Fun facts about Argentina?One of the fun facts about Argentina are the many awesome places you can visit there and Iguassu Falls is perhaps the most striking one.
Over time Iguassu Falls has become our favorite destination for a short family vacation getaway. Why? It’s one of nature’s greatest wonders ready to be discovered any time of the year and you don’t need much time to get the most out of it. With a 3-4 day stay you can fully enjoy one of the most extraordinary natural environments in the world.
Argentina's Iguassu Falls offer many attractions with an intricate network of walkways to move around them. Here's an aerial view of the place we are describing on this page.
To better guide you we have prepared a separated Iguassu Falls Map that shows the location of the most important attractions inside Iguazu National Park. We will be making frequent references to this map using the title ‘Fun facts about Argentina # 1, #2’ and so forth, just look for the reference number on the map to locate what we are explaining here. Are you ready to start your tour? Fun facts about Argentina # 1) Iguassu Falls Visitors Center This is your starting point located inside the Iguazu National Park(Argentina) and on the upper right corner of the map. Getting There You can arrive here on your car, taxi, private tour bus (if you bought a local tourist package) or public bus. The “El Practico” public bus service runs between Puerto Iguazu bus station and the falls from 7:40 am till 7:40 pm frequency every 30 minutes. There are also public buses that commute between nearby Ciudad del Este (Paraguay), Foz do Iguassu (Brazil) and Puerto Iguazu (Argentina) bus stations. The Park opening hours is 8 am to 6 pm during autumn and winter and 8 am to 7 pm during spring and summer (remember this is the southern hemisphere). If you are lodging in Ciudad del Este (Paraguay) or Foz do Iguassu (Brazil) you will need to pass an immigration checking point when entering Argentinean territory so don’t forget your passport. How much time will I need? Be prepared for a full day stay inside the Iguazu National Park (Argentina), you will need a minimum of two days here to fully explore all its possibilities. Entrance Tickets cost USD 10 and can be bought in the toll station directly from your vehicle or in the ticket office of the Visitors Center. There is a large parking lot in the entrance, from there on you are on foot. Bathrooms, restaurants, and eateries are located inside the ample area of the Visitors Center and on strategic resting points along the walkways. You will also find phone booths, ATM (for cash withdrawals) and a postal office here for your convenience.
Yvyra Reta, the place for gathering information before you start
We are now in the Visitors Center of the Iguazu National Park (Map Ref. #1). It’s important to first visit the Interpretive Center Yvyra Reta (“Country of Trees” in Guarani language) located to your right and a short distance from the main entrance. Your visit here will take only minutes and will provide understanding of the unique geographic, biologic and cultural value of the Iguassu Falls area.
O.K. now you have to organize your visit. I have observed many first-time visitors feeling lost and not knowing what to do first when arriving to the falls. Here’s a list and explanation of the basic attractions (all included in your entrance ticket) and some tips for helping you around: Fun facts about Argentina # 2) Central Station Nope, it’s not New York Central but a beautiful little train station in the Iguassu Falls! Your means of transportation here is the Green Train of the Jungle, a picturesque little train running on a narrow rail through the lush of the Iguassu Falls rainforest. It is a wonderful experience just to travel on this train and specially exiting for kids. So your first step is to head towards the Central Station to start your tour.
Here’s my wife Zulma and my sons Pablo and Santiago. We are waiting for the train to depart. All aboard!
The train runs every 30 minutes starting at 8:30 am. The last train departs at 4 pm (winter) or 5 pm (summer).
Here’s where the fun starts! Where are we heading to?
Fun facts about Argentina # 4) Cataratas Station The Cataratas Station is our first stop. From here we walk our way towards the Upper and Lower circuits for a very close encounter with the waterfalls. Fun facts about Argentina # 5) Heading for the Upper and Lower Circuits
Here’s Zulma posing in middle of the jungle. As you can appreciate the walkways are easy to walk on and completely secure, this is important for elder visitors and if you are coming here with kids. Most of the walkways are wheel-chair friendly so if you have walking disabilities you can also enjoy most of the attractions.
Fun facts about Argentina # 6) The Upper Circuit The Upper Circuit is a walkway system that puts you directly on top of some of the most important waterfalls.
Let me tell you that you can’t believe what you are seeing! These are balconies hanging over the cliffs of the falls and there is no other way to come closer to them. To see and hear the roaring waters falling beneath your feet surrounded by the incredible vegetation and views of the Iguassu River far below is a challenge to your senses! All you want to do is just stand there forever contemplating the scenery.
Standing here invites me to think. When you get to know places like this it’s impossible not to love our planet.
What would your thoughts be when standing here?
Fun facts about Argentina # 7) The Lower Circuit
The starting point of the Lower Circuit is only steps ahead from the old Observation Tower; a reminiscence of the “old times” but still used as a reference.
The Lower Circuit gives you a completely different and not less stunning perspective of the waterfalls. There is not much to explain and so much to see! 
It’s viewing the falls like the Guarani natives must have seen them when they lived here.
Did you know the first humans arrived here some 10.000 years ago? Want to know the origins of the Iguassu Falls according to Guarani traditions? This story adds tragedy and mystery to the beauty of the place. To read about this you can take a detour from fun facts about Argentina to our Spirit of the Falls page and come right back to continue your tour. How was that for an explanation of the origins of the Iguassu Falls? It’s like a Romeo and Juliet drama born in the jungle, isn’t it? Knowing about native myths and legends of the Iguassu Falls gives me the good feeling that mankind also belongs to this place, just like all the other living beings here.
The Guarani people were born naturalist who loved nature and considered it sacred. They were perfectly adapted to living from this environment without damaging it. We will not learn quantum physics from the Guaranis but maybe something we most urgently need to know: to live in this world without destroying it and that’s maybe the most important legacy of the Guaranis to mankind.
Did you know bird life in Iguassu Falls is perhaps one of its most notable characteristics? Want to see pictures of birds living in Iguassu Falls? And what about hearing the real sounds of some of them? To know about birds in Iguassu Falls you can visit our easy bird watching page and come back to continue your tour.
The Lower Circuit also puts you in contact with two lateral falls in the area, the Lanuse and the Alvar Nunez Fall.
Visiting the San Martin Island was a chalenge but well worth climbing those steep stairways! And now our fun facts about Argentina continues with the most "gorgeous" attraction of the Iguassu Falls. This attraction is easy but carries a somewhat scary name: Devils Gorge, the place where the Earth seems to swallow the Iguassu River. Don't miss it! If you have just arrived to our site you can continue reading about our experiences moving from
fun facts about Argentina to our family vacation getaway page.
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