.
In Paraguay, the highway that connects the capital (Asuncion) to Ciudad del Este is the Ruta 7, and it is 350 km long and takes approximately 5h. From Ciudad del Este to Foz do Iguaçu it’s just one bridge.
In Argentina, the highway that connects the capital (Bueno Aires) to Puerto Iguazú is Ruta Nacional 12, and it is 1350 km long and takes 16h.
∗ By bus:
There are buses from Curitiba (Paraná’s capital), São Paulo, Buenos Aires, Florianópolis, Ciudad del Este and Puerto Iguazu to Foz do Iguaçu.
To Puerto Iguazu there are buses from Posadas and Buenos Aires.
- Best time to go
∗ The best time to visit Iguazu Falls is the shoulder season (May and September), when temperature and crowds are tolerable and a fair chance of having a good weather.
∗ From December to March is summer and it’s the hottest and most humid time of the year.
∗ From June to August the temperature ranges from lows of 10C (50F) to high of 23C (73F).
∗ Rain falls throughout the year but the months between October and March are the wettest, while between May and August have less rainfall.
- Where did I stay?
I stayed at Iguassu Agape Hotel.
- Travel cost:
Bus from São Paulo to Foz do Iguaçu: R$ 198 (US$ 50)
Park’s entrance: R$ 45,30 (MERCOSUL Citizens) and R$ 56.30 (US$ 14) for Non-MERCOSUL Citizens.
Macuco Safari Tour: R$ 170 (US$ 42.50)
Four Nights at Iguassu Ágape Hotel: R$ 200 (US$ 50).
PS: If you are on a budget you can book this tour on the Argentinian side which is almost half of the price of the Brazilian one.
Helpful links
For more information about Iguazu Falls visit the websites:
For tours around Foz do Iguaçu and also to book the Macuco Safari tour visit the page: Amo Falls.
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