So here I am again after a year off from blogging back to it with a new 'Travel' post.
2017 started off really rocky for me and in true Nic Saint fashion I sought comfort in travel. A way to declutter my brain, experience new adventures and heal myself.
So off I went to STA Travel and decided to tick off my 4th Wonder of the World and head to Brazil. With so many choice available I landed on the Iguassu and Beyond tour which would take me from Buenos Aires through to Iguassu Falls, hitting up a few places in Brazil before finishing in Rio.
I landed at around 6am on a cold Friday morning in Buenos Aires and boy was I totally unprepared for how cold it was going to be. The forecast said 18 degrees but with a cold wind chill it felt like less than 10.
About a ten minute walk from my hotel was Cafe Tortoni which is the oldest Cafe in all of Argentina and opened in 1858. With its mahogany interior and glass ceilings it is a place that feels like stepping back in time. Serving up hot coffee and breakfast there was only one thing I knew I wanted and that was Churros. Once the caffeine and sugar hit my system I knew I had enough fuel to spend a day sight seeing Buenos Aires.
As my tour with G Adventures was not starting until the evening I booked a city tour with Viator which promised to deliver the top sights of BA in a short space of time. As this was a private tour the mini van picked me up from my hotel and along with a handful of other tourists we set off to La Boca. This place is known as the birthplace of Tango and it didn't disappoint. Colourful houses, street art at every corner and bar and restaurants with live tango dancers entertaining the guests.
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| Churros for Breakfast |
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| Cafe Tortoni |
From here it was on to Casa Rosada which is the presidential palace situated next to the beautiful Buenos Aires cathedral.
Finishing up the tour it was on to La Recoleta cemetery, the final resting place of Evita. This place was so beautiful in an eerie (hairs on the back of your arm) kind of way. The decorative detail in the tombs was incredible and even in death these people are still worshipped by their loved ones.
I was dropped back off to my hotel for around 5pm and then it was time to meet the rest of my G Adventures tour and my travel companions for the next 11 days.
From Canadians, to Brits, South Africans and Germans the group was an eclectic mix and over the next 2 weeks we would form new friendships and share lots of laughs.
The majority of the group like me were desperate to eat some traditional Argentinian steak washed down with a glass of Malbec. Our tour guide Luz obliged by taking us to 'El Federal' in the district of San Telmo. After 36 hours of travel and tourism I devoured my dinner and then headed to bed ready for our early start to Foz de Iguacu the next day.
6am bleary eyed and half asleep we took a mini van to the airport and less than 2 hours of a flight later we arrived in humid and rainy Iguacu.
6am bleary eyed and half asleep we took a mini van to the airport and less than 2 hours of a flight later we arrived in humid and rainy Iguacu.
This tour was going to take us to see the falls from both the Argentinian and Brazilian side. Strangely we did the Brazilian side first but as this is a post about Argentina I have skipped forward a day to cover the second day at Iguassu.
Friends had told me they had preferred the views from the ARG side so expectations were high considering the Brazilian side had already blown me away the day before.
The great thing about the Argentinean side is that this is where you can get truly up close and personal with the ferocity of the falls and stand atop the Devils Throat.
This side of the National Park is accessible via a small train followed by a 15 minute walk. You can hear the falls before you can see them and standing next to this magnificent natural wonder I filled up my camera roll with so many photos.
After a quick lunch break of a Spinach Empanada (I ate far too much cheese and pastry on this trip) it was time to take the Iguazu Jungle speed boat right into the Devil's Throat. So once my plastic poncho was on and my valuables tucked safely away we made our way into the falls. This was probably one of my favourite trips during the tour, it was hilarious to get soaked to the bones with fresh natural water. It was surpassingly warmer than I expected but we all were laughing our heads off at how soaked we all were. Well worth the £30 ticket price.
If only the sun had broken through the clouds to give us some blue skies but alas it wasn't meant to be, however the sky did make for some great moody photos.
Friends had told me they had preferred the views from the ARG side so expectations were high considering the Brazilian side had already blown me away the day before.
The great thing about the Argentinean side is that this is where you can get truly up close and personal with the ferocity of the falls and stand atop the Devils Throat.
This side of the National Park is accessible via a small train followed by a 15 minute walk. You can hear the falls before you can see them and standing next to this magnificent natural wonder I filled up my camera roll with so many photos.
After a quick lunch break of a Spinach Empanada (I ate far too much cheese and pastry on this trip) it was time to take the Iguazu Jungle speed boat right into the Devil's Throat. So once my plastic poncho was on and my valuables tucked safely away we made our way into the falls. This was probably one of my favourite trips during the tour, it was hilarious to get soaked to the bones with fresh natural water. It was surpassingly warmer than I expected but we all were laughing our heads off at how soaked we all were. Well worth the £30 ticket price.
If only the sun had broken through the clouds to give us some blue skies but alas it wasn't meant to be, however the sky did make for some great moody photos.
It was a short but sweet trip to Argentina but I have only scratched the surface and promise to be back some day.
Thanks for reading.
Nic x
