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Surely an unofficial Natural Wonder of the World, and like all such places its beauty is its curse.

QUICK TIPS

The Argentine side is better, see it second if going to both.

Be prepared for tourists; arm yourself with BO and an "I LOVE IRAQ" T-Shirt

Also watch out for Tour Sales Reps, or Complete and Utter Bastards as I like to call them. If provoked, strike to kill.

THE BRAZILIAN SIDE

Foz do Iguaço is the jump off point for tourists visiting the Brazilian side. There's nothing here and this side of the falls will only take you a few hours to explore completely so there's no need to stay. You can even lock your rucksack up at the park and avoid it completely.

Take a bus from the local bus station to the park. You'll arrive, you'll be ripped off with a smile, then you'll jump on a bus. The bus will then drive you past a whole bunch of attractions that you were totally ignorant of before (such as tree tight-roping monkey stuff etc) and are therefore unwilling to get off to see (and pay extra for, naturally) in case something better comes up next. Eventually you'll hit the end of the line, follow camera snapping families around the paths, ooh and ahh for an hour or two, then leave.

If you're lucky - and I sincerely hope you are - you'll see one of the chefs chasing something that resembles, but isn't quite, a racoon with a broom and screaming maniacally at people to stop feeding them.

THE ARGENTINE SIDE

Puerto Iguazú is the equally imaginatively named Argentine equivalent of Foz do Iguaço. It's a tourist joint with plenty of hostels and as this side of the falls deserves a little more attention you'll probably want to stay at one. Correcaminos is a nice place and very close to the bus station (Amarante 48).

On arrival at the Argentine falls you'll be greeted with the same smiling thieving bastards as on the Brazilian side, however, it is immediately obvious that Argentina got the better deal when the falls where shared out. No bus here, just a lot of open space and well maintained information points to lead you around the numerous paths expolring the forests before you even get to the falls.

Be sure NOT to buy a ticket for the rapids ride and beat the sales rep around the head with the brochure he's flapping in your face while screaming "NO! I WANT TO SEE THE WATERFALL! SO GO AWAY!" I should explain, there is a nice walk called the something Verde (sorry, forgot the name) which leads to a secluded waterfall in the forest. The fall is perfect for a quick power shower like none other, and is deserted in the morning. Go there first, ignoring the sales rep who will actually tell you its boring and that you're better off just giving him all of your money, then go see the major attraction.

You'll get lost on the maze of catwalks that wind their way around this park, and I think that's great. The cheapest of the raft rides is good fun, but be prepared for a soaking. A free ferry shuttles to the Isla San Martin on demand and here you can get good views of the San Martin falls.

A WARNING

For those of you like me, be prepared for a rollercoaster ride of emotions when visiting these falls. They are truly spectacular, there really is no other way to put it. As you approach them on the Brazilian side, put yourself in the shoes of the first Spaniards who sailed up this river, hearing their thunderous roar from miles away before rounding the last bend and being confronted with this awesome sight. Imagine the humbling power these waters had on those men, the unbridled power that nature can yield on the human spirit, then watch families argue over who wants what burger, witness 20 camera snappers crowding around one little racoon thingy, and stare in disbelief as life jacket sporting grannies scream as they get a soaking in a raft that runs around once every two minutes. Count the money that gets handed over every second and see nature cheapened.

That said, don't miss it!

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