Brazil Travel Blog

List-based books are definitely the flavour of the moment. And travel guides have joined in as well: with the royalties earned from the sales of 1,000 places to see before you die Patricia Schultz can retire and spend the rest of her life travelling around the globe. It is now the Rough Guide’s turn. On their 25th anniversary, they have released a series of books of lists, one of which is called 25: Wonders of the World. On the list we find the usual suspects (the Forbidden City in Beijing, the Taj Mahal, the giants of Easter Island, Angkor Wat, the Perito Moreno glacier and other equally wonderful places). Bottom of the list, a surprising, if not not baffling, presence: Itaipu dam, in Foz de Iguazu.

To include Itaipu dam in a list of 25 wonders of the world can only be explained in two ways: first, less likely, whoever chose to include the dam is an engineer in love with megavats and the power of water in motion; my second theory, much more likely, is that whoever included Itaipu simply never visited the place.

This entry has only one purpose: to alert visitors to the area not to waste a single minute of their time visiting the dam and devote all their time in Iguazu to the truly wonderful falls. Visually, Iguazu dam is horrible. Do not expect to find a Hoover Dam and even less a Three Gorges Dam. Iguazu dam is flat and wide. When the spillway is closed (most of the time) it’s no more than a huge amount of concrete without any redeeming feature. There are no mountains around, there isn’t a spectacular gorge in the middle of which the dam was built. Nothing. It is not worth your time.

A few days ago I informed in this blog that the visit to the dam was no longer free.

Shame on you, Rough Guides! I strongly feel all lists are debatable. But I also feel there is a clear distinction between what can be argued and what is just blatantly ridiculous. To add insult to injury, the authors of the guide didn’t considery the mighty Iguazu falls worthy of inclusion on the very same list.

Another piece of news coming from Iguazu. I’ve just read in La Voz de las Cataratas (in Spanish) that a group of self-appointed religious leaders from Foz de Iguazú want to change the name to the Devil’s Throat, the most impressive of all the falls at Iguazú. Among the arguments for the change (if you can call that an argument) the news item quotes that “if this is the Devil’s Throat then the Devil itself is there, and a marvel created by God can’t have that name.”

The news would give rise to much hilarity if it wasn’t for the fact that it fits in a context of unstoppable advance of religious fundamentalism worldwide, from Washington to Teheran, going through Brazil. In the case of Iguazu, it seems behind the iniative there is a group of evangelical priests - the local Catholic church would have distanced itself from the initiative.

As for the authorship of the falls, it would be a good idea to make it clear that they are the result of erosion. Just in case.

Update: the evangelicals are proposing that the fall be named “The Voice of God”.

From 1 June visitors will have to pay R$15 to do the basic tour round the Itaipu dam, near Foz do Iguaçu. Up until now, the visit was free. Notas do Turismo contains the information with a link to a detailed press release by the management of Itaipu detailing the different types of visits to the dam.

In my opinion, the basic tour of Itaipu - the one done by the vast majority of tourists - is of marginal interest. Visitors are shown a video presentation where they learn about the wonderful effect the construction of the dam had on the environment - any mention to the monstrous external debt resulting from the construction of the dam is conspicuous by its absence. After the presentation, there is a quick tour around the external part of the dam.

If the gigantic spillway is closed on the day of the visit (and it only opens when the dam is bursting at the seams) the visit is, to be honest, quite boring. It was free, though. That is not the case any longer, and for any engineering fans, I would recommend the Circuito Turístico Especial visit, where you do enter inside the dam and visit the turbines.

The Buddhist temple near Foz is very near and entrance is free.

How do I get from Rio or São Paulo to Iguazu?

You can either fly or take the bus.

The main airlines (TAM and Gol) fly to Iguazu both from Congonhas and Guarulhos in São Paulo, and from Galeão and Santos Dumond in Rio. The cheapest fare I could find today, with GOL, is R$219 from São Paulo (one way, taxes included) and R$259 from Rio (one way, taxes included).

The bus trip takes 16 hours from São Paulo and 24 hours from Rio. Each way costs from R$186. A company going to Foz do Iguaçu is Expresso Kaiowa. Prices and timetables can be checked online.

[Don't forget there is a list of all the questions & answers published in the blog here]

At the Parque das Aves (bird park), on the Brazilian side of the Iguazu falls, you can get so close to the toucans, free to roam inside huge cages, that you can’t help fearing for the safety of your zoom lens and some of your fingers too. Just as well toucans are inquisitive but not aggressive. Ah, the beak is made of a very light material, otherwise the bird couldn’t possibly fly.

rio de janeiro, trancoso, arraial, porto_seguro, rio, natal, fortaleza, sao paulo, natal, buzios, paraty

QUESTION: Is there enough water coming down the river Iguazu when it reaches the falls?

ANSWER: The volume of water the Iguazu river carries when it goes through the falls fluctuates during the year. In August 2006 the volume was so low that most of the falls dried up.

The Brazilian organization responsible for the Iguazu river monitors the volume of water going down the river course:

Iguazu river - volume

The interesting bit is the column labeled vazão (m3/s). The anual average for the river at the falls is 1,200 m3/s. During August 2006, the level dropped to 200 m3/s. During the rainy season, it can reach the incredible amount of 8,000 m3/s. From 900 m3/s upwards you can be sure the display at the falls will be fantastic. A value much lower than that should make you reconsider your trip.

[Don't forget there is a list of all the questions & answers published in the blog here]

noronha, fernando_de_noronha, brazil, travel

The Iguazu falls are an unavoidable stop in the itinerary of most visitors to both Brazil and Argentina. In spite of its popularity and overcrowding during certain times of the year, the beauty of the falls is so captivating that you don’t need to make a big effort to forget the crowds and enjoy the place.

WE LIKE THE MOST: the falls, the boat trip to the falls

WE LIKE THE LEAST: Ciudad del Este, only advisable for those seeking an unforgettable socio-anthropological experience; the photographers at the Devil’s Throat; the constant presence of helicopters over the Brazilian side of the park; the Sheraton hotel right in the middle of the Argentinian park

HOW TO GET THERE: there are airports on the Brazilian side (Foz do Iguaçu) and Argentinian side (Puerto Iguazú) of the falls. Alternatively, a long bus ride from São Paulo or Rio – or Buenos Aires if coming from Argentina.

CAREFUL WITH: avoid crossing to Ciudad del Este when there is an ongoing police operation against smuggling and drug trafficking, there are usually clashes on the bridge where the border between Brazil and Paraguay is located; the coatis, will eat your food and anything else they might think it’s edible

FAVOURITE PLACES: the Devil’s Throat, on the Argentinian side of the falls; the walkways on both sides of the falls; the Buddhist temple in Foz do Iguaçu; the Parque das Aves right next to the entrance to the Brazilian National Park

PIECE OF ADVICE:

• half a day is enough to visit the Brazilian side of the falls; some decent food in the restaurant next to the falls also on the Brazilian side; on the way out from the National Park, you can visit the Parque das Aves, even if you don’t like zoos you will be impressed by the size of the cages – you can walk inside them and enjoy the view of exotic birds flying around
• for a decent visit to the Argentinian side of the falls, allow for an entire day
• the visit to the Itaipu dam is worth it only if the spillway is opened – it is opened only when the dam is full

LINKS: Cataratas do Iguaçu (Brazilian National Park), Cataratas de Iguazú (Argentinian National Park), Foz do Iguaçu Turismo (City Council), Parque das Aves

WEATHER FORECAST: The weather in Foz do Iguaçu for the next 10 days

GOOGLE MAPS: Iguazu falls

PHOTOS: Iguazú

[Don’t forget to check out the list of other destinations already covered in this blog, here]

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