This town is geared for people going to the falls. It was a 10$ bus ride from town. Buses making the 20km trip leave every half hour and even in this 'low season', they're still full. While getting on the bus I was reminded how differently cultures view queuing etiquette! Some people are just so inconsiderate.
The entry fee into the national park was 130$ and it's obvious they're spending their money wisely. The infrastructure in the park is excellent. There's a little train to get you take you to the two key trail heads. These trails are on elevated platforms to keep the ground from eroding and likely to keep people from straying too far off the path.
The Argentinian side probably has ~10km worth of paths taking you to various lookouts. I went to the furthest ones first, including Isla San Martín, and then worked my way back. While I couldn't set foot in it, I could easily see the Brazilian side from Isla San Martín. Here it is on the left looking downstream and Argentina's on the right.
Julia and Henriette had been the day before and tipped me off to save the Garganta Del Diablo until last. Right they were. If I had done it in reverse, all the other, lesser falls would have failed to impress. The water levels are low so some were even dried up. As it was, the Wow-Factor grew all day.
From this...
The surroundings in the national park were amazing. I was glad to be away from a concrete jungle. One of the best ways to enjoy it was to hang back a little and go between waves of groups. Otherwise it was just chaos and unenjoyable. While I was on my own I could take the pictures I wanted to, listen to the birds and the falls and soak it all in.
Lord help me!
The calm before the storm...flat waters (R) and the edge of an 82m drop (L)...
The other highlight of the visit was the Garganta Del Diablo. I couldn't tear myself away from it. There was no peace and quiet there, the roar was deafening. You couldn't even hear the helicopters overhead. I just stared at the water for ages appreciating more of Mother Nature's artwork and power. Another reason I lingered so long was that the spray from the falls was a welcome relief from the heat of the sun.
It was a full day out in the park and I got back late. I had enough time to sneak in another couple of chapters of "The Hunger Games" (I can't seem to get enough, it's so good!) and hop in the shower before dinner with the girls at their hostel for round 2 of our steaks. They're off to BA tomorrow so this was our last visit. Julia's back to work on Monday, poor thing, and Henriette gets to play for another couple of months in Bolivia and Peru.
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