There is a rivalry unspoken of in the travel world that is greater than that seen between Argentina and Brazil in football causing many centuries of debate….
Which side is it best to view the Iguazu Falls from?
To investigate I went to both sides! Lets see what my verdict was….
Brazil
I started off on the Brazil and WOAH I was smitten…I wasn’t ready for the gorgeousness of it all and with my travel buddy Mandy we just stood in awe watching this magnificent sight.
Brazil gives stunning panoramic views of the whole of the Iguazu Falls and at every angle as we walked the trails we were still gushing. I took many a picture mainly because I wanted to really capture its true beauty but sometimes a picture just never does a sight justice.
Iguazu Falls on the Brazilian side can be covered in half a day as there is only one trail to follow aptly named the ‘Waterfall Trail.’ So since this was the case we decided to take a boat ride into the Garganta do Diablo (the Devil’s Throat). When you are taking a boat ride (on either side) be prepared to be utterly and completely soaked and leave anything you do not want soaked in the lockers they provide. The ride into the base of the Falls was exhilarating and immense…you were up close and personal with the sheer immense nature of the Falls.
One tip though: when you know you own waterproof trousers and your travel buddy tells you ‘oh you won’t need them’, DO NOT LISTEN TO THEM! I got soaked to my knickers, which made for an uncomfortable ride back home. I sure am glad we left the boat ride to the last part of the day.
There are many photo opportunities to take with yourself and Falls and overall my time on this side was to put it simply gorgeous. I know I will be back here again to this side as I would like to spend a night at the rose coloured colonial hotel – Hotel das Cataratas which is located just across the Falls in the National Park.
Argentina
To explore the Argentinian side of the Falls you really do need a full day. There are a number of trails to walk on this side that are scenic, peaceful and informative as there were signs telling you the names of each waterfall that made up the Iguazu Falls.
On this side you get to walk on top of Garganta del Diablo and to watch the water falling over and over the rocks was a little mesmerising and in a weird way for me soothing. In the video below you can just see an abundance of spray back that was encasing us:
We saw a lot more wildlife on this side on our walks around Parque Nacional Iguazu and sadly the coatis on this side were far more vicious compared to the Brazilian side with about 15 chasing me thinking I had food to share. I wish this was a joke but I was left rather traumatised, running into the shop and hiding until they all disappeared. Mandy watched with much amusement at my ordeal.
Rainbows upon rainbows gave much beauty to the Argentinian side and at times it reminded me of the film Fern Gully (I’m showing my age now).
So which side did I like the best?
I’m going to leave you guessing! Plus I don’t want to make you biased. Just go visit it from both sides you might as well!
