Puerto Iguazú

Puerto Iguazú stands where the Iguazú river flows into the Paraná, with Brazil and Paraguay on the opposite banks. The Cataratas del Iguazú are eighteen kilometres away: some two hundred and seventy falls along a curve of almost three kilometres, with the Garganta del Diablo at its centre. The Argentine side puts the visitor in among them, above and below, on walkways through the forest; the Brazilian side, across the river, gives the panorama. Around the town, the Paranaense forest is still thick, with lodges hidden in the Iryapú reserve, and down the Paraná, fifty minutes away, La Lorenza is a private reserve of orchids, butterflies and birds.

The usual stay is two or three nights. The first full day belongs to the Argentine side: the lower circuit and a boat ride up to the base of the falls, the upper circuit along the edge, and the Garganta del Diablo at the end of the day, when the crowds have thinned. The next morning goes to the Brazilian side. The rest is the forest: a bike ride down the Yaguareté trail, an old pioneers' road into the park by 4x4, a canopy circuit of zip lines and rappel, or birdwatching at dawn. Iguazú connects by air with Buenos Aires and Salta, and by road with the lodges of the north-east and with Iberá.

The park opens all year. Early mornings and late afternoons are the best times on the walkways in any season.