The modern bus roars while riders sit on vinyl seats or hang from metal bars to absorb the shocks of the road. Mariza Goulart is on her way to work at Brazil’s Iguaçu National Park, where she sells souvenirs.
While most U.S. visitors take a taxi or tour bus to the national park—known as Iguazú across the border in Argentina or Iguassu in English—the local bus offers an adventure, and all for about $1.50 roundtrip.
In just 30 minutes you’ll cruise through the Brazilian city of Foz do Iguaçu, meet the locals, and get some handy hints on the best tourist attractions from those who know best: the people who work there. Hotel clerks, guides, tour-bus drivers—along with foreign backpackers—fill the bus. Because Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay meet here, many locals also speak Spanish and some English.
Goulart observes, “Argentines and Brazilians talk a lot, but Americans actually buy,” including T-shirts, caps, and mineral stones. Brazil has rich deposits of agate, amethyst, topaz, and other gemstones. With the current exchange rate of 2.3 reals to the dollar, Brazil is a real shopping bargain.
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Try the Rafain Churrascaría, Foz do Iguaçu's famous restaurant and night club. Men and women parade in Carnival-style costumes and demonstrate capoeira, the Brazilian martial art created by African slaves.
A 15-minute bus ride away is Ciudad del Este, Paraguay. Think of it as a mile-long duty-free shop. To visit, U.S. citizens need to obtain a visa in advance in the United States. |
Once there, the national park offers its own bus tour to awe-inspiring views of the 275 waterfalls that make up the region.The last bus stop offers a bird’s-eye view of Floriano Falls, where the tranquil river quickly becomes turbulent rapids, plunges down a treacherous waterfall, and forms a calm pool before descending into another 200-foot waterfall. (The park provides wheelchair-accessible ramps and an elevator for those with limited mobility.)
A series of steel walkways over the falls provides a breathtaking view of the river. The Macuco Safari takes visitors directly under the falls in an inflatable twin-engine boat. Bring a waterproof coat or buy one of the plastic raincoats sold in the park; and even then, be prepared to get wet. Less than 1 percent of the 981,000 tourists visiting Foz do Iguaçu were from the United States in 2004, so you’ll be enjoying a fascinating vacation in a locale few of your compatriots have seen.
