Brazilian Side of Iguazu – the better side

Iguazu Falls is a large waterfall located at the North Eastern corner of Argentina and South Western corner of Brazil. Each country has their own attraction for the falls. My boyfriend and I thought the Brazilian side was better than the Argentina side. We also snuck into Brazil without getting a visa, which made me feel pretty cool.

As a part of traveling with loose plans, you learn of what to do and what not to do from other travelers. When I asked how to best see Igauçu, my fellow traveling buddies told me I should definitely do both sides. Nearly a month later, I was sad to realize since I am an American I needed a $160 visa to go to Brazil.

Did that stop my boyfriend from trying? Of course not! If I were traveling alone still I can assure you I probably would have given up. Thanks to my adventurous boyfriend, we learned some taxis may be willing to take you across the border from Argentina to Brazil.

This is exactly what happened.

Day 1 in Puerto de Igauzu, Argentina: On our way to the Argentina falls, we stopped by the taxi stop near our hostel to inquire of prices. The 300 Argentina Peso taxi fare was the equivalent of each of us paying the 150 bus fare. Our taxi man, Tio Tony (Uncle Tony), was amazing. He offered to come back and pick us up later that day and was waiting for us when we exited the park. On the way home from the falls in Argentina, he asked if we were going to the Brazil side.

We told him we wanted to, but didn’t have visas. He said “tranquillo”, which means calm, and told us he would take us the following day. We were in luck! We found our taxi man!

Day 2 in Foz de Igauzu, Brazil: Toni the taxi man picked us up early in the morning. He drove through the locals section instead of the tourist section of the brazil border patrol, effectively sneaking us into Brazil. We first set off to Parque de Aves, which is a bird park near the Brazilian side of the falls (cataracas en español). We enjoyed seeing the flamingos, toucans, and lots of Brittanys.

After the bird park, Toni took us into town to see two of my friends from my Machu Picchu Inka Jungle Trail trek. We learned speaking Portuguese is very different from Spanish & English. We spoke well enough to order our juice (Pineapple Lemon Grass for me & Mango Mint for my boyfriend) and eventually pay in Argentina pesos with the help of some other customers who spoke Spanish & English. No photos 🙁

Then, off to the Brazil side of the falls! On this side you take a bus ride to a trail head that leads you to the falls. I regretted my decision to sit on the top since it was quite windy. After getting off the bus my regrets washed away as we were left speechless.

You can see the entire falls from this trail head. It was spectacular. This was really something.

From the Brazil side, you are able to walk out to the falls and then climb up a structure next to them.

We didn’t learn our lesson from Day 1 and still only brought 1 rain jacket. So Justin, my boyfriend, got drenched once again as I took some cover with the help of his jacket.

The saddest part of the day was when we had poor judgement and tried to fly the drone on top of the falls. As we saw the wind sweep it away into the trees, we figured that may have been the last drone flight for us.

I said my prayer to Saint Anthony, the patron saint of lost items, and kept hope we would find it. Again, learning that speaking Porteguese is very different from Spanish as we followed a tour guide away from where the drone landed.

As we walked up to the elevator entrance, we finally understood what he was saying. They had the drone!! The camera broke and it will be out of commission for some time, but we are extremely happy to have it back. (Update 7/12/17 – Drone store in Santiago fixed it!)

Brazil side of the falls is a must see. If you are American and don’t plan on getting a visa, go ahead and try to find Tio Tony in Puerto Igauzu. We thought this side is able to take your breath away.