Some travelers may have only one day to explore Iguaçu Falls. After spending a day in Argentina and another day in Brazil, we asked ourselves the question “which side would we go if we only had a day to spare?”
We arranged a one-day driver service for about $100 USD. The service includes picking us up from the Airbnb, helps us to cross the border to Brazil, drop us off at the Iguaçu National Park, and take us back to the Airbnb. It relieved us from the logistic distractions.
Across Iguaçu National Park, there is a bird park Parque das Aves. The bird park is among the best places for us to enjoy the exotic and colorful birds, not commonly seen in North America. Unlike its unassuming entrance, the park is well maintained showing great care to the birds. There are large aviaries and lots of spaces for the birds. There are restaurants and rest places for the travellers. The park is designed very well with beautiful flora, lots of educational signage along the trail and secure entrances/exits from one aviary to another. We ended up spending almost three hours in the park, appreciating the stylish Owls, the graceful Flamingoes, the beautiful Scarlet Ibis, the colorful Toucans, and many many more. We can spend more time there if not for the reserved admission time of Iguaçu National Park.
The logistics of Iguaçu National Park of Brazil are different from that of Argentina. In Argentina, helicopter service is prohibited due to environmental concerns such as noise level, impact to the animals. The Iguazu Falls National Park on the Argentina side is connected by trains and trails. In Brazil, there are helicopter services to see the falls and there are buses, with long queues, at the entrance to take you to a fixed number of stops in the park. We got off at the arguably most popular stop right across the Belmond Hotel das Cataratas inside the park. From there, there is an easy stroll full of photo opportunities of the Falls. This Brazilian side offers sweeping panoramic views of roughly 80% of the waterfalls located in Argentina and the staircase character of the falls. There are boardwalks to take you close to some individual falls to experience the waterfall mists and the winds. It was fun and wet.
So “where (which side) would we go if we only had a day to spare?” We think the Brazilian side has the edge with the amazing panoramic views to see its scale and the grandeur. For boat rides, Argentina has the edge. Our recommendation: It takes quite some logistics to visit Iguazu Falls. Why not spend more days in the biggest waterfall systems of the world?
The Iguazu Falls (Argentina) or Iguaçu Falls (Brazil) are major tourist attractions in South America. Upon seeing Iguazu, the United States First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt reportedly exclaimed, “Poor Niagara!”. In November, we visited Iguazu and spent two full days there.
Spanning across 1.7 miles, Iguazu Falls are arranged in a massive, semicircular “horseshoe” shape and composed of over 200 individual falls. In comparison, Victoria Falls in Africa are 1.1 miles wide and Niagara Falls in Canada are 0.6 miles wide. The river of the Iguazu Falls is the Iguazu River, which flows from Brazil, forms the border between Argentina and Brazil, and then empties into the Paraná River, creating one of the world’s largest waterfall systems, if not the. About half of the river’s flow falls into a long and narrow chasm called the Devil’s Throat, along the Argentina–Brazil border. On the right bank is the Brazilian territory, which is home to more than 95% of the Iguazu River basin but has just over 20% of the jumps of these falls, and the left side jumps are Argentine, which make up almost 80% of the falls. From the Argentine territory, you have the chance to boat up close or hike up close to hear its thunder and experience its power. From the Brazilian territory, it is easier to take more impressive panoramic pictures of the 80% of the falls in Argentina.
A day in Argentina
It is a two hour flight from AEP (Buenos Aires) to IGR (Iguazu). Uber is not as consistently available in Argentina outside of Buenos Aires. At IGR, we met the taxi driver Ada who spoke bits and pieces of English phrases on the ride to our Airbnb. We understood each other well enough that Ada became our driver for another few rides. The ride from IGR airport to our Airbnb was very scenic with forest along the way and lots of butterflies hovering above the flowers paving the road. We were pleasantly reminded that November is Spring time in South America. The Airbnb is very spacious, modern and comfortable and it has a water dispenser which saves us the effort of buying bottles of water. There are restaurants and grocery markets within easy walking distances. The neighborhood seems more for locals than for tourists and lacks the camaraderie of fellow travelers.
The Iguazu Falls, on the side of Argentina, reside in the Argentine province of Misiones, and make up close to 80% of the falls. We had a reservation for a 3-hour boat ride, including jungle transport to the river. The open-top jungle transport was a comfortable ride. There were birds chirping, we saw colorful Toucans and enjoyed the forest as we rode through the jungle with fellow travellers. The tourist guide explained everything in both English and Spanish.
After hundreds of stairs going down, we arrived at the river, were given life vests and a big waterproof bag, to put everything in, and were reminded that no raingear would save us from getting soaking wet. Then began the boat ride. The first leg was on a quiet river flow. Soon, there were individual waterfalls and more waterfalls. As the boat approached the waterfalls up close, it felt more like a roller coaster ride, except this ride, we were under the waterfalls. At times, it was like being in a shower. At other times, it was like being “hit” by powerful water jets. We got soaking wet and the boat kept going back to be under the waterfalls. When we had enough, the boat was back to the quiet river again and we headed back to the jungle. It was cold, fun and exciting. If you go for the boat ride, just remember to bring a spare set of clothes, unless you want to spend the remainder of the day in wet apparels.
In the afternoon, we took the slow moving and comfortable train ride in the park, and did the popular hikes : the Devil’s Throat trail first, and then the Upper Circuit, Lower Circuit. The Devil’s Throat trail leads to the most powerful section of the falls with well paved suspended walkways. At the Devil’s Throat, we were level with the waterfall, hearing its thunder and feeling its mist as the water jumped down the 200 feet canyon. The Upper Circuit allows us to see the waterfalls from above. The lower circuit allows relaxing stroll on boardwalk over the river, and gets us close-up views from below. There were many many individual waterfalls we visited along these hikes. These hikes, some with stairs, are overall friendly to travellers of different degrees of fitness.
The boat ride, the trains and the hikes offer stunning and varied perspectives of the falls.
Weekdays in Buenos Aires are spent working, and weekends are for discovering the city. It still offers me plenty of opportunities to get to know the capital city in my three-week stay. Buenos Aires feels like a Spanish-speaking New York city look alike with visible Italian influences from Tango, music, pizza and pasta. Like New York, it takes time to discover and appreciate what the city offers.
Buenos Aires has vastly distinct neighborhoods.
As the capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires does not have much Asian presence. We hardly run into Asians, and hardly hear anyone speaking Mandarin or Cantonese (or Japanese or Korean or Vietnamese or even English) on the street. Buenos Aires has a sizable Chinatown, in the Belgrano neighborhood, that feels more like an Asian town with varieties of Asian eateries, and shops. It is very pleasant to visit over a weekend. It is probably the place in Buenos Aires that I have run into the most Asian restaurants. Even though Chinese cuisines are popular worldwide, Chinese restaurants are also rare other than the buffet style Chinese dishes, served as fast food and sold by the kilos with an unappealing look and equally unappealing tastes. The only dim sum restaurant we discover is the one in Chinatown and it is good.
Cemetery and Beauty do not naturally come together, the Recoleta neighborhood has the famous Recoleta cemetery highly regarded in its beauty. If you are in the area, don’t miss Floralis Genérica, the iconic “flora garden” next to Recoleta. Floralis Genérica is home to a massive, mechanized aluminum flower sculpture in the Plaza de las Naciones Unidas (United Nations Square) that opens its petals during the day and closes them at night, representing all flowers in the world. I can be there all day appreciating the simple beauty and grandeur of the flower sculpture.
The San Nicolás neighborhood has the Opera house, the Obelisk as the landmark. The historic Monserrat neighborhood has the Casa Rosada, the Pink House equivalent of the White House. The Puerto Madero area has another landmark of the Woman’s Bridge, Puente de la Mujer, and the surrounding eateries have attracted crowds of locals and tourists. The San Nicolás, Monserrat, Puerto Madero neighborhoods are more reminiscent of the European colonial times. They are mostly upscale with some neighborhoods that feel like miles and miles of parks full of greeneries.
The Palermo neighborhood, where our Airbnb is, is a vibrant area, with markets and shops. There is a 10-lane road that takes a minute to walk across. Airbnb made my home office during my stay, so we picked the more pricey unit. We got a 2-story unit on the 27th floor in the center of Palermo, with a home office and a big bed upstairs, a kitchen and living space downstairs with floor-to-ceiling windows. Every morning, we were greeted with an expansive city view and lots of birds chirping. In the evening a beautiful sunset created a glow to the city. There is a well-equipped gym at the top floor, overseeing the plane taking off from the AEP airport from afar and the view of the Rio de la Plata. There is also a sauna room below the gym, and every time we used it, there was no-one else, making it a private sauna. There is also a long outdoor pool, open during the summer months. When I need to take a break from work, I can get a coffee, an orange juice, a slice of pizza and an empanada within a few minutes of walking. We paid ~$120 per night, which is a stark reminder of the differences in cost of living of different cities.
Just about a 10 to 15 minute walk, there are a variety of restaurants on the clusters of streets, each named after a Latin American country. Argentines have very late dinner hours. We kept our early dinner hours, and often were treated to have a restaurant all for ourselves, well not for the world-famous Don Julio restaurant. Don Julio is a popular Michelin Star restaurant located on Guatemala street. It is considered as the #1 restaurant in the Latin American region. Every evening, there are lines formed by steak-loving diners, who have made reservations, waiting for the opening of Don Julio restaurant. We went there for dinner one evening and it lived up to its reputation.
San Telmo is among the oldest neighborhoods in Buenos Aires, well preserved with colorful houses, and is worth a stroll during the day time. The nearby neighborhood like La Boca, famous for its soccer stadium and the immortal Argentine Maradona, is a rundown neighborhood to avoid after dark and maybe even during the day. These neighborhoods are where Tango originated as a blend of European, African, and criollo rhythms in the late 19th century.
Just like major cities, we always need to be mindful of the surroundings. In Buenos Aires, there are often bar-protected shops, and it is not uncommon to find gun-carrying police or security personnel on the streets. It constantly reminds us to be mindful of safety in major cities like Buenos Aires or New York City. There are “land mines” in the city, as a result of the many dogs and their dog owners. Not all dog owners clean up the waste so there are “land mines” to keep you paying attention all the time. I just hope that the city does something about it, be it by penalizing the dog owners or other smarter alternatives.
The Argentines have the best use case of WhatsApp. Airbnb, hotels, delivery and many teams use WhatsApp for communication, and over time, we get used to connecting with “these service teams” over WhatsApp and often get real-time if not even 7*24 support. We also feel more confident in connecting with fellow travellers over WhatsApp to share travel tips. These use cases confirm Messaging Apps, like WhatsApp, lives up to its promises of connecting people. We are very thankful for these Messaging Apps.
Considered as one of the ten best opera houses in the world by National Geographic, the Teatro Colón Opera House is a historic opera house in Buenos Aires. Leading international opera directors claim that it has the room with the best acoustics for opera. We decided to catch the opera Salome by Richard Strauss to experience the coziness and grandeur of the Opera House, and the Opera performance.
Tango shows often start at 10pm. It is in line with the late dinner hours of the Argentines. The late start is prohibitive to us early sleepers. Instead, my spouse and I experienced some Tango dancing street performance, and we signed up for a one-time Tango lesson. It is not only Tango dancing. The lesson is a mix of Tango music appreciation and learning simple Tango steps. I would remember this experience for a long time and definitely recommend the lessons to fellow travellers.
Soccer is the love of Argentines. What better to experience Argentina and the love of soccer than watching a soccer game at the River Plate Estadio Monumental stadium. This stadium houses 85000 spectators and it is hard to get tickets. For the full soccer fan experience, we joined a local tour with a guide who took care of the tickets, arranged a pre-game beer social get together with the group, and took care of us before and after the game. A WhatsApp group was set up for communication. Hours before the game time, we met up and a bus took us to a restobar. We bonded with other travellers over the beer, and shared our travel experiences. It was very fun. The restobar is within walking distance of the Stadium. After an hour or so of social time, we headed towards the Stadium. There were food booths along the way, and the crowd grew as we got closer to the stadium and the game time. The fans behave respectfully, are loyal and disciplined. I still remember the first impression of the Stadium – the vastness, the non-stopping chanting of fans creating peak decibels (dB) like in a sold-out rock concert, the flying flags and the energy of the crowd that filled the stadium.
The game was meant to be an easy win for the River Plate home team. The opponent Gimnasia is a team which the home team has not lost against for the last two decades. In that evening, the River Plate home team put up an unimpressive performance, even failing to convert the penalty kick gifted to the team in the last minute and ended up losing 0-1. In spite of the dramatic upset, the fans were obviously super loyal as they continued to chant for their home team to the last minutes and after the game. The loyalty and behaviors of the fans set a great model for the other soccer fans across the world.
A week after, the River Plate team and the Boca Juniors team met in the Superclásico, considered as one of the “top 50 sporting things you must do before you die”. The ill fortune of the River Plate team continued and they lost against their all-time rivalry. It was quite an experience to run into their fans and their bus on the streets before and after the game. The fans, wearing the team jerseys were everywhere on the day. The city experience of Superclásico made one of our most memorable experiences in the city. If you ever visit the city, watching a soccer game is a must, and we recommend the more upscale Estadio Monumental, more so than the La Bocca stadium due to the neighborhood.
It is hard to believe that Colonia del Sacramento of Uruguay is only a ferry ride from Buenos Aires. Colonia del Sacramento is a beautiful historic town, a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site that has the remnants of both the Portuguese and Spanish influence. The old town, made up of a myriad of cobblestoned streets, makes a lovely stroll for half of the day, with as frequent stops as you wish at the variety of restaurants. As we ventured outside of the old town to the less touristy area, we saw many small groups of friends and families carrying gourds, bombillas, and thermoses of warm water, quietly chatting and enjoying Mate as much as each other’s company. Colonia del Sacramento makes a good day-trip from Buenos Aires.
My company offers “work from anywhere for 4 weeks every year” as a perk. Inspired by my son’s lavish praise of Argentina after his recent trip and as an escape from the winter weeks in CaliforniaI, I used this perk to visit Argentina.
Established in 1536, Argentina is the 8th largest country in the world by total area. It covers about 2.78 million square kilometers, making it the second-largest in South America after Brazil. Among the many countries I have visited, Argentina is not an easy destination in terms of the effort taken to plan a trip there. These 6 weeks in Argentina make for the longest trip away from home.
It has been my very first time visiting South America. America with two continents of South America and North America, is a vast piece of land. The map may have disguised that it was a short distance down from North to South America. It took us two 7 hours plus flights to fly from San Francisco to Buenos Aires via Panama City. For travellers in Asia, it takes over a day or over 40+ hours from Asia to get to Buenos Aires, making it pretty prohibitive except for the very determined. Staying in Argentina for almost six weeks, we stood out with our lack of Spanish speaking ability, our Chinese appearances, we were recognized by airlines staff – we lost a piece of our luggages in the domestic flight from Buenos Aires to Iguazu, the airline staff helping us to track our luggage recognized us a few days later when we checked in at the airport for another flight.
Currency is another discovery. Argentine Peso is among the very few currencies I cannot order from the US banks. Why? The guess is that some form of currency control is in place, to control the inflation whose monthly inflation dwarfs the annual US inflation rate that our Fed has worked very hard to keep within 2 % annual rate. Argentina’s monthly inflation can be 3% or higher month over month. The way to get some Argentina Peso is to go through currency exchange shops or to go through West Union Bank. The exchange rates vary. Having some Argentine Pesos is useful as some local shops can give discounts if paid in cash or ask for surcharge if paid in credit card. For the same token that one cannot get Argentine Peso outside of Argentina, there is little reason to keep the Argentina Peso outside of the country. With such a vast piece of land, and the population seemingly working hard, and there are no major wars for the country, what causes the economy in such a dire state is not something I can understand in our weeks of stay. For those who have watched the movie “Evita” or love the song “Don’t cry for me Argentina”, there maybe something to do with the Peronism, the Argentinian movement, centered on social justice, economic independence, and political sovereignty, advocating for pro-labor policies, state intervention in the economy, and national autonomy. After close to eight decades, that ideal seems to be just as far away. In spite of this, we still see the remembrance of Evita Peron quite often, and the cemetery of Evita Peron remains the most visited in the famous Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires. The current government tilts towards US-style capitalism more, leaving some claim that there is only rich and poor in the country, and there is no more middle class. Whether the labor-friendly Peronism or the current radical “shock therapy” program aimed at dismantling Argentina’s interventionist economic model, the country has substantial economic challenges.
The cost of living is not particularly cheap. It is possible to spend 2 to 4 USD for a comfort food meal. The coffee shop is 20% to 30% cheaper than that of the US. The steakhouse, serving very good steak, can be 30% to 50% cheaper. The Don Julio restaurant, #1 in Latin America with Michelin star, is also cheaper than the US fine dining. It still feels like a challenging country for the locals to live in with the relative income and the high inflation. We do not however observe unhappiness. In fact, Argentina’s happiness ranking places it well in South America, with recent data ranking around 42nd globally, not bad for the economic challenges the country is in. There was an election during our stay, the citizens still support the current radical reform. (We also learned that during election day, the restaurants cannot sell alcohol).
Argentina is part of Latin America in terms of culture (note that Latin America is not a continent) and geographically part of America. Culture wise, it is very different from North America English speaking culture. Even in Buenos Aires, the capital, it is common to get a clear “No” response when asking ¿hablas inglés? (Do you speak English?). The place with the best spoken English is the airport and the staff doing the check-in. And for the few lucky chances we run into someone who speaks English well, it comes across that these few are gifted in languages. It is clear to us, living in this part of the world, speaking Spanish is more than sufficient.
Google Translate and Google Lens are amazing innovations for travellers like us. I must admit that using a translator all the time takes effort in every conversation and shopping, not to mention when the technology can decide to stop working when you need it. I feel like becoming mute in expressing beyond basic needs. There was one time that we wanted to tell the Uber driver that he was on the wrong route and it was just hard to communicate without him getting off the highway and stopping on the roadside after quite some effort. Even with more technology, the ability to communicate naturally with each other remains an important part of human-to-human connections. I have learned some Spanish, probably enough to figure out roughly what is on the menu. It becomes obvious an extensive immersive experience, way beyond 6 weeks, is necessary to acquire a foreign language.
We visited Buenos Aires, Iguazu Falls, El Calafate, El Chaten and Bariloche in Argentina; one day on the Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay, one day on the Brazilian side of the gigantic Iguazu falls. These cities/towns are very different from one another. Still the Parrillo/Asado (BBQ meat) together with Spanish cuisines like choripan, empanada, alfajor and Italian cuisines like pizza, pasta, gelato are found everywhere. Argentina is a place for meat lovers and dessert lovers. Of course, it is a country of soccer lovers too where Messi and Maradona have been immortalized with countless murals in every city.
Argentine immortals: Diego Maradona, Eva Perón (Evita), Che Guevara, Mafalda, Carlos Gardel, Pope Francis, Lionel Messi
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