Some years back I met a couple of Spanish travellers who ‘have been everywhere’; when I asked if there was one place they would want to revisit, they both replied “Iguazu”.

The Falls are a 1/2 hour bus ride away from the Brazilian town of Foz do Iguaçu (local buses at local prices, leaving every 20′). The Bird Sanctuary, a few hundred meters before the entrance to the (Brazilian side) Falls is very much worth a visit – the aviaries are some 8m high and a lot of conservation and species protection work goes on here.

And the Falls. Despite the crowds (I’d hit the holiday season in Brazil, and the weekend to boot, so everywhere was heaving) and the heat (34-36 degrees), this was one place where “awesome, incredible, wonderful, breathtaking, superb” all fit.

There are various walks and hikes one can do around the river and the Falls – I did the Trilha Ytepopo (on the Brazilian side) – 5K through the woods (am reluctant to call it the “jungle” though you are asked to register your walk at the beginning and one of the employees warned me there may be jaguars…). An easy walk (bar the heat) all along the Iguazu river, with monkeys moving in the canopy, butterflies flitting and birds calling (no jaguars!).

The coatì are running around unconcerned. A member of the racoon family, and quite photogenic. As are the tapirs, birds and butterflies.

The 07:15 bus from Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil, to Puerto Iguazu, Argentina, was quite full – a lot of day trippers, going to see the Falls on the Argentine side. The border crossing/ passport control was busy and the Brazilian bus driver does not wait – he gave us a voucher for the next bus (by the same company only). I stayed the night in Puerto Iguazu as did not wish to rush. My hotel (Lilian) was only 2 blocks from the bus terminal – very handy. I’d read about the Casa de Botella and went to see it (an Uber motorbike is a lot less scary here than in Buenos Aires or Rio). Sr Alfredo Santa Cruz first built a playhouse for his daughter from discarded plastic bottles and other recyclable materials in 2000 (to buy one was prohibitively expensive). This was the beginning of his ecological journey (he calls himself “el soldado ecologico”). The materials are all recyclables – the wood is from pallets; the ‘string’ to tie things with is plastic, using a little home made Sten knife tool to cut the bottles to a precise narrow width, like peeling an apple; cans are used to make toys; ring pulls to make fly curtains, rubber tyres to make chairs; tetrapack to insulate roofs…

The copyright for the construction of such dwellings is free to all who wish to use it and there are houses in South Africa, Costa Rica, Colombia and others that have taken it up.

The night bus from Puerto Iguazu to Buenos Aires takes 17 hours (or more). I booked a ‘coche cama’ – the equivalent of business class on the plane. And getting on the bus felt like going left when you get on the plane! Comfortable, almost flat seat, a blanket and a few snacks provided. The cost was 84000 Ar pesos (cash) or $84 (cash) or 119000 pesos if paying by card – 30% more. Argentina is economically in a very bad way and everyone I spoke to complained – the recession has hit hard. For me a as a tourist, it is just as bad (I did not bring enough dollars to be able to exchange them at the “blue” rate, i.e., the ‘illegal’ exchange rate that is 20% above the official bank rate). Getting the cash out of the cashpoint is easy, BUT (and it is a big but) the banks charge 13400 Ar pesos for EVERY withdrawal, however small, and often do not allow more than Ar pesos 30000 (less than $30) to be withdrawn. Purchasing things with a credit card always carries a ‘penalty’ – e.g. the shuttle to the Tierra del Fuego national park is 28000 cash and 30000 if paid by cc. But BA has charm and good things aplenty.

I flew into Ushuaia on the 10th of March, late morning, intending to seek a last minute berth on one of the Antarctica cruise ships – they all stop here on the way south. The assumption I could go aboard a cruiser and speak to the purser was quickly found to be naïve and false: all bookings are done online; the ship’s owners decide on the prices of the last minute berths; for security reasons no-one can go aboard a ship unless on business or with a ticket.

The Lonely Planet recommended Freestyle Adventures agency in Ushuaia (English is spoken by several members of staff). They were indeed helpful and found me a berth on the MS Ushuaia, sailing out on the 17th of March on a 10 day cruise – Classic Antarctica. They also lend ski pants, parkas and gloves free of charge (and gift you the hat and the muffler).

There are a number of trips one can do from Ushuaia. I filled my days with them – a boat trip to the ‘lighthouse at the end of the world’ (it used to be, and the name’s stuck, though there is a lighthouse further south now), and a ‘pingüinera’ (penguin breeding area); a shuttle to Lago Esmeralda trail; another to the Tierra del Fuego National Park with various trails; a hike up the El Martial glacier above the town… ( One small gripe: the restaurants in Ushuaia will not give you tap water as it’s “not drinkable”; when you go up to El Martial glacier, the source of the town’s water, you are told that the water is pure and drinkable… 🙂