Spectacular Falls
Written: May 19 '00 (Updated Sep 26 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Incredible scenery .....
Cons: keep a firm grip on kids
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| sblaydes's Full Review: Iguazú Falls |
Review Topic: Sights & Attractions
Note: This review is written from a Mother's point of view .... Therefore, I mention several times throughout the review the importance of safety. This does, by no means, take from the beauty these Falls have to offer.
The Falls of Foz Do Iguacu are a spectacular sight and a breath taking reminder of the beauty that surrounds us. I believe that The Falls of Foz Do Iguacu are considered to be one of the natural seven wonders of the world. If they are not, in my eyes, they should be.
We had the opportunity to visit them last April (1999). At the time, we were living in Sao Paulo, Brazil. My husbands company had transferred us from Chicago to Brazil in October 1996. (We returned back to the United States just this past July.) My parents were coming to visit and I wanted to take them somewhere EXCITING and somewhere where I felt safe enough to go with my two children (without my husband who was traveling at the time.) After listening to many of my friends who had been to Igaucu .... I felt that it was the perfect place to take them. And ... since I had really been wanting to go myself, I felt this was the perfect time.
I personally have never seen anything quite as beautiful. I was quite in awe of the splendor of natural beauty. There are a few ways to take in these incredible sites. Here is what we did ....
I was fortunate to have a Brazilian friend who not only was fluent in English (thank goodness for me!) she was also a travel agent (another plus for me!). So ... prior to our departure she had every detail set up for us, which, I would highly recommend. We flew directly from the airport in Sao Paulo to the airport at Foz Do Iguacu.
Once we arrived at the airport we were greeted by a friendly gentleman who worked for our hotel and quickly swept us away for our get-away weekend. And yes .... he too was fluent in English! :)
We stayed at the Hotel Tropical Das Cataratas which is on the Brazilian side of the falls. It is the only hotel on the Brazilian side of the falls and when you walk out of the front entrance of this hotel, the sight is breathtaking. The Hotel Tropical Das Cataratas is a charming hotel that has rooms in many ranges. We went the economical route so our room was nothing exciting ... but clean. I would suggest to others to upgrade your rooms, especially if you prefer a five star hotel. Located right outside the main entrance of the hotel is a local tour guide facility where you can book various different ways to take advantage of your time spent in Iguacu. We found them to be very helpful, and ... they took an American credit card for payment. This is something important to look for because when we went, the exchange rate for money was almost two to one, to our advantage!
After checking in we went and took a tour of a portion of the Iguacu National Park. On the beginning of this tour we stopped every so often to look at the different foliage, animals, etc. that were spotted and given details. Did you know that when you take the artichoke off of the tree the tree then dies? I had not heard that before! There is also a walking tour through the woods that allows you to see smaller falls and the lush rain forests. This then eventually brought us to a boat tour of the lower Falls. This would be the portion of our trip where we had the possibility (a very good one at that!) of getting wet! Make a note .... bring your rain gear. We boarded a large rubber boat with two hefty size motors on it and set off for our adventure UP the river ... towards the Falls. It was a great ride although I was a bit nervous about my younger daughter. I kept a firm grip on her the entire time we were in the boat due to the currents in the river. Fortunately for me, my dad had a firm grip on my son too!
Once back at the hotel, my father decided to splurge and take the 10 minute helicopter trip that takes you directly over the Falls. (I say the word splurge because it was $50.00 for the 10 minute ride. This was located on the Brazilian side of the Falls in front of the hotel.) Did he regret it? NO! Did my mother and I regret it? Probably!! He said that it was the most spectacular sights he had ever seen. And ... viewing the pictures that he shot ... it was spectacular.
We then freshened up for our buffet dinner in the hotel and got an early night so that we would be refreshed for the next day .....
The next morning we went on tour that took us over to the Falls on the Argentina side. They had recently renovated their walkways on the lower Falls and they were wonderful! (Being a mother I very MUCH prefer walkways with railings and fencing in between the railings!) The Upper Falls had the older walkways (like on the Brazilian side) with what I would call ... not much of a railing, at all. A bit too scary for this mom! We were allowed to take an independent walking tour of these Falls and had several hours to complete this before hopping on the bus for our next stop. While on this walking tour you come up close and personal with a few of these falls. It is AMAZING the POWER these falls create ... Not only in strength ... but in beauty.
Back on the bus again and off we headed towards ... the Devil's Throat. I must be quite honest, this was the least favorite part of my trip. Once again, this is due to the fact I had two small children with me whom I cherish .... and didn't want to see take and unexpected plunge into the Iguacu river. :) We took a small wooden boat (with a very small motor - once you notice when you are out in the water) out to the walkway which has been broken from land for some time. Once we docked to the walkway we all disembarked and walked to the viewing area of Devil's Throat. This walkway can be a bit unnerving (especially when one is afraid of heights) because you are walking over rushing water on a bridge that the concrete blocks are taken out of everyday due to flooding which will cause damage once again to the bridge. Once you get to the viewing site of the Devils Throat... it is an AWESOME sight. I've NEVER in my life seen so much WATER!! Since I have seen this sight I must be honest in saying that I would not do this portion of the tour again. Perhaps it was the death grip on my children that has turned me off. Or perhaps the fact that I am afraid of heights and I had to be brave at that point with my children, and ... I didn't want to be! :) But the pictures we have .... are incredible.
We then once again hopped onto the bus and headed to Itaipu. Itaipu happens to be the largest hydroelectric power plant in the world. We took a tour of this facility and I must say that my son and father really enjoyed it!
Once we arrived back at the hotel for the evening the children and I settled down to a quick dinner and then relaxed for the evening. My parent's opted to be "tourists" for the evening and went out for a dinner and live entertainment. Which, is a story in itself, that hopefully one day I can get my mother to write about. :)
The next morning we walked the Brazilian side of the Falls and then went into town (just a short jaunt) to a bird park by the name of Parque Das Aves. Upon entering this bird park I thought to myself that it really wasn't going to be anything that spectacular. The children and I had already been to a few great bird parks in the Sao Paulo area. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised and very glad that we did not miss this. Not only did they have birds, but they had a butterfly garden and many other different types of animals. I have pictures of us standing right next to a toucan. This thrilled my father who has always had a strong attraction to birds. And if we didn't have a plane to catch ... he would have stood in this bird sanctuary for hours. The birds found in Brazil are just beautiful.
After the park we headed back to the airport with MANY WONDERFUL memories of our time in Foz Do Iguacu. I have captured these moments on video and with photographs with hopes that my children will always recall this adventure we went on ...
So .... whether you are single, married or a family ..... there is much to do and see in this tropical setting. Come view their spectacular falls ......
Hotel Tropical Das Cataratas
Pq. Nacional Do Iguacu S/N - 85863-000
Foz Do Iguacu, PR, Brasil
tel. (045) 523-2266
e-mail dpictr@tropicalhotel.com.br
Recommended:
Yes
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