Iguassu Falls on our own

[BCHappyGal]

There is a helicopter tour - fly over of the falls but only fromt he Brazilian side.

 

I thought a guide was not needed but for the small amount of money we were charged I went with the guide services. I am glad we did. It is very hot there and our guide knew which trails had shade and which did not so took us on walks accordingly based on the time of day & heat.

 

Our guide said he could have taken us to the Brazilian side without the visas if we had had the time. Unfortunately we did not have enough time in Iguazu as we could only spend 1 night there.

 

Plus our guide met us at the airport and had a van waiting to transfer us to our hotel and helped us check in. the next day our guide managed to get late checkout for those of us that waited for our guide to arrive and arrange the late checkout witht he desk. One couple in our party thought they could do it themselves and went to the front desk before our guide arrived to ask for late checkout and instead got checked out immeidately. Thus all their luggage got transferred to our room and they did not have the opportunity to freshen up before the flight out of Iguazu as the rest of us did.

 

Ann

[freddie]

When we visited Iguassu, we were very happy that we saw the falls from the various perspectives: the trails on the Argentine side, the trails on the Brazilian side, the view from the air via helicopter, and the Zodiac trip to the base of the falls. We stayed at the International on the Argentine side and used a private guide to see the Brazil side. Although the helicopter ride is rather expensive and only about ten minutes, it is well worth it. One cannot imagine the enormity of the river except for seeing it from the air. Helicopter rides, whether in Hawaii, Alaska, or Iguassu, are expensive; but we have never regretted taking one, particularly the ride at Iguassu, which is a major part of our memories of that spectacular place. Similarly, one gets a wonderful sense of the power of the falls when running to the base of them in the Zodiac (warning here - protect your cameras well from water - we were not sufficiently warned about how wet it would be and lost the use of one of our cameras due to the splashing). Another fun thing to do if you have a guide and are exploring the Brazil side is to have lunch at a churrascaria, the fabulous Brazilian grill where many, many cuts of meat and fowl are brought to the table on long skewers (actually, more like swords). Great fun for the gluttonous carnivores among us, indeed. We spend three days and two nights at Iguassu and could have comfortably used one more night; but we still managed to see a great deal and enjoy one of the most remarkable sites we've visited. We flew to Iguassu from BA and returned to BA for several days of tango bars and parilladas (more grilled beef) before returning to the US. In summary, spring for the expense of visiting both sides of the falls and for the helicopter. You won't regret either. After all, most of us will not be making regular trips to Iguassu and must make the most of our limited time there. Cheers, Fred