We’re taking you to Iguazu Falls,  one of the world’s greatest natural wonders and largest waterfalls. It has 75 separate cataracts across a span of two and one-half miles, wider than Victoria Falls and higher than Niagara Falls and more dramatic than both. 80% of the falls are on the Argentinian side and 20% are on the Brazilian side.

Where to Stay in Iguazu Falls: Gran Melia and Loi Suites

Don’t forget your bug spray!! This is a very tropical, lush, humid area and you will need it. We live and die by this Sawyer insect repellent!

This Iguazu Falls trip was a continuation of a Gate1 guided tour that started in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and then went to Buenos Aires, Argentina so go back and listen to those episodes too!

How to Get to Iguazu Falls – Episode Transcript

0:49

Today we’re taking you to Iguazu Falls, Brazil and Argentina.

So earlier this week our episode was on our time in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

We are continuing on with that 10 day trip.

We are now in Iguazu Falls.

1:05

Right now, starting day five, we departed Rio, flew into a Guazu on the Brazilian side, going to explore the National Park over here, and then continue on to the Argentinian side as this waterfall straddles the border between both countries.

1:21

And if you haven’t listened to the episode on Rio, which aired on Tuesday, go back and give it a listen.

So Guazu Falls is one of the world’s greatest natural wonders.

It’s located in a lush subtropical rainforest.

Very high humidity, warm to hot temperatures, dense vegetation year round, and the falls itself consists of 275 different waterfalls that span 2 1/2 miles.

1:48

So this waterfall, Iguazu, is whiter than Victoria Falls and higher than Niagara Falls and definitely more dramatic than both of them.

So 80% of the falls are on the Argentinian side, with 20% only on the Brazilian.

2:03

The famous part of Iguazu Falls is the Devil’s throat, which is AU shaped chasm that marks the border between Brazil and Argentina.

So almost consider that like Niagara Falls, you know, Niagara Falls has the horseshoe portion that is the divider between the US and Canada.

2:20

Same with the Guazu.

The divider between Brazil and Argentina is the Devil’s throat, that kind of U shape.

But again, it is so much taller and more dramatic than Niagara Falls.

What do you think it is about waterfalls that just takes people?

2:37

They’re drawn to them, fascinated.

Like we’re so connected to waterfalls.

What do you think that is?

I really don’t know because if you really think about it, it’s just waterfalling over a Cliff.

But something about it, like you said, is just really dramatic for me at least.

When I look at a waterfall, of course I appreciate the scenic beauty, but with the scenic beauty I always appreciate and a mesmerized by just the sheer force that nature has and how something so vital to life, like water, can be so dangerous and deadly at the same time with that characteristic beauty that it has.

3:12

I don’t know, that’s me.

When I look at a waterfall, I get all those types of emotions.

So poetic.

We need water to survive.

And you know, water’s a sign.

And so I feel like we’re just connected to water and water flowing is just a beautiful thing and it just connects people.

People want to see that.

3:27

And so who knows why, but I love waterfalls.

Like I could do whole trips based off of waterfalls.

So Brazil and Argentina are actually separated by the Iguazu River.

And like Jamal mentioned earlier, we are going to visit Iguazu from both sides, the Brazilian side and the Argentinian side.

3:47

And the falls actually fall into a National Park, Iguazu National Park, which is a designated World Heritage site because it has rare and endangered flora and fauna.

You can’t even see Jaguars in the park.

They are rare and elusive, just as they are all over the world in places where they still have habitat, but they are within the park.

4:08

Our local guide that we had with Gate 1 here mentioned that he has seen Jaguars a couple times, One time on the Brazilian side, one time on the Argentinian side.

Of course, he said he’s been doing this, what, 1617 years as a tour guide there.

And he says, again, only the 2 * 1 time on each side.

4:26

So they are elusive.

But in terms of that flora and fauna that Bernie was talking about, Jaguars, toucans, lots of of birds, monkeys, all inhabited within the park.

Sounds like much more of the jungle vibes here.

4:42

Yes, definitely more jungle.

Wear your mosquito repellent here because you will definitely need it.

So we landed in the airport and we took our bus immediately to Agwazi Falls.

So we had lunch and then we were going to go hit up a trail.

When you are on gate one guided tours, when you get to certain areas, you may pick up a local guides, guides that are local to the area that know a lot about that city or place that you’re going to.

5:07

So for Iguazu, we did pick up a local guide.

His name was Juan, so he stayed with us for both days in Iguazu National Park.

And one thing I didn’t mention too about Iguazu Falls, of course, we talked about the Devil’s throat which has that U shape, but Brittany mentioned earlier that it spans over 2 1/2 miles.

5:25

So you have that main concentration at the Devil’s Throat in that U shape, but there is whole Cliff edges and walls where the waterfall is cascading off for a span of 2 1/2 miles.

So just to give you a sense of the scale of what you’re looking at, and if you’ve never heard of it and never seen a photo, I say this all the time when sometimes words can’t put a picture to it.

5:49

But go ahead and Google Iguazu Falls so you know exactly what we’re talking about here.

Did you say that it’s 2 1/2 miles long that the waterfall is?

Yes.

So you really can’t see the end of it.

No, but it’s not one sheer waterfall that’s continuous.

6:05

So Brittany mentioned earlier that has over 275 cataracts.

Cataracts is a term that is used to describe waterfalls where it kind of breaks up a little bit.

So it’s all one continuous line, but maybe where there’s vegetation or a higher rock and the water level isn’t enough to like flow over, it breaks up.

6:23

So it’s not one sheer full line of 2 1/2 miles of a waterfall, but you know, you have big large waterfalls that are coming down, broken up and then maybe 1015 feet over.

Here’s some more water and stuff.

So that’s kind of what we’re talking about right here.

6:40

Jamal, where does the water flow from?

So the water actually flows from the Cerra Domar mountains in Brazil, and of course eventually at some point the river before it becomes the falls forms the natural barrier of the border between Brazil and Argentina.

6:56

So on the Brazil side, there’s less waterfall flow, of course.

So the Brazil side is a really great perspective to see the scale and massiveness of it.

So we really got to appreciate that here.

Yeah.

So while you’re there, the waterfalls at a rate of 396,258 gallons of water per second.

7:16

It’s a ton of water.

And we mentioned you can visit the falls from both Brazil and Argentina, but you do need a passport if you’re in a crossover.

And we do have a few tips for you.

I’m just going to dive right in.

I mentioned the weather.

Average temp year round is around 80.

7:33

When we went in September, which was their spring, it was 97 to 100°F, but in their summer it can get up to 120°F.

It’s a really hot, really humid.

I was sweating.

It felt like Costa Rica with all that hot and humidity all over again.

7:51

Another tip, definitely bring bug spray.

You’re going to have it if you’re going to be in Rio, but use it here.

You’re in the jungle now.

Bugs galore, even more so than when you are in the city.

Depending on the season and the water flow you can get really wet in some places.

Like there is a boardwalk that goes to the bottom of Devil’s Throat, and there might be places where you may want to bring or wear a poncho because you might just get completely soaked.

8:15

Were there people wearing ponchos?

There are people wearing ponchos when they go onto the boardwalk area.

So again, we’re walking along the cliff’s edge.

The finale on the Brazilian side is going to be that boardwalk that gets you a little bit closer to the Devil’s Throat area where there’s more water flowing and you’re kind of up to the falls.

8:33

So again, depending on the water levels, because the river that creates this has been dammed.

So sometimes when they release water from the dam, there’s more flow, sometimes there’s not.

Plus seasonally with rain, etcetera, all sorts of factors.

So depending on you can either get really drenched when you’re in the boardwalk area or you can get a nice refreshing mist on a hot day, which is what we got with the day.

8:57

We were on the Brazilian side.

It wasn’t excessively flowing.

It was still a lot of water, but a good cooling mist, not enough to fully soak us.

So there are a few things that you can enjoy from both sides.

If you can’t make it to both the Brazilian and Argentinian side, you can actually stay within the National Park because both sides have a hotel and the hotels are pretty nice.

9:21

There’s also some paid photo opportunities on both sides, so they have some photographers that are ready to go to take pictures.

So you can do paid photo opportunities on both sides of the falls.

And I’ll say this about the paid photo op.

They’re very inexpensive.

We didn’t do one.

9:37

I asked Brittany when we were on the Argentinian side if she wanted to and she said no.

But the paid ones, minus the cost, I would say actually go ahead and do it because they put those photo areas right in front of probably the best spot that you can get a photo and they have it sectioned off.

9:55

So this will truly probably be your only opportunity to get a photo with absolutely no one in it.

If you do the paid.

Otherwise, you know, you’re kind of really fighting for spots along the edge.

Brittany and I succeeded in getting shots without anybody in it too.

But you’re working at it.

So do take into consideration paying the five or $10.00 of whatever charging to do it.

10:16

There’s also boardwalks with views of the falls on both sides, so you can enjoy views from either side.

The views are going to be better from the Brazilian side because 80% of the falls are on the Argentinian side, so you can see them across the river and then there’s an opportunity to do a boat tour on either side.

10:32

Did you do it?

Well, spoiler yes we did.

Yeah.

So you can’t wait to talk.

Yeah.

So you could do it from the Brazil side, you can do it from the Argentinian side.

Everything that we’ve read online says it’s better to do it on the Argentinian side, so if you happen to be doing both, I would save it for that.

10:49

We are going to dive into that.

That wasn’t something that was included with Gate One.

We did it on our own, but yes.

And that is by far the highlight and a great way to see the falls that you can do by just looking at it from the top.

It’s still beautiful either way, but you want to do the boat ride because that in and of itself is an adventure.

11:08

So as we mentioned, right when we landed, we went into the National Park.

We had lunch at their small food court area and then our local guy took us to a trailhead and it’s a one mile hike that we did along a cliff’s edge where you’re going to get panoramic views of the falls.

So at the start of the trail, you’re taking pictures and you can see the falls in the distance, but you’re going to get closer and closer.

11:29

So it’s one of those things is like every time you take a picture and you think that it’s beautiful, you’re going to walk 20 more feet and be like, Oh my God, I got to take another picture because it’s even more beautiful.

And you’re just going to do that until you get to the very end of this trail.

As you continue the hike, you’re going to eventually descend down closer to the falls.

11:47

And you’re going to end at the grand finale Jamal mentioned, which is Devil’s Throat.

You’re going to be at the base of that.

So there is a boardwalk that juts out in front of the falls.

And like we said, depending on the season and the water level that day, you can get lightly misted or completely soaked.

12:03

They said the day that we went, the water was flowing only at a third of its normal rate.

So we only got lightly misted.

But I did hear if it’s going full blast you can get just completely soaked.

It’s like taking a little waterfall shower.

12:19

Which on a hot 120° day won’t actually be bad for us.

It was hot the more you started walking, of course, you get sticky and humid.

Luckily, on the Brazilian side, that path is shaded, you know, if you’re there during the right time of day.

And so the sun wasn’t directly on us, but of course, you know, air temperature, humidity, you’re feeling it.

12:38

So that light mist that we got when we were there, it didn’t soak us.

But then of course, the waterfall naturally gives you wind, it gives you a breeze.

So it was a great cooldown once we got to the finale, into that mild trail looking at Devil’s Throat.

And then when you’re done with that boardwalk, you can either take an elevator or stairs back up to the top.

12:58

And that’s where our bus picked us up.

So it was a very short amount of time that we spent on the Brazilian side.

We probably spent on the trail an hour and a half and in the park on the Brazilian side, about 2 1/2 hours, I would say.

And we boarded back up on the bus and we drove across the border.

13:18

So you actually have to go through Brazil’s immigration, get your exit stamp, then you drive another 2 miles to the Argentinian border and then you wait.

So that wait was probably at least an hour, maybe an hour and a half to cross into Argentina.

13:34

And is that like a wait like you would have at the Mexico US border just to get?

Exactly.

Oh.

Wow.

The line actually didn’t seem very long at all.

What I think it is though is there’s lots of tour bus and to kind of keep things organized if you’re on a tour bus.

13:49

They collected our passports.

We didn’t even get off.

Again, we’re talking about going into Argentina.

When we left Brazil, they made us get out, present our passports.

But going into Argentina, we didn’t get out.

Our tour guide, or local guide in particular, collected all our passports, scanned us in as if we were going.

14:06

I mean, they didn’t really look at us, he said.

We even got more lucky because they didn’t even bother to look at the luggage.

So I think just their system that they have with the tour buses can cause the delay.

So we only landed again in Brazil and the Guazou Falls saw that side.

14:23

And our entire time minus that little excursion that we just talked about is going to be staying in Argentina.

And our hotel that night, of course, was in Argentina.

So we got into our hotel around 7:30 PM.

We stayed two nights at Lois Suites and upon arrival they had a three course dinner waiting for us.

14:42

They do dinners late in Argentina, so it was about 8:30 when we sat down for dinner.

Interesting.

And I was actually, I’ve been curious about this trip.

Now you’re in Argentina, but also when you’re in Brazil.

How’s the food?

Is it the same?

Is it good?

How was it?

14:58

The food was good.

I would say I enjoyed it more in Argentina because they’re eating more beef.

I pretty much ate steak every night.

It’s very calm and it’s very inexpensive too, so that’s something to take into consideration.

Like beef and steak is so common that it’s not expensive.

15:13

When we were in Rio, of course, we were in a bigger city, so yeah, we had the trascaria that time, but then we just tried different places.

One time in Rio we even did Middle Eastern that night, which was just OK, even though they do have a large Middle Eastern Eastern population there, believe it or not.

But for the most part, food was good.

15:30

But I enjoyed it in Argentina more and of course our hotel here was in Argentina and it was fantastic.

They had a really good dinner.

The first course was a grilled heart of palms and a squash puree.

The second course was a Paku fish, which is a whitefish that’s part of the piranha family was really good served with grilled vegetables and a squash puree.

15:48

And then their third course of course was a Dolce de leche flan.

They are huge on dulce de leche and I had a thick caramel and Chantilly cream with it so it was really good.

I actually really enjoyed the dinner that they presented to us at our hotel.

16:04

I enjoyed it except for one thing.

We’re in Argentina and of course when dinners are included with gate one, if you want, you could have alcohol included.

I was expecting the Malbec.

They were out of Malbec and did not have a Malbec.

It was a Cabernet.

So like my first meal in Argentina was not a Malbec.

16:20

But rest assured, every meal I had after that was a Malbec.

But before we get on too far to the next day, I just want to say something about crossing into Argentina.

You cross a bridge because you got to cross the river, right?

But when you cross the river, there is 1/3 border with Paraguay.

16:39

So you look in that river now becomes perpendicular and with AT and there is a third country.

So there is a Tri border.

Paraguay is right there, it just doesn’t have any of the falls, but it has where the river connects.

So if you are into that type of stuff, there is a spot within the town where you can and actually go look at the tribe board.

16:58

So the next day was day two in a Guazu.

We took the bus back to the falls, but this time we entered from the Argentinian side and we got there pretty early and we took a train or railcar where you can get to another boardwalk.

If you did not take this train, it would take you a very, very long time to hike to that area.

17:17

So this cut off a lot of time.

This took us to the trailhead where you can get to the falls on the upper circuit.

So you walk along a long metal boardwalk and it’ll eventually take you over to the Devil’s Throat.

So yesterday we had talked about being at the base of the falls and feeling all of the mist from the bottom.

17:37

So now we’re on top of the fall, so we’re able to watch all of the water flowing down and you can actually see the boardwalk that you were on yesterday down below.

And which view would you say is better, being at the base or being at the top to see it go?

I liked the base.

I liked being at the top to see it go down.

17:54

The Brazil side is cool to be on because again, you could see the whole perspective of the falls on the Argentinian side since it has the 80%.

The base was cool, but I’ve liked being at the top because then you could really see how much force is going down with that flow and it was impressive.

18:11

So that mile long boardwalk that Brittany was talking about to get to Devil’s Throat, it’s pretty cool.

It’s a boardwalk because you’re walking over some of the river and the rock to get you to the edge.

So a lot of times too, you’re just hovering over the water to get to that point.

18:27

It’s not like, oh, here’s land and here’s the edge.

You are literally walking above the rock where the river is flowing to get to that point to see, which I think is a very unique and cool perspective to see it also.

And they said today the water was flowing at a normal level.

So yesterday it was flowing at a third, today it was flowing normal level.

18:45

So it was very misty, very powerful.

There was actually birds that we could see while we were at the top flying in this area that are only found in this area.

And they make their nests along the cliff’s edge.

And then when you hit the part where you’re jutting out to Devil’s Throat, they make it a one way in and out part of the boardwalk.

19:04

It is the most crowded part of the boardwalk.

So you do want to get here early, but and then you just walk back around the boardwalk back to the train.

So overall, how long would you say it took us to do this boardwalk, Jamal?

I, they gave us an hour and a half, you know, time to walk out there, time for the photos, a little bit of leisure time once you’re back there before you caught onto the train.

19:26

But our tour guide was telling us, hey, again, you know, there’s lots of wildlife.

Yes, we’re here to see the falls, but pay attention.

So I was keeping my eye out because apparently there was what, 3 or 4 species of toucan that are there?

You know, I was just about to ask you what kind of birds were here.

19:42

You said there was only certain birds that were flying here.

Well, I don’t know what type of bird it was that flies in the mist over the falls that makes their nest on the cliff’s edge, but he said those are unique and like really only endemic to that area.

Nowhere else are those birds found.

I forgot what they’re called.

19:58

We saw lots of vultures, believe it or not.

And I guess that makes sense in an environment like that, you know that vultures would need to be there.

And then tropical birds, the toucans, 3 or 4 different species.

Of course, the.

The main toucan is like the one with the really long beak and bill that’s colorful that, you know, all toucans have, like long ones.

20:19

So I spotted one a little bit earlier because he was making a game out of it, saying, like, oh, if anyone can spot a toucan, you’ll win this little wood carving that’s done by the indigenous population.

He said this is probably like the best souvenir that you could get from this area, and it is of a toucan.

20:34

So as we were walking to the train, I spotted one, but he said, no, no, no, not that one.

You didn’t hear me.

You have to spot the one with like the largest bill.

So I ended up spotting it later, spoiler alert, and getting it.

And I was the only one to actually spot the toucan.

So he’s like, you need to take a photo for proof.

20:50

I was able to snap a photo of it, so I thought that was pretty cool.

Wow.

You’re getting pretty good at bird watching now.

He is what happens when you’re old.

You’re a bird fan.

I I never expected that of myself, but I am.

Yeah, so after the long boardwalk over the river, you take the train again.

21:05

You get off to another boardwalk which has more views of the falls and that’s where Jamal spotted the toucan and he won the little prize.

So we had two opportunities to do 2 different trails.

And so then by this time it’s about lunchtime in the National Park.

21:21

They had a Cafe 2 area food court area.

So we grabbed a quick lunch.

But the highlight of our day was going to be doing the boat tour.

And our boat tour was booked at 12:45.

So this was not part of the gate One package.

And we actually only knew about this because my dad and his girlfriend Stephanie, they were in, in Iguazu in February.

21:42

And their tour that they did, which was separate from ours, included it.

And they highly recommended it.

And every time we saw them, they kept asking us, did you book the boat tour?

Did you book the boat tour?

And so we’re like, we’ll see if we have time.

So we asked about it and we got that booking, that reservation at 12:45.

21:59

So after our lunch we went to our pickup area and the boat tour was called the Grand Adventura and it was about sixty U.S. dollars per person at the time that we booked it.

After you get your ticket, you line up and you get on a truck.

22:15

This truck takes you into the jungle and it’s a 20 minute trek to get to where they drop you off.

You get off the truck and then you walk a couple 100 steps down.

You’re going to collect a dry bag and a life jacket along the way, and then you board the boat.

22:32

Yeah, So when you if you do the boat, you are for sure going to get soaked.

People can try to wear ponchos if they want.

It’s useless.

It’s still going to soak its way through on you.

You’re going to get wet.

So if you’re going to ride this, just anticipate that you’re going to get wet.

22:48

But what was really fun about this is the boat that you’re on is almost like a speedboat to some degree.

And the reason why it needs to be such a strong and powerful boat is, of course, you are trying to go upstream now.

So you have all this water coming from the falls, you are pushing upstream against the flow of water.

23:07

And of course, if anybody’s been rafting or anything, you know, you go downstream and there’s elevation change, you know, the rocks and Rapids and stuff that creates.

But they can’t do these tours unless the water is really flowing because if you’re trying to go up, when the natural way of the water is to go down to lower elevation, you’re just going to bottom out with the propeller.

23:27

So it was a cool experience not even getting to the waterfalls, but actually fighting the river and climbing it as you’re getting up to the falls, which I thought was actually really cool.

So they give us the dry bags.

You can put all your stuff in there.

If you don’t have a waterproof phone casing, of course you should put it in the dry bag.

23:45

But at first they give you the opportunity to say, hey, we’re not going to get wet in this portion.

Take your photos, do this and that, and then they’ll tell you we’re at the point now we’re going to get drenched.

Put everything in the dry bag.

The dry bag that they give you is pretty big.

You could put an entire backpack in the dry bag and you’ll still have a little of extra room.

24:03

So it’s not not like a small dry bag, it’s a pretty large one.

There are boats that have two levels and then there’s a boats that just have one level.

If you are on a boat with just one level, no matter where you sit, you’re going to get completely soaked, just absolutely drenched.

If you’re on a boat with two levels, you won’t get completely soaked but you will get what I would recommend bringing a waterproof phone case to put around your neck to take pictures and videos.

24:30

I did that and it was just completely wild.

I loved it.

But they do have videos and pictures available for purchase.

It’s only about $15.00.

We did purchase it and they’re supposed to e-mail us a link and we’re still waiting for it, no?

I received the link, I’ve just been so busy that I have forgotten to share it with Brittany and I haven’t even taken a look at the photos myself.

24:50

But we have them so rest assured they will be posted when this episode is airing.

But mine has seen the water from below.

OK, cuz that’s of course the highlight.

You’re not getting wet just because of the mist, not at Devil’s Throat because the water is too powerful there.

25:07

But in other areas where the of course the water is still flowing very good, they will actually put the boat to some degree as close as they can under the water.

So there were instances where you are literally under the waterfall, not just getting oh, the mist.

And so at some point, you know, they’ll stall you in there, keep you in there, and then they’ll come out, circle back in, go in.

25:29

And then even the captain and the other people on the boat who are working, they’re trying to give you a good experience.

Of course, they’re filming it.

They’re like, again, should we go again?

Yeah.

You know, you come out and then you circle around and do it.

And we went in like, a few times.

So it’s a vibe.

25:45

It’s not just, oh, I’m at the bottom and getting misteds.

Looking at it.

You are doing extreme sports to some degree.

Yeah.

You’re in it.

Literally in it.

Yeah, it was a wild ride.

The boat goes up to 42 miles an hour.

It’s super fun, exhilarating.

The waves are splashing you.

26:01

It’s a bumpy, crazy ride.

You’re holding on.

And then they’re like prepping you for the waterfall showers.

And our boat got so soaked that there was at least a foot of water on the bottom of our boat.

And our dry bags are sloshing around everywhere.

26:19

And it was just like this crazy, wild time.

Like we were completely soaked.

It was like we had just taken a full shower.

But you know what?

In that 100° heat, you’re going.

To dry off.

I mean, we brought a change of clothes and then when you are done, they also do have a changing room so you can change into dry clothes also.

26:38

So if you’re kind of concerned of oh, I don’t want to be wet the rest of the day, rest assured you have a spot when you’re done to change.

And even if you didn’t, you will dry off because it is that hot and humid out there.

Did you 2 bring your Turkish towel or your travel towel at all or did you just dry off by air?

26:56

Dried off by air, didn’t even bother to bring the towel.

Yeah, we didn’t bring anything and we didn’t even change her clothes right when we were done.

You have to take that 20 minute truck ride out and that’s completely in the sun.

So we mostly dried off by the time we got back to where we were going to call for a taxi to go back to our hotel.

27:14

So when we got back to the building that we reserved our tickets from, right down the road is actually the hotel that’s in the National Park called Grand Malia.

And my dad and Stephanie actually stayed in this hotel.

And the hotel pool overlooks Iguazu Falls.

We went into the lobby.

27:30

Infinity pool that overlooks it, right?

We went into the lobby and I looked outside and saw the pool and the falls and I was like damn I wish we stayed here.

This looked amazing.

It is a luxury hotel with a luxury price attached to it.

27:45

But I would go back and I would stay there.

So from here, like Brittany said, we ordered a taxi because we split up from our gate one group which would have just taken the bus back.

So from here if you’re on a tour and then do this on your own or if you’re on your own and don’t have a rental car, you can expect the taxi ride from the National Park back in the town to be approximately $35.

28:06

Also, something we didn’t mention in Argentina, they widely the dollar versus their own currency.

We’ll talk about that more in next week’s upcoming episode.

All about that.

But if you want to pay with card, some taxis accept card, some don’t.

So when you’re ordering a taxi, just make sure you say you want to have a taxi that will accept credit card.

28:27

We did and they made sure that it was one that we could pay with card.

We got back to our hotel around 3:45 and then we spent a few hours at our hotel pool.

We stayed at the LOI Suites, the pool, there was a three terrace pool and there’s a bar right next to the pool.

28:43

Kasha got the strawberry daiquiri swim up bar.

Not a swim up bar unfortunately, but right next to the pool.

I got a pina colada, Ryan and Jamal got beers and then we got ready for dinner.

We mentioned in last week’s episode that our tour manager Vinnie recommended other places to eat when we were in area, so he had a friend that owns a restaurant that serves steak.

29:06

So he made reservations for us that wanted to go and we ate at an Argentinian steakhouse called La Rueda.

Jamal got the rib eye and I got a New York sirloin and both were really good.

We got 2 bottles of wine.

Malbec Malbec Kim.

29:22

You know I love a Malbec.

I know.

Quick question though for you on the dinner here, because I know you always say, Jamal, that you don’t like steaks in other countries.

Yes, I usually do say that because I think just American beef, we’re just used to it, right?

And sometimes in other countries too, they cook it really well done.

29:40

So we talked about in Brazil how they cooked their ground beef and burgers and stuff more like on the rare side.

In Argentina, they cook it more on the medium to medium well.

So you got to tell them who goes.

So which means you know, juicy and Spanish so that that way they know medium rare.

29:56

I will say that the beef itself is good.

Where they lack is they don’t season it very well.

So you got to put your own salt and pepper on it.

And they don’t really render the fat well on the steak either.

But otherwise, All in all, I did enjoy the steak a lot.

30:12

The quality of the meat is really, really good, but they could take some seasoning lessons.

And render the fat.

Just render the fat.

I don’t know if that’s an American thing or not, but.

Does render the fat just mean cut the fat pieces off?

No like to cook it so like to render the fat means like put that fat side down on the grill first.

30:30

That way it actually like cooks.

Because when it came out it almost was like it wasn’t cooked, it was still a little bit cold so the meat was done.

So I like to eat the fat on a steak, but here I had to actually cut the fat off and not even touch it whatsoever.

That’s on the the side of it.

30:46

But you know, we got 2 steaks, a bottle of wine. 2 bottles of wine. 2 bottles of wine and we walked out of there $70.

And we got a chocolate lava cake for.

And a chocolate lava cake was amazing.

That’s the 70 bucks you could imagine the prices to be when I said beef is very inexpensive in Arjun.

31:03

Yeah, so that was a great dinner.

The next day we were taking a late flight to Buenos Aires, so we actually had some leisure time in the morning.

We just slept in, enjoyed hotel property.

There was actually a second pool that we found, which is an adults only pool that looks out to the Guazu River.

31:23

It was really beautiful.

So definitely, if you haven’t listened already, listen to last week’s episode in Rio and then continue on with us on our adventure to Buenos Aires, because we’re going to talk about that next Tuesday.

And I know this has been a little bit longer of an episode of just the tip here.

31:40

So appreciate your patience staying tuned to the very end.

But our hotel Loy Suites that we were staying at here on the Argentinian side in the Guazu Falls, such a jungle lodge vibe.

You had to cross bridges and canopies and it’s tree lined in the dense vegetation.

31:57

It is really a vibe out here.

So the pool and then the adults only pool that Brittany mentioned that’s overlooking the Guazu River.

Again, the river forms the border.

So you’re looking at an Infinity pool over from Argentina into Brazil.

So really awesome.

Love Loy Suites where we were staying.

32:13

Before we go, we just have one quick question of the week.

Ross from Tennessee is asking, do you need two days to do both sides of the falls?

And then if you have any info on flights or places to stay.

So we would recommend doing 2 days, one for each country.

32:31

Otherwise we did see tours online that you could do both sides in a day, but I feel like you’re going to lose time at the border crossing.

So unless say the tour has like a way around that, then I really like.

You do need two days, one for each side, but the boardwalk and the views are going to be better from the Brazilian side.

32:50

But the boat tour on the Argentinian side totally takes the cake.

So if you only had the opportunity to spend one day within the park, I would actually do it from the Argentinian side.

Man, I agree with Brittany in terms of the views being better from the Brazilian side because I said that because you get to see most of it, but I really think being at the top of Devil’s Throat is a lot cooler.

33:12

So that makes me say Argentina.

So Ross, let me just tell you what, do 2 days and don’t think about trying to do it in one.

That’s what you really need to do. 2 days.

And then there are airports on both sides, the Brazilian side and Argentinian side.

33:27

So depending on where you’re coming from beforehand, you can easily get there and be within the National Park pretty quickly.

And where you’re going after the fact, too.

So we flew into Brazil, flew out of Argentina.

And if you are going in to stay overnight in Argentina, we stayed at The Voice, which we would highly recommend.

33:47

But if you want to be luxurious and stay at the Grand Malia in the National Park, highly would recommend that.

All right, Squatty, thank you so much for tuning in to Just the tip.

Make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and follow us on all the socials at Travel Squad Podcast.

And have fun traveling this weekend.