Gabi Lardies recalls a visit with family in Buenos Aires and a side mission to the largest waterfall system in the world.
For three years my partner patiently sat through family dinners where he was exclusively served beef with crusty white bread and a little iceberg lettuce and tomato salad on the table for appearances sake. He pricked up his ears to try to follow the Spanglish and learned to love dulce de leche. When lockdowns passed and borders opened, it was time to show him where I’m from and to show him off to two easily excitable grandmas in their 90s. In December 2022, we headed to Buenos Aires, Argentina.
For me, being in that city does not feel quite like a holiday, but rather a parallel life. I know the streets, the language, how to get around, the food is not so different to Mum’s cooking and I slip back into a loving net of family. Also, it’s total chaos. Most of my family live in the central city, and on the first night when the sound of the city floated through the window all through the night my partner assumed it was a special occasion. It was a Wednesday. After two weeks we decided to have a holiday within a holiday. Luckily there is more (much more!) to Argentina than its capital.
I’d already been to the Iguazú Falls as a tween with my parents so initially it wasn’t the destination of choice, but it was the wrong season to watch the orca swoop on sea lions at Peninsula Valdes and we hadn’t brought any warm clothes to see the glaciers. My grandma had recently been to Iguazú and insisted it wasn’t a one and done situation. When her pamphlets told us there were capuchin monkeys there, we booked our flights.
Where did you go?
The Iguazú Falls, “las cataratas”, are on the border of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. We stayed on the Argentinian side, though some tourists pop over to Brazil for a day to get a different view. While the name is all about the falls – fair considering it is the world’s largest waterfall system – the setting of all this falling water is equally beautiful. The falls are in a subtropical rainforest, “la selva”, moist and heaving with plants, bugs, mammals and all sorts of life.
What was your itinerary?
We went to Iguazú for five days. Since we had good advice and native Spanish, we chose not to join a tour and instead made our own itinerary – it was easy to get around and we enjoyed the freedom it gave us from set schedules and big groups. I think if we had stuck to a tour, we wouldn’t have had our capuchin highlight.
We spent two whole days at Parque Nacional Iguazú, the national park. The first day we ticked all the big boxes – going on the Rainforest Ecological Train, walking the main routes to see the postcard shots of the falls and the boardwalks that lead you over water to the biggest fall, Garganta del Diablo (the Devil’s throat). We went slowly, taking our time to inspect butterflies and plants and watch out for monkeys.
On the second day, we splashed out on La Gran Aventura – it started with a 4×4 ride through a jungle track and ended with a boat ride that took us up the rapids and under some of the smaller waterfalls. When my partner saw the water that the boat fights its way up, he said, “they’d never let you do this in New Zealand”. It’s true – was thrilling.
Next, we made some enquiries about the monkeys. I was desperate to see them. A kind local selling water advised us that we were most likely to see them away from the busy tracks. She told us about a quiet, small, long track which leads away from the impressive waterfalls deeper into the selva to a modest waterfall. If we walked along that slowly and quietly, she thought we’d have a good chance of seeing a troupe of capuchins. She was right.
On the third day, we rested our weary legs, spending the morning mooching around the hotel and swimming in the pool. In the afternoon we headed into town to see the Tríplice Fronteira, where a painted obelisk (they love these in Argentina) marks the spot where you can see all three neighbouring countries.
On the fourth day, we went to the wildlife refuge GüiráOga. Here there are some beautiful painted murals where you can learn the names of different butterflies. You are taken through the enclosures with a guide – our one was protective of the animals and banned flash photography and speaking loudly. It was incredible to see a blind puma from just a few meters away. On the fifth day we had a quick swim in the hotel pool before heading to the airport. We didn’t want to leave.
How tricky was transport?
So easy – flights from Buenos Aires take two hours and can cost under $200 NZD. When we arrived, there were a couple of shuttle services taking groups to accommodation, and heaps of taxis too. There are public buses that run from town to the national park and make stops near hotels on the way. If you don’t want to wait or feel anxious about your ability to navigate, taxis are really affordable and friendly.
Where did you stay?
The first time I went with my family we stayed at a cheap motel in some dusty far-away part of the town. I remember it seeming like the middle of nowhere, and that it had been hard for us to find any food nearby. I knew I didn’t want to do this again, and my partner has a penchant for nice hotels. My great aunt insisted that we had to stay somewhere IN the jungle, in between town and the national park. The options there tend to be resort-like and at least twice the price of staying in town. I was hesitant to spend so much because previously I had thought of accommodation as simply a place to sleep, but my partner insisted on staying somewhere nice. It probably helped that Argentina’s economic crisis meant that for us and our New Zealand income, everything was relatively cheap.
The hotel inside the national park was too extravagant, but we found one in the jungle with good reviews called La Aldea De La Selva. It’s beautifully crafted from wood, and rather than being a giant building it’s a series of smaller ones nestled into the jungle. I remember the shuttle turning down a little rutted road into a jungle that got denser and denser, and then the wooden lodge being only half visible through the vegetation. When we got out the bug-calls were so loud we could hardly hear each other. It was so magic. Our room had a private porch with a hammock that looked straight into the jungle and we spent every night there listening to all the bugs and their incredible song.
What was the highlight?
There are two – the first is the bug song that we heard only because of where we stayed. I’ve never before been entranced by bugs – I thought they were just yuck. But when you hear those melodic drones layered and layered on top of each other it gives you a new appreciation.
The second highlight was seeing a troupe of capuchin monkeys in the national park. We saw about eight in a family-like group with two little young ones. They were moving through the jungle, which meant that they literally crossed the path. We stopped and let them pass. At times they were about two metres from us, checking the trees for snacks and hollows of water to drink. I’ve seen plenty of cute photos of them on the internet, but was delightfully surprised to hear their sweet little calls to each other. They were not too fussed about us, though unlike what I hear about monkeys in other parts of the world, they are timid.
What was the best meal or snack you had?
We went to a local parilla in town and got a “asado para dos”. It came out on a small grill to keep everything hot and included cultural classics like beef, beef and more beef. [OK it is different parts of the cow, which do have to be tried – chinchulin, molleja, riñón and the best thing you will ever eat, morcilla.] There was far too much meat for two people so we went home with the meat-sweats. It cost about a quarter of the food at the hotel or touristy destinations and was much more flavourful. It’s important to note that if there isn’t chimmi-churri on the table, you must ask for it. I couldn’t tell you what the place was called – you really just have to walk around town and see where people look like they’re having a good time.
Obviously on your trip you will have empanadas for almost every lunch and facturas for breakfast. Another lunch option is a choripan. The pizza and pasta must be tried too, as must a milanesa. And the ice cream – anything sold per scoop is probably incredible. For a sweet treat in the afternoon, have an alfajor, they are a matter of national pride.
What is one piece of advice you’d give to someone going?
It’s true, you must stay in accommodation in the jungle.
Would you go back?
Absolutely – even though I already have. I love the selva and its inhabitants. There’s a few things we didn’t have time for, like horse treks. But Argentina is a big country and there are other things on my list – next will be the Valdés Peninsula.
