Destination Iguazu Falls – Rainbow’s End in South America
How do you end a fabulous 12-day cruise that plies the Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina coastline? Paul and I decided to take a trip to Iguazu Falls which spans the Argentina and Brazil border, one of the world’s largest and arguably the most spectacular chasms. This is our second experience with taking a post-cruise trip, which we have found is a stress-free way to see an exotic destination. We were refreshed and relaxed after 12 days of being pampered on Oceania, one of our favorite cruise lines. Cruising is a great way to see several destinations without packing and re-packing. More on that later …
After a two-hour flight from Buenos Aires and private transfer to the Sheraton Hotel at the Iguazu National Park, we enjoyed the spectacular views and relaxed. It was a good thing we rested because we had a full day of touring – starting with the Brazil side for its vistas of the entire falls and then back to the national park in Argentina to commence our hikes along the falls. One of the hikes took us to the entrance of Devils Throat – a narrow chasm where half of the river flows. It’s wet, misty, and absolutely spectacular. Happily we were afforded ponchos which were even more of a necessity on our boat ride under the falls the following day. Our speedboat took us inside the Garganta del Diablo (Devils Throat) Canyon – awesome! We also took a nature hike where we got up close and personal with monkeys and the ubiquitous coatis. Coatis are the South American cousins of raccoons, and tourists feed them so I had to shoo more than one of them away. Staying 2 nights and spreading our tours over two days was almost perfect, but I’d recommend lightening up one of the days’ schedules to allow more time to enjoy the spa services at the lovely Sheraton. Paul and I had a great time enjoying a hydrotherapy regime.
Speaking of relaxation, our Oceania cruise was fantastic – 12 nights aboard the lovely Oceania M/S Regatta. We embarked at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and ended our cruise in Bueno Aires, Argentina. A highlight for me was Uruguay. We took the opportunity to tour Montevideo, Uruguay’s capital and a beautiful, affluent Latin American city as well as Punta del Este, Uruguay’s top beach resort destination.
On board, we enjoyed wonderful service and meals. Oceania’s food, under the executive culinary direction of none other than Jacques Pepin, is world-renowned and award-winning. We were able to enjoy specialty dining at Toscana (Italian) and the Polo Grill (steak and seafood) as well as the grand dining room where a beautiful array of dishes, from Jacques Pepin French signature plates to Canyon Ranch healthy, flavorful cuisine were available. This was my third Oceania cruise and it won’t be my last, and I know why so many of my clients who enjoy luxury cruising swear by this cruise line.
South America and/or luxury cruising on your list? Give me or any one of Bay World’s travel advisors a call. We’d love to collaborate with you to make your travel dream a reality.