Trails in Iguazú National Park

Activity

By Katrina McKeever

There are four easy trails linking the park that can be explored without guides. The best way to tackle them is to hit the 3600meter Macuco Nature Trail first thing to catch a glimpse of some monkeys, coati and other wildlife before the tour bus hoards hit the park. The woodsy trail cuts through the forest surrounding the park leading down to a small waterfall. Allow three hours to see the lot with pauses for wildlife watching and bring insect repellent.

As for the falls, these are best revealed in glimpses, leading up to the main event, the jaw dropping view of the devil's throat which should be saved for last. Catch a traion or walk the 15 minutes to the start of The Circuito Inferior trail. The series of catwalks lead along a pleasent shadey walk from the entrance past Salto Lamuse and Salto Alvar Nuñez up to the launch for the free one minute boat ride across to Isla San Martin. Conitue the trail across on the island, keeping watch out for the rich variety of bird life sherltering there. The trail continues over the river with stunning views of the Salto San Matrin and Salto Dos Hermanos, ending back at the watchtower. Allow two hours for the whole trail. The Paseo Superior is a similair one hour walk giving views of the same waterfalls but from above this time. A short route, it should take no more than one hour with frequent pauses for photos and lizard spotting. For the final course, take the free train up to the Garganta del Diablo and enjoy the stunningly serene swamp land as butterflies float past. With luck, you can spot aligators in the water. The catwalk ends with a platform over the awesome and spectacular semi circular cascading Devil's Throat. The pure white spray thunders over the edge with such terrific power it ends clouds of spray into the air visible for miles around.