Buenos Aires and Iguazu Falls

After bussing and boating well over 4000 kms south through Chile and Argentina we decided to splurge and fly back up north. First we took a rough zodiac ride across the Beagle Channel to Ushuaia, Argentina. From there we caught a flight to Buenos Aires via Trelew for a few days, then on to one of the most astounding places we have ever seen - Iguazu Falls.

We always try to avoid large cities or at least get through as quickly as possible, but everyone we talked to told us that Buenos Aires (known as BA) was worth a visit. We had to pass through on our way to Iguazu Falls, so we decided to stay for a bit and decide for ourselves.

Since we only had three days, we tried to fit all the "must do" BA activities into our short visit. We stayed in the historic San Telmo area of BA with its colonial architecture and narrow, cobblestone streets. We wandered along Avenida 9 de Julio - the widest street in the world at fourteen lanes, plus two parallel streets of two lanes each for a grand total of eighteen lanes. We even managed to cross it twice, although it took us two green lights to make it all the way across. 

Commemorating the 400th anniversary of the founding
of Buenos Aires in 1936, the Obelisco de Buenos Aires
is in the middle of Avenida 9 de Julio.

We ate giant and delicious steaks at El Desnivel, a long time BA parrilla (steakhouse), and walked along the canals between downtown BA and Puerto Madero.

One of many classic Buenos Aires parrillas.

The highlight of our visit was probably the tango show. I must admit that Cyd almost had to drag me out to it. I relented because it seemed like visiting Buenos Aires and not going to a tango show would be wrong. What a fun time! The music was great, the costumes were stunning, and the dancing was even hotter than the weather. It was almost enough to make me take up dancing!

Our final visit before flying to Iguazu was to the cemetery. Not every city has a cemetery at the top of its list of tourist attractions, but BA is one of them. The Cemetario de la Recoleta covers 14 acres and holds the remains of over 4500 of the rich, famous, and infamous members of Argentinian society including Presidents, war heroes, and business leaders. We only had an hour to spare, but you could easily spend a half day or more there. The top attraction is the grave of Evita Peron. Down a narrow walkway, the site is still decorated with fresh flowers most days and we had to wait our turn to view it.

Tourists enjoying the cemetery.

One of the many spectacular
monuments at the cemetery.

A short flight north is Puerto Iguazu and Iguazu falls. They're located in the steamy jungle on the border between Argentina and Brazil, with Paraguay only a few kilometres away. 

The Argentinian side of the falls that we visited has many trails, boardwalks, and viewing platforms that allow great views of the many cascades. In several spots, the viewing platforms are at edge of the drops, or are situated just below them, so getting wet from mist and spray is part of the experience. With temperatures about 35 C and very high humidity, the cooling water was welcome.

One of the smaller drops along the trail.

While the numbers alone don't do them justice, they're impressive all the same. The falls have an average flow of 62,010 cubic feet/second. Many islands and the jungle divide them into 275 separate drops across their 8850' width, the highest of which is 269 feet high.

A panorama still only captures a small part of
Iguazu Falls.

The tour boat provides a little perspective.

Hanging over the top of the falls.

The most impressive drop is Garganta del Diablo (Devil's Throat). A slow moving train ride takes you to a 3200' boardwalk across the upper Iguazu River that leads to a viewing platform that literally hangs over La Garganta del Diablo.The longest drop, they are U-shaped, with the almost 2,300' in length tightly curled into only 490' of width. Water is thundering down 269' directly below you while the mist is rising up to 500' above.

Heading across the Rio Iguazu on the boardwalk.

Peering into the Devil's Throat.

Surrounding all these torrents is lush jungle teeming with bird and animal life. It all adds up to an unforgettable experience. As Lady Eleanor Roosevelt is reported to have exclaimed when she saw Iguazu, "Poor Niagara!"