First published by The Journal Gazette
There are two kinds of walking waterfalls tours: Those where you get wet and those where you get drenched.
During a trip to Argentina, I went on an unforgettable walking tour of the enormous Iguazu Falls located in Iguazu National Park, and I was drenched by the time I finished. Iguazu Falls is located on the northeastern tip of the country with a fraction of the falls located in Brazil. The waterfalls are nearly three times as wide and nearly twice as tall as Niagara Falls.
Iguazu National Park is divided into three parts: the upper level, the lower level and the Devil’s Throat. In the morning, many tourists dash to Devil’s Throat as soon as they enter the park. This creates long lines of people waiting for the trains and even longer lines to get onto the lengthy industrial catwalk to Devil’s Throat. But a tour guide, Marcela, recommends avoiding the crowds by finishing the park visit at Devil’s Throat and starting at the upper level. So that’s what we did.
I’m on the upper level and I step off a red concrete walkway onto the catwalk. It feels more like a nature walk. I can hear running water but can’t see any – I’m in the middle of a forest. Marcela is excited because she sees a Muscovy duck with a white bill. I nonchalantly walk farther on. At this point, I start to question whether this tour is an overrated tourist attraction. Suddenly I see a sign that causes pause. It’s a warning to visitors to not feed the monkeys. It shows a hand with two deep puncture wounds with visible teeth marks.
I continue to walk and step onto the Salto Chico lookout area. From here I can see several waterfalls in the distance, and I am intrigued. I walk to many more lookout areas, each offering an even better view. Now I’m excited.
I walk down concrete steps and back onto a catwalk. Marcela warns me that crocodiles lurk in the rivers, but I didn’t see any. I approach a food and beverage stand where there are picnic tables under green metal pavilions. There are monkeys jumping from trees to the pavilion’s roof and climbing down. Some tourists ignore the warnings and feed the monkeys.
I walk under the sign that reads “Paseo Inferior” (lower walk). I make my way down more metal stairs. In the distance I can see the lower part of the waterfalls. I see mist, hear the roar and feel the vibration created from the pouring water pounding the pool of water. I put on a blue rain Poncho because of the mist in the air. The walkway passes several smaller waterfalls.
Marcela pauses to show me an La Urraca Comun (pica pica), a bird with a black and white body, blue tail and beautiful yellow eyes. But I’m ready for the grand finale.
The miniature train to Devil’s Throat is half full. I exit the train and walk under the sign that reads “Garganta del Diablo” (The Devil’s Throat). I follow a line of people on a catwalk wearing various types of rain gear, some carrying umbrellas. The people that walk opposite us are drenched as they return from the falls.
I approach the all-powerful and breathtaking Devil’s Throat. There is thick mist. It’s raining. It’s windy. The wind throws water from the river. I hear the loud rush of water. I feel the pins-and-needles sensation on my face and it’s hard for me to keep my eyes open. Uncomfortable cold water quickly finds my Poncho’s design flaw as water moves under my collar gap and down my neck. At the edge of the catwalk, I am now next to the almighty Devil’s Throat.
My tour of Iguazu National Park is complete, but Marcela wants to show me the Triple Frontier. I sit wet in the back of a car, and we head toward Puerto Iguazu, the Argentina border city. It’s a triborder area where Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay meet.
There, I stand and look out at the water where the Iguazu and Parana rivers come together. To the left on the other side of the river I see Paraguay’s flag. To the right I see Brazil’s flag. I look up and I’m standing under Argentina’s flag.
The Triple Frontier is often overlooked by tourists because the area’s main attraction is the all-day tour of the falls which leaves almost no time for a daytime one-hour tour of the Triple Frontier. But some of the locals like that the crowds stay in Iguazu National Park and don’t cause traffic jams in tiny downtown Puerto Iguazu.