Iguazu Falls via Buenos Aires

Iguazu is one of the world’s great wonders. One of the easiest ways to visit Iguazu Falls is via Buenos Aires. That’s exactly what we did; we first visited beautiful Buenos Aires, and THEN the falls. Traveling throughout the world, one soon discovers many beautiful cities, and Buenos Aires certainly did not disappoint. In fact, it is one of the most beautiful we’ve seen! Modern, colorful, and alive are great adjectives to describe this world class city. Before we focus on Iguazu Falls via Buenos Aires, then, let’s take a quick look at this gorgeous South American city.

Beautiful Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is hands down one of the most beautiful cities in South America, if not the entire world. In fact, some directories list this 15 million population city in the world’s top 25 cities’ others list it in the world’s top 50. Regardless of directory listing, we thoroughly rejoined our brief visit there. We would happily visit again.

Not only, did we enjoy the city, but we did our best to maximize our brief time there. Buenos Aires is modern and bustling, lively and colorful. We relished a full day’s drive around the city, experiencing all the sights and sounds of a modern city. The weather was ideal as it is most of the year. We visited four unique and different areas of the city: The Recoleta Cemetery, the “Pink House” Square, the La Boca District, and attended one of the world-famous tango dances at the Astor Piazzola Theatre.

Recoleta Cemetery & the “Pink House” Square

It may seem odd to list a cemetery as a city highlight, but Buenos Aires’ world famous Recoleta Cemetery is not to be omitted from any first-time visit. Recoleta is a unique above ground cemetery. Since 1822, it is considered one of the world’s most unique cemeteries, and it will literally turn you on your heals. This cemetery is packed with elaborately carved pillars etched with scroll elaborate work. In and of itself, Recoleta Cemetery is a walking tour of Argentina’s by gone elite. Many of the grave sites are down-right weird, and yet many famous Argentinians choose to be buried here–including Eva Peron.

The “Pink House” or Casa Rosada in Spanish is Argentina’s government house and an answer to the US White House. It set in the middle of a bustling traffic and pedestrian square and proudly flies the Argentinian flag when the president is in residence. It’s elegant, colorful, and impressive to say the very least.

La Boca District & Tango Dancing

Buenos Aires’ La Boca District is one of the most colorful and unique urban areas in South America. Situated near the La Bombonera Football (soccer) Stadium, this region is visited yearly by millions of locals and visitors alike. Consistently, it is a popular meeting place for artists, street entertainers, tourists, and soccer fans. The haphazard collection of colorful buildings is one of Buenos Aires’ most visited areas.

After visiting La Boca District and being thoroughly mesmerized by it all, we experienced a completely different Argentine venue–tango Dancing. At the Astor Piazzola Theatre we enjoyed a gorgeous tango dance demonstration accompanied by a delicious dinner. It was a treat to remember for the rest of our days. This famous theatre is named for world famous tango dancer. Astor Piazzola personally introduced tango dancing to New York and then re-introduced it to his home country, Argentina. If you have time when you visit Buenos Aires, I highly recommend this entire experience–both dance and dinner.

Iguazu Falls

As much as we enjoyed beautiful Buenos Aires, it was Iguazu Falls that we traveled so far to see. On three separate occasions we visited Africa’s magnificent Africa’s Victoria Falls. Numerous times we visited Niagara Falls that divides the USA and Canada. All three of these falls are lifetime dreams for hundreds, and we are privileged to see them all. Niagara is tremendous, but both Victoria Falls and Iguazu Falls make it seem small.

Getting to Iguazu Falls from Buenos Aires

Cruise ships offer wonderful day trips to the Falls from the Buenos Aires port. Luxurious tour companies provide magnificent tours as well. If one of these options is within your budget, go for it. But, if you are like us and find these too expensive for your budget, here is how we did it independently. We realized that this could be accomplished in one day, although many people extend their stay a day or two. We decided to organize our own tour to what some call the 7th Wonder of the Modern World.

To begin with, we made plane reservations from Buenos Aires to the falls area; that was easy and quite reasonable. Once we arrived at the falls, we rented a taxi for a ride to the falls. At the falls gate, we paid a small entrance fee, and that was it. After we spent the day at Iguazu Falls and got a bite to eat, we took a taxi back to the airport and flew back to Buenos Aires. We were on the very same plane as tourists from the ships as well as the luxurious tour companies. All together, we literally saved HUNDREDS of dollars from their prices, and we were certainly rewarded for our meager efforts! It can be done, and we did it.

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What to Expect at the Falls

As mentioned earlier, once we arrived at the falls, we paid a reasonable entrance fee and began an awesome experience. Immediately, we noticed a similarity to Victoria Falls. Like Africa’s famous falls, there is constant mist in the air that is visible from great distances. It would be difficult to miss the falls with giant clouds of mist as a natural guide. An extended walkway stretches over and around the falls; it’s a short distance from the entrance to a small train that takes you there. Views from this walkway are spectacular. It is also possible to purchase flights over the falls, but the walkways are extended and expansive. It’s possible to see a great deal from them if you can endure the stifling heat and humidity. We will always remember and relish our memories of this one special day.

A Surprise at Iguazu Falls

We traveled thousands of miles to see Iguazu Falls, and yet there was a surprise we never anticipated. Iguazu Falls has its share of exotic birds and foliage that are all visible throughout the park. In Africa, we met animals we never heard of in the USA, such as the kudu and the gemsbok.

At Iguazu Falls we met the coati, and we met DOZENS of them. The scientific name of these small raccoon looking mammals is coatimundis, but they are generally called coati. Coatis are native to S. America, Mexico, and parts of SW United States, but we had never seen them before. These little animals literally swarmed over the falls’ walkways and became continual entertainment to tourists–including us. You will not miss them when you visit the falls