Iguaçu Falls & Paraguay 巴西伊瓜苏瀑布与巴拉圭
August 28，2025
This morning we said goodbye to Argentina. Our Argentine driver picked us up at 8:00 a.m. and drove us to the border. At the Argentine customs, we met our Brazilian driver who guided us through the exit process. There was no queue and the whole procedure took just five minutes, although we noticed a long line of cars and taxis waiting to cross. Once cleared, we transferred our luggage into a van and drove toward the Brazilian side. There, we had to step out and enter the customs building to get our passports stamped. Again, the process was quick and painless.
Afterward, we dropped our bags at our hotel near the border before heading directly to Iguaçu National Park on the Brazilian side. Being among the first tourists to enter, we boarded the park bus and rode to the trailhead.
The view was absolutely breathtaking. A massive wall of waterfalls stretched before us, roaring with energy. As we walked along the trail toward the platform extending to the Devil’s Throat viewpoint, rainbows arched above the mist and the spray soaked us through. Watching speedboats dart into the thundering falls, just as we had the day before, only heightened the drama.
No words could truly capture the experience of seeing so many cascades and rainbows all in one place—it was unforgettable.
After the hike, we settled for a simple lunch of fish and chips on a terrace with a distant view of the falls. The Brazilian park is much smaller than the Argentine side, and most visitors can explore it comfortably in three to four hours.
At 1:30 p.m., our driver returned to take us across yet another border—into Paraguay. Once we realized Paraguay was just a bridge away, we had contacted Iguazufalls.Travel to add it to our itinerary. Because of the country’s low sales taxes, many Brazilians cross over to shop in modern malls near the border. With an open day-trip policy, our driver simply drove us across the congested bridge without customs checks.
Instead of shopping, we continued 15 kilometers inland to visit Monday Falls. Although marvelous in its own right—comparable perhaps to Huangguoshu Waterfall (黄果树大瀑布) in China—it felt like a miniature compared to the grandeur of Iguazú. Still, the peaceful park, nearly empty of tourists, gave us time to enjoy the cascades at our own pace.
On the way back, we stopped at a shopping mall for local ice cream, beer, and coffee, celebrating the thrill of adding a new country to our journey.
二零二五年八月二十八日
今天我们与阿根廷道别。在旅馆吃了早餐，八点司机准时来接，送我们到边境。我们选用的包车公司阿根廷和巴西二边的服务真是无缝衔接。公司在巴西的包车司机在阿根廷海关迎接我们，他详细告知我们如何办理出境手续。因为我们是包车，几乎没有排队，仅五分钟就完成过境。但我们看到自驾车和出租车过境却排起了长队。
换上巴西司机的车后，我们过桥进入巴西一侧，美国公民进巴西需要提前申请签证。下车进海关盖上入境章，手续同样简便顺利。接着先把行李放到今晚入住的旅馆，然后司机载着我们直奔巴西一侧的伊瓜苏国家公园。
我们是最早入园的一批游客，搭上公园的双层巴士来到步道口。巨大的瀑布群扑面而来，轰鸣如雷，水雾弥漫。沿着步道走到魔鬼喉观景平台，眼前是汹涌的水流和缤纷的彩虹。由于步道修建得极其接近瀑布，我们全身湿透，但这种“身临其境”的体验非常震撼无以言表。瀑布与彩虹交织的画面，令人屏息，永远留在记忆中。
结束徒步后，我们在瀑布上面的露台上享用简单的炸鱼，炸鸡和薯条午餐，远眺瀑布。相比阿根廷一侧，巴西公园面积更小，通常三到四小时就能游览完毕。
下午一点半，司机再次来接我们，载着我们跨过另一条国界——进入巴拉圭。前几天得知它只隔一座大桥，我们临时决定增加这一站。这又是包车的好处，包车公司可以按照我们的要求随时作调整。司机告诉我们巴拉圭这里因低税率而成为巴西人的购物天堂，边境一带遍布现代化商场。一日游开放政策两岸人员自由来往，无需通关。
到达巴拉圭后，我们没有停留购物，而是驱车15 公里前往“星期一瀑布”。瀑布本身壮丽，或许堪比中国的黄果树瀑布，但与伊瓜苏相比只能算“小字辈”。园区内游客稀少，几乎被我们“包场”，反而倍感惬意。
返程途中，我们决定在边境旁的巴拉圭商场小憩，尝了当地的冰淇淋、啤酒和咖啡，为旅途中意外多踏足一个新国家举杯庆祝。