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From Iguazú to Bom Jardim da Serra - Brazil's South
Leaving Paraguay, entering Argentina, and on to Brazil’s south. To visit world-famous Iguazú Falls, then cruising thru the hills towards the Atlantic coast. A journey thru Brazil’s wealthiest agricultural land, peculiar villages founded by Germans or Austrians, and our 1st experience with a Portuguese-speaking country.
Ciudad del Este 2 Bom Jardim da Serra
Puerto Iguazú, 26th January
The final morning in Paraguay. In Ciudad del Este.
Time to move on. To Argentina’s Puerto Iguazú. Just on the other side of the Rio Paraná. There’s only a small ferry connecting the 2 countries. Sounds intriguing.
Just a short drive to reach there. At the Paragui’s customs, we quickly realize that they’re not really in the mood to accept our TIP. Probably they simply don’t know how to handle this issue. Anyway, we get rid of this piece of paper, and we observe that they just put it somewhere on a shelf.
Then we’re cruising along Rio Paraná. Just 20′ to get to Puerto Iguazú, Argentina.
Again, immigration and customs. Easy. Just customs discover that the last time we left Argentina, the guys didn’t cancel our TIP. But who cares, probably in the meantime Prado has 10 open TIPs in this country, and still crosses its borders without any issue.
Puerto Iguazú: a town mainly living of the nearby falls. Many sleeperies, many watering holes, elderly tourists, quietly sitting in the shade, sweat dripping down, and backpackies with enormous packs on their backs and their beauty case in the hand, sneaking thru town in search of the hostel with the most adventurous tours.
Of course, there’s also a viewpoint to admire, the confluence of Rio Paraná and Iguazú, as well as to see the 3 countries Argentina, Brazil’n’Paraguay.
Time for a beer. At our favorite bar when in Argentina.
The next morning, we’re ready for Argentina’s ultimate mass tourism hotspot: Cascadas de Iguazú. Not only each’n’every Argy and Brazi has to see the falls, but every innocent U.S. citizen also needs to be able to tell their neighbor in Winnemucca, Nevada or Intercourse, Pennsylvania, how great they are.
We take the local bus from Puerto Iguazú. Just a short ride to the entrance. Since we’re quite early in the morning, there are mostly locals sneaking around. Looks like US citizens are still munching their eggless scrambled eggs made out of a Tetra pack. The very 1s you had to enjoy each’n’every morning in each’n’every motel in the States.
Still, we’re not the only 1s visiting.
We walk a few 100m thru the forest to reach the 1st viewpoint. On the way, we encounter the 1st coaties. It seems like nobody takes care of them. The poor guys have to steal all their food from unsuspecting tourists.
Time to queue up a bit. Visibly, by now the masses of tourists have arrived.
Then on to the next loop. It’s getting more difficult to sneak on the catwalks. At the viewpoints, you need to queue up. Wait until everybody has taken a pic of themselves with some falling water in the background. Wondering why there’s no app on their smartphone to do this artistic work for Insta.
The falls really are impressive, however the entry prize is quite steep considering that quite a few places are closed due to repairs after flooding last October.
Foz do Iguaçu, 28th January
After 2 days in Argentina, it’s time to hit the road to Brazil. So, we’re on our way from Puerto Iguazú to Foz do Iguaçu. Some 10km to drive over a bridge, passing thru customs’n’immigration. The formalities just take a few minutes. Well, on the Argentinian side customs just takes the TIP, without any stamps or something else to prove that Prado left. Should we enter Argentina again, probably they’ll ask once more if we really left with the car. In Brazil, the customs officer is definitely keen to fill in the form for Prado. Just it doesn’t seem to be an easy task for him. Fortunately, he gets someone on the phone to guide him through each line. Great.
Foz de Iguaçu – a rather nondescript town. Mainly dedicated to tourists’ urgent needs: sleeperies, watering holes, and a few shops.
For us an opportunity to get some cash, and a new SIM card. And to practice our non-existent Portuguese.
It’s well known that getting a local SIM card in Brazil is a real pain in the ass for foreigners without a CPF – that famous number each Brazie needs to navigate the country’s administrative jungle daily. Of course, we do not have this doggy tag. So, we need a genuine Claro shop with an employee who speaks English or Spanish. Google knows the place. The folk there know what we need, and a few minutes later the tourist’s main problem in Brazil is solved. True, this is not the cheapest solution to get airtime in Brazil. But still much cheaper than an international card, like Airalo.
The next morning we’re having an Uber to arrive at the waterfalls on the Brazy side. Seeing the hordes trying to get to the falls at the entrance gate, we have to apologize for all our remarks about mass tourism on the Argy side.
However, we must admit, the guys are well-organized to handle all these hordes of tourists.
You simply wait a few minutes to have your cellphone with the ticket scanned, then you hop on 1 of these national park buses departing every few minutes for the 1 and only trail.
The bus stops at the famous Belmont Hotel. Of course, if you intend to stay in this beautiful pink building, they’ll be more than happy to welcome you. Just pay 1000$ a night. And for that, you even get a reasonable breakfast.
For everyone else, start the trail at this point. Just find your place in the queue and enjoy hiking.
On the way, there are quite a lot of viewpoints. Some just for a quick look, while others are real Insta-points. For the latter, you risk queuing up for quite a long time. Everybody has to get there, striking a pose in 1 way or another. This way, everyone gets their picture with the very same background that everybody else on Insta has. Hopefully, you get the point.
The most spectacular viewpoint is the Garganta do Diabo. A catwalk built over the river to reach the edge of the gorge – with the huge waterfall in the background.
Of course, at that place you won’t be alone. Certainly, you’ll share it with a few hundred Insta-posers, girls in desperate need of a shower, and guys who have to prove that their cellphone is waterproof.
Urubiçi, 31st January
After nearly 4 days of gazing at these falling waters of Rio Iguazú, we need a change. Despite its claim to be Brazil’s top view, we need to investigate if this country really doesn’t have any other sights.
So, the next morning, we’re on the road. To Urubiçi. The gateway to Parque Nacional de Saõ Joaquim. About 850km. Definitely not a one-day trip. Especially given Brazil’s often mediocre, and truck-infested roads.
Today we’re just heading for Pato Branco. Just 330km, about 5h of driving thru hilly agricultural and forested landscapes. Most farms just produce the veggie muncher’s ultimate dream – soybeans. You know that veggie that can be transformed into steaks, sausages, and even beaconless beacon and eggless eggs for breakfast with sophisticated chemical processes.
In the afternoon, we arrive in Pato Branco. By Brazilian standards, a tiny town. Just 70’000 inhabitants.
The town – ok for a night. Nothing special, a few locals even wonder why innocent tourists like us choose to stay a night there.
Whatever, time for a beer at the street side and some exercises in Portuguese.
The next day. We start pretty early. To Treze Tilias. About 220km and 4h away. Road’n’landscape: pretty much the same as yesterday.
Arriving in Treze Tilias, you immediately sense that this is somehow a special village. Houses have a different look, street names are different, and Austrian flags and cupolas adorn the roofs. If you pause for a minute, you can be sure someone asks you in the broadest Tyrolean dialect if they can help you.
No wonder: some 150 years ago, Austrian immigrants settled here. Over the generations, they largely preserved their identity and enhanced their cultural heritage to a degree you wouldn’t find anywhere in today’s Austria. They market it as a form of Brazilian ethno-tourism. Well, in Europe, we might perceive it a bit differently.
Hey, if you happen to find yourself in Treze Tilias, definitely explore it – even if it seems a bit kitschy.
In the evening, while sipping a Bierbaum Pilsener, we discover some interesting stuff: it turns out, that to explore a part of Parque Nacional de São Joaquim, we need a permit. To be requested online, precisely 7 days before the date of visit. To fill in the form, of course, we need a Brazilian license plate and that so important CPF. This magical number each’n’every Brazi must-have to survive. What the hell.
Ok, quickly we morph Prado’s plate into a kind of a Brazilian 1. At least, Mr. Google is happy with it. As for the CPF, we use a website called CPF Generator. A site simply creating CPF numbers. Of course, not government-approved 1s, just a bunch of digits. But – here it works. Remains just 1 pain in the ass – we’re planning to visit tomorrow, not in 7 days. Let’s see how it works.
The next day. The final stretch to Urubiçi. Just about 300km.
The 1st part landscape as usual. Then towards Urubiçi, it gets a bit more mountainous.
Urubiçi: not the kind of village to dream about. Rather the place to spend the night, grab a beer, and munch on a trout.
And, most importantly, the place where you might pick up the permit for the national park, provided you’ve been waiting for 7 days.
Well, Monika strolls into the office and explains to the smart lady in a mix of Portuguese, Spanish, and English that our request still awaits approval. From what Monika gathers from her reactions, it seems the lady is just thrilled that a foreigner ever has graced her office. So, no need for further investigations. She just acknowledges our application – and we have the permit. Easy, isn’t it?
Bom Jardim da Serra, 1st February
We’re ready to discover the national park. To start with to its highest point: Morro da Ingreja. The place we need this permit for. Just a short drive from Urubiçi. A checkpoint at the entrance of the park, then a paved, but steep road up to about 1800m. On the way a short stroll to a viewpoint, …
… followed by another short drive. And we’re on the top. Probably a beautiful view – if there are no clouds.
Back to the main road. Heading east until we reach the famous Serra Corvo Branco. The road passes a 100m deep cut into the rock followed by a series of tight hairpins descending into the valley. A trucker’s nightmare, yet a biker’s dream.
After this incredible Insta-spot, we’re heading back to Urubiçi and onwards to Bom Jardim on the southern side of the national park. Just around 50km away.
Hey everyone, that’s it for this post. Surely, you’ve been falling asleep while reading each’n’every line. So, why bother writing more?
Cheeeers
Monika’n’Martin