Brazil - Iguaçu

Friday, October 20'th

The Rio Iguaçu mostly origin in the mountains of Paraná and Santa Catarina. After 600 km it widens and form the breathtaking Iguaçu falls, which consist of more than 250 individual over a three km wide area. The height is about 80 meters and thereby makes it higher than Niagara and wider than the Victoria falls in Africa.


Iguaçu seen from the plane

View of Iguaçu/Butterfly
Carmen Moya reports (spring '98): "We found a fabulous youth hostel: Alburgue da Juventude Paudimar, Av. das Cataratas, at the KM 12.5. They have an office at the bus station (Rodaviaria). If you are a Hostelling International memeber they will provide you with a free taxi ride to the hostel. The hostel is situated off the main road which ta On the dirt road a free bus operates to and from the main road. The hostel is set in beautiful grounds with friendly staff. There are self-catering facilities or an evening meal is served at 9pm for $4. I think a bed costs $8 a night and there are rooms for couples as well as a campsite. Plus, when visiting the Argentine side of the falls one of the staff (a quite exuberant Argentine ex-rally driver), will take you over the border for £10 return. He is well known at customs so as his passenger the bonus is you pass through passport control without fuss (when we went through on our own, our rucksacks were searched). He also gives you a guided tour of the surrounding area and offers advice on where's cheap to eat etc."

Panorama view of Iguaçu
For about US$40 you can get a seven minutes helicopter flight over the area. You can catch the choppers right next to Hotel das Cataratas on the Brazilian side ner the fall.

Map of the Iguaçu area
The Brazilian side has only a small part of the fall, here is however the best Grand View of the scenery. On the Argentine you can get a close-up view of the falls and forest. You vill not have to get a visa if you are to spend a day in Argentine or Paraguay, if longer then you have to go through all the formalities.

Iguaçu is right at the border of Argentina/Brazil/Paraguay

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