Iguassu Falls, Brazil - Iguazu Falls, Argentina (Iguazú Falls)
There are more than 270 falls in an area where cliffs and islets are scattered in a half moon shape.
In guarani language, the term "Iguazú" means "great waters". It was discovered in 1541 by Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca and established in 1984 as Natural World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
The Brazilian spelling is Iguassu and the view from the Brazilian side is panoramic. Concrete walks start in front of the Hotel Das Cataratas and zig zag their way down until coming to the boardwalk that takes you to the end of Devil's Throat for a view back into the "throat".
The Spanish spelling is Iguazu and the view from the Argentine side is mainly "up-close and personal" with walks along the tops of the falls, along the bottom of the falls and to the very edge of the back of Devil's Throat.The falls can be reached from the two main towns on either side of the falls: Foz do Iguaçu in the Brazilian state of Paraná, and Puerto Iguazú in the Argentine province of Misiones.
We stayed in Foz do Iguaçu on the Brazilian side at a hotel called San Martin which was only 500 meters from the park entrance. I do not recommend this hotel due to the poor staff that runs this hotel but that is another story. We stayed there only because of the close location to the park even after reading the numerous negative feedback this place has received.
The climate of Foz do Iguaçu is sub-tropical, with two seasons; one humid and hot in the summer and another, dry and cool, in the winter. We were there in the winter month of July and the temperature was a perfect 70 degrees. A perfect break from the humid 110 degrees we have during the summer months in Texas.The city's annual average temperature is 23.8°C (74.8°F), but can be as high as 47°C (117°F) in the summer (highest) or as low as -5°C (23°F) in the winter (lowest). The average in the summer is 26.5°C (79.7°F)and in the winter 15.4°C (59.6°F).
Many people have asked which side I liked the best. For me as a photographer you should not neglect seeing each side of the falls. As mentioned above, the Brazilian side has all the panoramic shots. The Argentina side has all the up close and personal shots. You would be doing yourself a huge disservice if you skipped out on either side.
The parks are not photographer friendly though. They open up at 8am and close at 6pm. So forget getting that crack of dawn shot. And unless you go in the winter time, you will not be getting that perfect light for sunset. I was pushing it getting my shot and the park ranger eventually ran me out of the park. I was the last one to leave. I did not fly thousands of miles and spend thousands of dollars to take crappy shots with poor light. So I had no problem pushing it right up past closing time.
If you want to avoid this you will have to splurge and spend the extra money and stay at the Sheraton on the Argentina side or the San Juan Hotel with in the park on the Brazilian side. I will do this next time I go. And I do plan on going back. My trip to Iguazu Falls this time was a gutsy one.
I rented a car and drove from Sao Paulo to Foz do Iguaçu. Took us around 19 hours of driving mostly single lane highways and over $100 worth of toll roads. Brazil does not have a rail system like America so they have crappy semi trucks clogging the highways that you will be fighting with over the entire trip.
My advice is to fly into Foz do Iguaçu and rent a car there if you want the independence of driving yourself to the Argentina side. Otherwise you will pay dearly for a taxi and it will also cost you time.
