Impressive Iguazu!

Iguazu Falls is widely acknowledged as one of the great waterfalls in the world, on a par (both in size and in strength) with Victoria Falls in Africa, and even larger than Niagara Falls in New York. Set in the midst of the rain forest at the juncture of Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina, this small area is one of the largest attractions in Argentina.

Served many times each day from Buenos Aires by air, it's easy to get to, and well worth the time and cost to see. From speaking with many Argentinians in the planning of this trip, I have to recommend LAN Argentina as the airline of choice for service and reliability in scheduling. I was pretty pleased with the 1:40 long flights, including check-in and baggage handling both to and from the park. They use newer A320 aircraft. While the seat pitch is a bit cramped, it's not bad. And you can pretty well trust their schedule. Unlike some of their other local competitors.

Since our plans were changed for us by United Airlines, and we arrived much later in the day than we'd originally booked, we were really only able to take advantage of the Park (It's a National Park in Argentina) for a single day. Because of this, and because of the heat and humidity, our itinerary got shortened a bit. We were able to get out to the scenic Devil's Throat (set in the middle of several of the largest falls) and view the Upper Circuit Trail. The lower circuit, and the zodiac ride into (yes, I said into, not near) some of the falls, had to be postponed to another trip at another time. Unless you have no other choice, and simply must do it in a single day, and are used to heat in the 90s with upwards of 70% humidity, I recommend a minimum of 2 days (1 night minimum) to appreciate just the Argentine side of the Falls. You can also opt, with proper Visa, to go over to the Brazilian side for even more vistas, though that's pretty much a full-day trip. Good to do on your last day if you're there a couple nights and then be dropped back at the airport (either on the Brazilian side or the Argentinian airport - you can enter or depart from either one - but they are separate, so be aware of that when you're booking - if you're flying back to Buenos Aires, book the Argentinian airport. Going to Rio? Head to the Brazilian.

The scope of these falls are breathtaking. Even with a super wide angle lens (for you photogs out there, I was shooting mostly at 10mm), only a tiny fraction of the vista can be taken in at a time. The Falls seem to go on and on and on - and I know I only saw part of it. There are several different "sets" of Falls, each viewable from different areas. Devil's Throat is accessed by a small train which runs every 30 minutes, then by a 400 meter metal walkway/bridge to the "Throat." Then there's the 1 mile long Upper Circuit (which is at about the same perspective as the Devil's Throat - to say at the top of the Falls looking down) and the longer Lower Circuit, which has many stairs, is 2 miles long but gives you the view from the bottoms looking up. Also offered and highly recommended by all who have taken it is a zodiac ride accessed from the Lower Circuit which takes you up close and personal (and completely drenched) to and through some of the Falls.

I mentioned the view from the Sheraton. These photos were taken from my balcony. I could have given you more of the "mind's eye" view - what your mind focuses on and "sees", which would have had the Falls appearing much closer and larger, but instead opted to give you the full wide-angle vista. First shot is about an hour before sunset, the second nearing dawn:

The remainder of these photos were taken at Devil's Throat. First up, this is the first view most see as you get to the Throat and the scenic overlook:

Next you have panned just slightly to the right to see some of the vertical distance. Of course, because of the mist (I was more than damp by the time I left this overlook), you can't see that far down, but the mist will give you an idea of the power and drop of these falls):

I also wanted to try to give you the widest angle possible from the Throat, but this is less than 25% of what you can see from this one single location (because of the light and angles, not to mention the people and other logistical issues, stitching together a true panorama wasn't possible from here) The Falls just go on and on and on:

Finally, probably my favorite picture, taken at the far end of the "circle" of the overlook:

On the way out from the railroad to Devil's Throat, be sure to watch the water for critters - lots of birds, such as cormorants, and even this hungry resident:

A couple of final logistical matters to mention. This is, of course, the hottest time of the year in S. America, it being their summer. In talking with our driver, however, January is more comfortable than February for this region. So if that matters to you, and heat and humidity aren't your friends, think of cruises nearing the beginning of the season down here. Pre or post cruise either are fine, but doing this pre-cruise, you do get a bit tired with all the flying, packing and moving. If you'd rather do that at the start of the cruise when you're fresh then have all the lovely sea days on a S. American itinerary to recover, then do it pre. If you don't fly well and get hit with jet lag even when there are relatively few changes in time zones, then I'd recommend this be a post-cruise option.

Also, if trying to do this with just a single night's stay, do be aware the Sheraton Iguazu has some pretty strict check-out requirements for 10A. Most people arrive relatively early in the day, and they do try to accommodate new arrivals (to the detriment of those leaving in my opinion). They do allow for storage of your luggage and showers in the spa, but you'll pretty much need to check out just after breakfast before entering the park around 8A (when it opens) so take that into consideration in your logistical planning. Thankfully, new friends we met in the Buenos Aires airport on the flight up kindly offered us the use of their room (they were staying two nights) so we could shower off the bug spray, sunscreen and exertion after we did our touring around the Park.

Regardless of when in your itinerary you position it, when planning your trip to South America, I'd absolutely give Iguazu Falls one of my highest ratings. Plan the time and budget to go see it. You'll be glad you did! I can't wait to go back!