Argentina-Patagonia-Iguazu Falls: Final Thoughts

This trip was a long time in the making and it worked out just as I had thought in my mind, some even more beautifully than I had imagined. 

Say Hueque – I just came across this company on a google search but I am so glad I found them. This was the best decision I made. They worked with me to make sure I had a good trip. They were able to extend my itinerary to Iguazu falls and Buenos Aires as I had needed. The only thing is they select some expensive hotels. A bit cheaper would have been good. But all in all I am very happy with this company. There were two main things that bothered me: one - they take credit card but charge a fee for it or you can give them your bank info. If I had known this before, I would have paid using my bank for one big payment and be done with it. The second thing was how much tipping was involved: $20/day for guide and $3 for driver and we had 2 other guides and about 4-5 drivers in all. Each time Pili would pass an envelop. Tipping was not mandatory, but it would have been nice to know in advance so I could bring some change. I had only big notes. 

Food – Food was the worst for me here. There is hardly anything vegetarian to eat, and whatever there was, it was not tasty. I was just managing. Breakfast was boring every single place. I had to buy lunch/dinner maybe 3-4 times. Thrice with the group and twice on my own. Only the Italian food was good, everything else is forgettable. There are too many sweet things in the morning and only eggs in the name of salty. Oh well…

Transport – Say Hueque booked all my pick ups and transfers from airport and for the tours. All were fantastic. All drivers were professional and safe. I could have probably used Uber for my airport transfers but I was not comfortable and also did not know about safety. But it is all safe. 

Bus use in BA is very easy, especially with google maps. I used it all the time. Couple times I had to use Uber because I had to be at my tour at a particular time at a certain place. Uber was not that expensive – 40 min ride was $12. I did not need to use the train. During the tour, we did not need any transport as all the towns were small and walkable. In El Calafate we used taxi, which was also not expensive. You can call taxi with whatsapp number.

Flying on Aerolinias Argentina – This was quite a pleasant experience. I was not sure how flying here would be – but it was great. First there is a carry on weight restriction of 13 kg. Mine was not weighed as I walked right in through security. Security was always a breeze. No issues of taking off shoes or taking out electronics. Boarding was smooth by zone. One can check in up to 48 hrs ahead of time and pick out their seats, which I did, as I always want the window seat in a new country. Placing carry on in the luggage compartment was not an issue. Not one time did I hear any agent calling for anyone to check in their carry on luggage for lack of space, like in USA. All flights included a drink and some cookies. The pilots were amazing. I did not feel any ear pressure changes at all! And I got miles on my Delta account.

Hotels – These were booked by Say Hueque and were all good. The locations were excellent. The only thing I wish they had was a hot water kettle and tea in the rooms. The Patagonia hotels did not have AC because it is usually cold there. But overall, all good.

Money – I could use my card at all the main stores and tourist places. The only time I needed cash was with small vendors and in some cases to get a discount on the goods. I exchanged $100 in the hotel (Dazzler in BA) and in one other place I used another $100 to pay for about $55 goods and got back money in pesos. I managed to spend all my pesos either in shopping or giving tips. I would say have a small amount of pesos as the exchange rate changed quickly – it was 1060 when I came and 1300 when I left. Many vendors don't mind taking dollars.

Water – Water was drinkable everywhere from tap except Iguazu. There I was advised by the hotel staff to use only bottled water. They could fill the bottles but there was not a place for us to refill ourselves. Again – no major issues. I just went to the local grocery store and bought a large water bottle.

Walking – There was soooo much walking involved in this vacation. I guess it is in all. But this one also required waterproof shoes, hiking shoes and definitely good walking shoes. My Columbia hiking shoes turned out to be fantastic. I needed them in the national parks and also Iguazu falls.

Toilets – It was not too hard to find toilets. Most restaurants would have them. All parks had restrooms in many locations. The only place we had to go in nature was in El Chalten hikes. The best thing I have learned is to go whenever you see a restroom. 

Safety - My biggest concern about traveling alone is always safety. I am careful myself anyways, but I felt safe in BA and IF. I was not out too late in BA, IF I was out for dinner one time, but again, no safety concerns. It was all good. I think there are localities where one should be careful, I was not in any of those. 

All in all, it was a great trip. Highlights were the glacier and Iguazu Falls for me.

Argentina-Patagonia: Iguazu Falls

Getting to Iguazu Falls was a full day journey for me. I had to fly from El Calafate to BA, wait an hour or so, and then get on another flight to Iguazu Falls. I started at about 8 am and reached hotel at Iguazu about 8 pm. Long day. The interesting thing about boarding the flight to Iguazu was that we had to take a bus which drove us out to the tarmac to use the stairs to board the plane. 

I was feeling just a bit lonely without the Patagonia group and without Pili telling me where to go 😁

The hotel, Jardin de Iguazu, was wonderful, right near the city center and easy to get around for eating and shopping. 

3 April: Iguazu Falls/Argentina Side

Today is going to be a fantastic day. I am going to see Iguazu falls. 

Had to get up early to get breakfast at 7 am since I am being picked up at 7:40 am. I had to buy tickets for Iguazu falls (IF), it was not included in my tour. The ticket is about $26. We reached the park by 9ish or so as there were other passengers to pick up. We had to take the train to the second stop to see devils throat. The first stop is for the upper and lower walkways. The train was at 9:30 so we just waited around. I asked Maru, the guide about the program and she gave me some half hearted answer about doing only the upper walk and not the lower one (we did both though). 

The walk to the devils throat from the train was still about one mile. But it was a nice walk. First goal was to see the falls and then to walk slowly back for seeing wildlife. 

I am not sure what words to use for the devils throat – I think the name says it all. The Iguazu river is not too deep yet the water falling in that fall is just amazing and with tremendous force. It was great. Spent about 10-15 mins there and then walked back. Saw a fish, a turtle. There is wildlife everywhere and the flowers are also beautiful. There are so many scenic spots even on the river. And so many butterflies! 

We took the train back to the first stop from where we began the upper walk. So we are walking above the falls. The views are great and the force of water is something to respect. There are some portions of the falls named – the long series of falls are San Martin falls. Just spectacular. 

After finishing that round, we stopped for lunch. Had barely 30 mins to eat. Lunch lines were too long. If this is off season, I am not sure how they handle the season. At 1:45pm we were to walk the lower loop. I think I like the lower loop better, we can see more of the falls. The upper loop shows the river more than the falls. Anyway – again, a great walk. Saw some other falls also on the side. 

There were rainbows here and there since the sun had come out by 11ish. Just beautiful.

We then separated into two groups, one for the boat ride, and one not. There were 6 of us taking the boat ride in the tour. I bought the ticket, $75, right there and then. The Iguazu jungle company drove many of us in an open bus through the jungle to the river. We still had to go down many many steps (maybe 300?) to get to the boat. It was super well organized. First they gave us dry bags, then one person put on life jacket on us, next another person buckled us up and within a minute we were in the boat. I took off my shoes so they don’t get wet. The dry bag was big enough to hold 2 bag packs. So all packed in and we were set to go. I did have my camera case out for water. 

The boat ride was just wonderful! I am so glad I did this. After 5 mins or so I could see the waterfalls. The boat driver was really fun – he gave us a few bumps here and there for fun. They were recording the whole experience. We started getting under water even before San Martin falls. It was soooo much fun, and we did get drenched completely. There were 2-3 rainbows, kind of small so easy to capture but now I have to use my waterproof camera case so hopefully I will see them in the photos (I did!).

The boat then took us under the San Martin falls….oohhh that was just awesome. Getting wet, all white water around us and just something else to be under the waterfalls. What an experience. By this time we were all soaked wet. It felt really good after the hot walks we had been taking.

The way back was as organized as in. there was an additional stop for the video/photo purchase – for $20. I decided to get it! Why not?! 

The walk up was not that fun, but I made it. Today coming down was really hard on my right knee. Anyway, made it back to the entrance by 5ish. The park is almost closed now.  

I made it at 5:50 pm to the hotel, just in time for the last caipirinha drink. I sat out by the pool for a while. Went to Holy pizza for some much needed food. Great pizza! Even the small one was large for me. I had to get half to go for tomorrow. 

4 April: Iguazu Falls/Brazil side

Had a really good sleep. I was so tired yesterday. Have to get up early again and also checkout of the hotel. I was ready after breakfast at 7:15 am. My tour guide, Francisco, came on time and I was soo ready to go. We picked up two more couples and then we were on our way. He did the customs for us at the border. Just took our passports and went inside and came out, and we moved to Brazil immigration. We had to go in and get our passport stamped. Yay!! I love getting stamps on my passport. 

The bridge between Argentina and Brazil was lovely. It was over Iguazu river and half the river had Argentina color pavers while half had Brazilian colors. So cool!! 

On the Brazilian side there is a lot of construction going on. Looks like a lot of development. Our guide told us that it is not just Brazil, but Paraguay, that is the big shopping hub for both countries. At this point of Iguazu, all three countries meet. Paraguay is much cheaper than both countries. But I think there are Chinese goods everywhere. Some of these gifts that I have been buying are just cheap Chinese stuffs.

The Iguazu falls park is not far from the border. First I have to buy a ticket (About $20). I went into the gift shop…really cool stuff inside. But its time to see the falls. Generally a park bus will take the people to the start of the walking trail, which is about 20 mins slow drive. But our tour company (and probably others), have obtained a pass so they can also drive inside the park. They just need to carry a gadget that monitors their speed. The park is much bigger on the Brazil side and they are doing a good job of conservation, as is Argentina. 

The Brazil side of the park is viewing the falls, while Argentinian side is walking the falls. You can get really close to the falls in Argentina, hence the two trails, upper and lower. The panoramic view is only from Brazil. Each has its value. You don’t even get the panoramic view from the boat that I did yesterday.

Anyways….starting point itself was a wow!! This trail is not too big. It can be done in about hour and a half, depending on how many photos you take and admire the falls. It was cloudy when we started but got sunny later on. The weather was just perfect to be walking and enjoying the falls. Each view was better than the other. I could see the Argentinian viewpoints just like I saw the Brazilian ones yesterday. One cannot really get a huge panoramic view from any one of these points because the falls are spread out and all over the place in a kind of canyon. So there is no way to capture them all, except from the air. (A 10 min helicopter ride is about $130 - forget that). 

At the end was the Devil’s throat view point. Brazil has done a fantastic job of making the viewpoints. This viewpoint is the wettest one. I had not worn my waterproof shoes today, so I had to be a bit careful. It was okay, but the drizzle from the falls was falling all over and it was just too cool to be there. I just wished to stay there for an hour or more. It was so fascinating for me. I love waterfalls and now I am just surrounded by them!!

Camera did get a bit wet, but I did not care much. I went ahead with my photography. Morning time is good because there is less crowd. By this time the sun was out and rainbows had started forming….ooohhh just lovely to be there. I felt really special to be there (along with the hundreds of others who were there 😊). 

I finally moved from the main viewing point and came to the end of the trail which had a fall that was not visible from Argentina side at all. It was part of the Devil’s throat but I could not see it from other side because of the mist of the thundering falls. 

At this point I saw more rainbows….Amazing! It is just something else to see rainbows, and that too in these special places. I could only think of god at this point and his creation….and how thankful I am to be able to see these places. 

Stopped by the gift shop at the end of the trail to see if I could waste some money, of course I did!! 

Took the lift upstairs and it was time to go back. It was only 11 am! We had done the walk in less than two hours. The drive back was uneventful. I took photo of the bridge pavers with the two country colors. I love both countries but I love Argentina more. Just like Norway, Argentina is in my blood somehow.

We had dropped off two people at the airport and went back through the same process of Brazil immigration and customs. Argentina does not stamp the passport.

I asked Francisco to help me do something for the next two hours and he suggested the river walk to the point where the three countries meet. He dropped me off at San Martin square and from there I started walking downhill towards the river. It was a pleasant walk. There was not much shade and it was getting hot since it was almost noon. The 2 km walk was nice and had many things to see, if one wants, on the way. There was a Lourdes praying place, some murals, some carving, just a nice walk. I reached the convergence point. Since it is about 1 pm, there is no one there except the sun 😊. A really sweet lady took my photo with IGUAZU sign. There were some tourist shops there, but I don’t need anything.

From there the walk back to the hotel was also about 2 km. after a while it became a nice walk since there were a lot of trees. This direction of coming back was great since it is all on one level. (the other one would have been all uphill – thanks to Francisco for guiding). Again, the walk was simple for most, but for me it was full of murals, flowers, sculptures and yes, I had to buy a coke. It was so darn hot! Came to the San Martin square and sat for a while. After a bit of a break, walked towards the hotel. There were many tourist shops on the way, and plenty local eateries too. 

Its good to be sitting down now. Finished my leftover pizza – the hot one was 100 times better, but this was not bad either. Now I am just charging my electronics and writing my blog. 

I was picked up for airport at 5 pm.  All smooth going, reached BA by night. Back to Dazzler again. 

Argentina-Patagonia - The Planning

I had always wanted to go to Argentina to see the mountains and of course Iguazu falls. This year is the year!

I searched for a company that could plan for me since I don't speak Spanish. I was hoping they would make a tour for me from Patagonia, Buenos Aires and Iguazu Falls. I looked for a bunch of the standard companies but they were not able to provide extensions to BA and IF. I kept searching and found this company called Say Hueque (pronounced Saai Huaykay). The lady, Melina, said there was a tour going in March if I wanted to join a solos tour. Perfect! It would be a small group of 15 people. And they can provide me extensions for BA and IF. Also great! 

The tour itself starts from El Calafate and was about $3500 but that excluded getting to El Calafate from BA. Then I will have to fly back to BA and then to IF. They will make the reservations for me, air, hotel, transfers from airport. All would come around $6000. Sounds good to me. This does not include travel from USA. That is fine. I can do those.

So it was done! I paid 60% in Jan and the rest in March. So I am all set. The program is as follows:

21 March - Depart for BA,
22 - arrive BA,
23 - spend in BA,
24 - leave for El Calafate where the tour starts
24-2 April - Patagonia tour: El Calafate to El Chaltein to El Calafate to Puerto Natales (Chile) and back to El Calafate.
2 April - leave for BA after tour, reach IF same day
3-4 - Iguazu Falls
5-6 - BA and back to USA.

I booked my flight using Travelocity from West Palm Beach. I went to Houston to Buenos Aires and same route back (about $1000). Next time for South America I should book from Miami. One mistake I made was that I was supposed to book flight back on 5th but booked it for 6th, so ended up spending one more day in BA which actually worked out perfectly.

Argentina Map