Special: Iguazu Falls

The Iguazu Falls are known to be one of the most fascinating places in the world. Having visited the falls in person, I can just say: It’s true. The Iguazu Falls are a truly magical place.

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I’m not exactly sure whether I should lose too many words on the Iguazu Falls or just let you indulge in the pictures. As a famous person said: “pictures say more than a thousand words”.

That’s why I won’t start on describing how the Iguazu Falls look as such. Much rather, I’ll try to give you an idea on how to get there, where to stay and how to enjoy the falls at best!

Facts on the Iguazu Falls

The Iguazu Falls are located on the border of Argentina and Brazil, very close to Paraguay. With a total width of 2.7 kilometers and a height of 60 to 82 meters, the Iguazu Falls are the biggest waterfall system in the whole wolrd.

There is a total of 275 drops with the longest being 82 meters. The huge number of drops makes the Iguazu Falls especially fascinating as you’ll be able to enjoy magical views at dozens of places all around the falls.

As you’d expect, the watercourse of the falls is the Iguazu River. This one also plays a crucial role at the fascinating Itaipu Dam, which I’ve described in detail earlier!

How to get to the Iguazu Falls?

The magical pictures make you want to go? You actually read the fact part and are fascinated by the numbers? Well, then you surely have to take the chance. The Iguazu Falls are actually easier to reach than many other fascinating areas in Latin America. There’s an airport on both sides of the fall.

Cataratas del Iguazu International Airport is the Argentinian airport, while Foz do Iguacu Airport is the Brazilian one. The difference is important as each airport is mainly served by domestic traffic. Moreover, it takes quite some time to get from one side of the Iguazu Falls to the other one (and it also includes border crossing). Both airports are located close to the actual falls with the Brazilian airport being just five minutes away from the national parc entrance.

You can reach the Brazilian airport from Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro or Curitiba and the Argentinian one from Buenos Aires. Moreover, there are a few weekly flights to other destinations in South America from both airports.

Where to stay at the Iguazu Falls?

I’m a little conflicted when it comes to staying at the Iguazu Falls. Two hotels are especially popular: Belmond Hotel das Cataratas (on the Brazilian side) and the Sheraton (on the Argentinian side). While the Sheraton offers great views, it’s not actually located inside the national parc.

At the same time, the Belmond Hotel das Cataratas offers direct access to the falls and also offers great views (some rooms). I decided to splurge and book the Belmond and was a little disappointed by the value for the money. Nevertheless, I’d highly recommend staying at the property.

Why? Because you enjoy access to the falls before and after other tourists arrive. Running at the Iguazu Falls in the morning hours and having the falls for oneself is nothing but magical.

Overall impressions of visiting the Iguazu Falls

Normally, I’m not an overly enthusiastic person or writer. Yet, the Iguazu Falls truly fascinated me. I’d say they were my highlight of my crazy trip to Brazil, the US and Japan (yep, I really connected those countries on one trip starting in Europe).

While there were other magical places like the Ponta dos Ganchos Resort, the Iguazu Falls really made an impression on me. I’d say that the falls are at least double as amazing as the Niagara Falls. In my opinion, you should see these falls once in your life for sure.

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