Las Cataratas del Iguazú

We were initially happy to be at Iguassu Motorcycle Traveller's Hostel for a number of reasons - staying put in one spot for at least a few days, seeing the incredible natural wonder that is Iguazú Falls, and meeting any travelers that also happened to be there.


(we didn't actually see the falls yet, but I didn't want to keep you waiting too long.  Many more pictures below...)

We didn't have any GPS coords for the hostel in hand, but we managed to eventually get in the right neighborhood and find the residential street.  At that same moment, a 4x4 Toyota had pulled up that we had last seen in Cochrane, Chile as we worked our way south along the Carretera Austral.  Life Remotely was nearing the end of their trip, planning to get to a hotel in Rio to unwind and finish the drafting of the overland cookbook that they had been creating.  I am not sure the cookbook would be so helpful for motorcycle travelers, as many of their ingredients and methods relied on the refrigerator that they had with them (not to mention a multiple burner stove and more than one pot...). Additionally, I'm not sure their living and working on the road lifestyle is that broadly applicable, unless you are lucky to have a flexible, internet-based, lucrative position. We tried picking their brains for ways to make their concept work for us and fell short. (Well, back to the drawing board for future life plans...)

We also ran into an Aussie who had been staying there for a few weeks and just recently picked up a BMW G650X (IIRC) to work his way up towards the Guyanas.  He had been emailing with Mike about the possibility of buying the trusty ol' TA, but timing wasn't going to work out with our 6 month delay.  We had hoped to make it to Foz about 5 days previous because Rodolfo had coordinated a Horizons Unlimited mini-meeting to gather overland travelers from all over the world.  It was fine that we missed it, though, because we had a chance to attend an even better party, more to follow on that.

Foz do Iguassu, Brasil is located in a corner of 3 countries with border towns in each, including Puerto Iguazú, Argentina and Ciudad del Este, Paraguay. Given that Paraguay has a reciprocity fee agreement with the states for a visa, we couldn't justify spending US$160 each to spend a day or two in that country. But we crossed the border anyway and bought some cheap tires (which is important given the high prices in Argentina). A pair of Pirelli MT-60's for US$130. Pretty good. And since we still had life left in our current tires, a quote to ship them by bus from Pto Iguazú to ourselves in San Rafael for around US$30. Still a screaming deal compared to new rubber in Argentina.


(lots of traffic flowing into Ciudad del Este to take advantage of the deals on electronics and tires. I guess they sell other stuff there, too, but people we know only seem to talk about electronics and tires.)

The following day we went to check out the Brazilian side of the falls. Mike had visited the falls back in 2000, but was excited to see them again, and was still floored by their magnitude. Jill was equally impressed, deciding that the 5 days of riding straight across the pampas had paid off. Pictures can't do them justice as it's hard to fit in the 3 km of river dropping into the waterfalls up to 80 meters high, but we'll do our best.

According to wikipedia, Iguazu has an average rate of 1,750 m3/s (61,660 cu ft), the second-greatest average annual flow of any waterfall in the world (after Niagara). Its maximum recorded flow was 12,800 m3/s (452,000 cu ft/s). By comparison, the average flow of Niagara Falls is 2,400 m3/s (85,000 cu ft), with a maximum recorded flow of 8,300 m3/s (293,000 cu ft/s).  Iguazu has larger drops, of between 65 and 82 meters (compared to Niagara's 50 m), and a larger span at nearly 3 km (Niagara's is ~1.5 km).

Here are some shots from our day at the Brazilian side:


(looking upriver towards the main section of the falls)


(looking towards la garganta del diablo (devil's throat) that you can see better from the Argentine side)


(as you walk along the Brazilian side there are a number of walkways with overlooks to get closer to the thundering, misting falls (and sometimes it's more of a mist, soaking you and all of your clothes, but you're in the jungle and it feels great))


(us looking very photoshopped (but not, we were really there) in a self portrait)


(a misty side view)


(Coatis are most at home at the snack shops...)


(...and scaring tourists like mice in cartoons)


(red brocket deer. Apparently pretty rare to see so plainly. At least that's what some lady in a uniform told us and we believed her)


(view of a main section of the Argentine side with boats below)


(lots of cool butterflies were around)


(we were 5 days late for the HU mini-meeting and 10 days too early for the X-games. Here they are setting up the half pipe)

After a day of walking around the park, a stop for a beer sounded ideal. We found a sports bar showing a soccer match. Unsurprisingly, Bolivia didn't give Brasil too much of a challenge. The beer was good, though.



Rodolfo had invited us to an asado (BBQ) at his parents house to celebrate his younger brother's birthday. What a great day it was! His family is super nice and were happy to host us for an asado of some of the best lamb, chicken and beef we have eaten in a while. Thanks again, Rodolfo!


(preparing the meat with salt, and salt alone)


(Mike excited by what Roberto had cookin')




(us enjoying the asado)


(a homemade Brazilian complete! It had been awhile since we had eaten such a great combination of foods all on one plate, and none homemade. This was most definitely a treat)

The following day we visited the Argentine side of the falls, making a stop along the way at the bus station to ship a bundle of rubber back to San Rafael. Turns out, the bus company wanted the package to look tidy and were not impressed with Mike's hack attempt at wrapping them with free cardboard from the grocery store across the street. So a two dollar plastic wrap job was purchased from the luggage storage facility and we got the tires off of our hands.


(Mike dripping sweat onto the irregular "box")


(There were some other bikers visiting the Argentine side)


(looking uprivier from the Argentine side)

The Argentine side has a different feel than visiting the Brazilian side. Those walkways on the Brazilian side give such a great overview of both sides of the falls while the Argentine side gets you closer up, right next to some of the cascades.


(absolutely beautiful)






(taking the free shuttle boat across to an island gets you another vantage point for the falls, but due to the recent rains, no swimming allowed)




(big birds on a cliff)


(small bird on the rocks)


(us in front of Salto Bossetti)





The jungle setting is home to so much amazing wildlife, big and small. We saw even more fun animals on the Argentine side:






(one of the few coatis away from a snack bar)




(and immediately beside the trail there was about 15-20 monkeys that entertained us for a long while)


(looking down one of the falls)



One of the best known attributes of the falls is la Garganta del Diablo, the roaring main section of the falls. There is a 1 km long walkway out to an overlook that gets you right next to it. We both got stung in the foot/ankle by the weirdest of critters along that walk. At some point we both stepped down and something immediately stung one of our ankles and top of a foot. It looked almost like an evil ear wig and was really stuck into each of our skins (this sounds really weird, but it literally did happen to both of us simultaneously). Knocking the alien creature off left an incredible stinging sensation and some slight swelling for the rest of our walk. Neither one of us has any idea what this thing was, why it didn't attack any other tourists walking on the same walkway, how it attacked both of us simultaneously, and why it hurt so damn bad. The jungle is a crazy place. Cuidado.




(the calm Iguazú river)


(the old walkway, taking out by floods in 1982.)


(the top of the Devil's Throat)




(self portrait in front of la Garganta del Diablo)


(la Garganta del Diablo with sunlit clouds)