Day 15 – Monday
The one thing I didn’t adequately pack for this trip was winter clothing. Though I knew that it was winter in the southern Hemisphere, I didn’t anticipate it being mid 50s degrees f. at Iguazu Falls.
We started off the day returning to the Cataratas station, a midpoint station near the Sheraton where the train continues from the entrance of the park to the Devil’s Throat hike. The queue, like the day before, was very long (and the train only departs every 15 minutes) so we walked along the train tracks until arriving at the beginning of the trail to the Devil’s Throat. The entire trail to Devil’s Throat (about 15 min. walk) consists of catwalks above the calm waters of the Iguazu River. Along the trail, one can see plenty of remnants of the catwalks that were destroyed and washed away during the vast flooding in June, 2014.
The trail ends with a viewing deck right above the falls. The views from the deck include the panorama of the falls as well as the sheer awesomeness of Devil’s Throat roaring down 270 ft. The sight is spectacular. Devil’s Throat is the tallest and most powerful of all the falls. Though it is questionable whether one actually recites the
bracha of עושה מעשה בראשית upon seeing a waterfall, the wonders and unique beauty of creation are awe-inspiring and uplifting (sorry if I’m getting a bit carried away).
After spending some thirty minutes admiring the site, we walked back, caught the train back to Cataratas Station, and checked out of the Sheraton. Our guide then drove us through Puerto Iguazú to the “Three Border Landmark” (triple frontier area) where one can see the confluence of the Iguazu River & Parana River which demarcates the border the three countries: Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay. From here you can see all three countries (not much else going on here, but cool anyway – you can see a large Paraguayan city in the distance). Our guide told us that they starting charging to visit the Brazilian side so going to the Argentina side was a no brainer.
On to Brazil. The Tancredo Neves Bridge over the Iguazu River connects Argentina and Brazil and we had little trouble getting through the border (there is a “fast lane” for taxis and tour guides). There are booths on the Argentinian side to “check out” of Argentina and right after the bridge on the Brazil side there is a center where one gets out of the car to get their passports stamped. Our guide went into the building to take care of the Brazil side for us and we were just fine staying in the car. Strange that Brazil is fine stamping customs without us even being present. Fine with me though.
We went directly to the Iguaçu National Park (Igua
cu with a “c” in Brazil). The cost to enter the park is about 50 Real (1 Real = about $0.3 USD) and they took CC. After entering, there is a bus that travels along a road several miles long with a bunch of stops along the way for assorted hikes around the falls. Our guide was permitted to drive us through (I don’t think taxis can enter the park) and took us straight to the Belmond Hotel das Cataratas were we began the trail.
As I mentioned, the views from the Brazilian side are far more panoramic but further away from the falls. The trail was mostly winding down the mountain side to reach the river level below the falls. From there, there is a catwalk to basically the middle of the river which has outstanding views of Devil’s Throat from below (perfectly complementing the views we saw earlier in the day of Devil’s Throat from above). This was the only point where we could’ve used raincoats; the wind really blew the water and got us soaked. There is a visitor center immediately after this catwalk which has a glass elevator that takes you back up to the top of the mountain. Should I mention there are good views of the side of the falls from here too
?
There was a bus ride from the end of the trail back to the Belmond Hotel das Cataratas where we relaxed a bit and then made our way to Foz do Iguaçu International Airport (IGU) to Rio. If we had more time and weren’t as tired, we would’ve visiting the Parque das Aves/Bird Park which is right outside the park and has good reviews.
Interestingly, at the IGU airport they screen all baggage even before we got to check – in, a drug trade deterrence thing. We took an evening flight on GOL to Rio/GIG (ticket = $108 each- baby free); we had a pretty lousy flight on this low cost carrier but all's well that ends well.
We arrived at GIG about 10pm (unfortunately, all two kosher restaurants in Rio were closed by then; we're not in BsAs anymore). After waiting quite a while for our luggage, we took a regular cab to Copacabana for $30 total (the cab took Visa). I chose to stay in the Americas Copacabana Hotel (for $95 a night) for several reasons: 1) within walking distance to the two kosher restaurants in Rio. 2) Cheap – Due to Zika (and the cold weather), we didn’t plan on spending much time pool or beach side so proximity to beach or beautiful pool wasn’t a high priority 3) Couldn’t find any competitive/worthwhile award hotels in the Copacabana area. – The hotel was nice enough, very small room though.
To be continued….
Devil’s Throat Trail
Devil’s Throat
(Far right- Brazil, Left – Paraguay, Photo taken from Argentina)
Three Border Landmark
View from the Brazilian Side – Trail
View from the Brazilian Side - Catwalk
Consider yourself warned – Do Not Overtake!!!
Americas Copacabana Hotel Rooftop pool & view
