Today was probably the highlight of our entire trip, a visit to Salto Arrechea (Arrechea falls)! The day started off with us taking a taxi into the national park again, around 8am. We were able to get a 50% discount on our tickets. We first headed to the Macuco trail, for which we did not need to take the train. The trail started from behind the first train station near the entrance.
The trail was about 3 miles long, and flat 90% of the way. The last 10 minutes or so were a set of steps that climbed down to the base of the falls. The last 3 minutes were more like rocks. We took Baby V in her stroller on the flat path, and when we hit the steps, we left the stroller there, and continued with her in her Beco Baby Carrier.
Compared to the rest of Iguazu falls, the Arrechea falls seems more like a trickle. But the attraction here isn’t in seeing the falls itself, it is to get underneath it!
This is the one place in Iguazu where you can swim under the falls. Once again, we took turns with Baby V, and made our way under the showers. Given the hot weather, the cool and forceful water was welcoming.
We must have spent at least 2 hours here. Since we had reservations for the eco boat ride, we had to move on. We had gotten change of clothes in our backpack, but there are no changing rooms (or any facilities for that matter) near these falls. But, there was also no one else around, so we changed into dry clothes, and walked back to the train station. The walk one way takes around 1.5 hours. If you’re in decent shape, and have a day in Iguazu, I would highly recommend this activity!
After reaching the train station near the Entrance, we took the train to the last stop – Devil’s throat falls. While we were waiting for the train, we spotted a family of coatis.
After reaching the Devil’s throat station, we enquired on the last time the jungle eco-boat leaves, and found out that we still had an hour. So, we decided to check out the Devil’s throat falls. It was a 20-minute walk on the elevated walkways.
Devil’s throat is like Niagara falls, and you get to stand very close to the falls. We were completely drenched, and could barely keep our eyes open with all the mist to see the spectacular falls.
I’m glad we had a chance to check this part of Iguazu out. After walking back to the head of the trail, we grabbed some veggie empanadas at the store. They were yummy! Finally, we were ready to set out on the Jungle boat tour.
The boat ride was over calm waters in the Iguazu river, and suitable for all ages (they do provide a life jacket). It was a 30 minute boat ride. During the ride, we spotted several birds, including toucans, and ducks, and some turtles as well.
The boat dropped us off 30 minutes away from the next train station, so we had to walk to catch the train. As we were walking, we saw the train pass by, and he waved to us saying this was the last train back! Of course, he could have stopped and picked us up, but he continued on. So, we had to make a mad dash to the train station to catch the last train to the entrance! We sprinted for around 15 minutes, and made it to the train waiting for us at the station, huffing and puffing. We were then told that the driver was joking, and there was another train after this…I must not get Argentinian humor!
After getting back to the entrance, our taxi was waiting for us. We visited the grocery store again to stock up on some items, and Baby V found some toys to play with.
Tomorrow, we head to the Bariloche, the gate to Argentinian Patagonia!
