A Quick Trip to Iguazu Falls, Argentina

This article from the LA Times this weekend nearly gave me traveler's indigestion. The author, a writer for the Times, tells the tale of a whirlwind trip to Argentina with his buddies who, like him, are soccer dads with teenage kids. Evidently this is a crew of serial whirlwind travelers, or what I like to call 'to-do list travelers' who zoom in to foreign locations and scramble around to every tourist site in their guidebook snapping familiar poses to fill their photo album.

My first thought is, if I had only three days to spend in Argentina, I likely would never think to try and fit in a jaunt to Iguazu Falls. Don't get me wrong. The falls are beautiful and should be considered in any itinerary to Argentina. The problem with a trip to the falls is the flight schedules, which must originate from Buenos Aires. Flights to Iguazu depart only in the morning and flights returning to Buenos Aires (which is pretty much your only option as all domestic flights must connect through Buenos Aires) only leave first thing in the morning. The result is that you are either spending only part of an afternoon seeing the falls (which makes the trip seem rather expensive for a mere 4 hour viewing) or you have have to spend an entire day and a half viewing the falls (which is a lot of time to stare at running water). My suggestion would be to take the 2-day option and view the falls from both the Brazilian side and the Argentine side, and find a nice hotel where you can relax for the hours in between. However, spending 2 out of three days of an Argentine trip in Iguazu is a shame, given the abundant culture in Buenos Aires itself.

That being said, the author clearly did his research before he left and managed to snap a photo at several of Buenos Aires' highlights in the short time he was there. Since I'll never be a soccer dad, I guess I'll never understand the appeal of such a trip, but I did enjoy reading about their adventure.

Comments

[eimmo1]

This waterfall has become N:1 place to visit after reading your article and the one located at Wayfaring travel guide. I really hope to go there soon and see one of the most spectacular sights in the world.