Borders – Maldo Travels

Iguazu Falls – Foz do Iguacu, Brazil

Jean Maldonado — Mon, 08 Oct 2018 22:29:00 +0000

From the bus terminal in Puerto Iguazu, we booked a bus to Foz do Iguacu leaving at 8.30 AM for 60 ARS¹ each. The bus seems to be a standard public transport bus rather than a tour company bus. It takes about 10 minutes to cross the bridge and arrive at the Brazilian Customs Border Control office. Here, the driver told us to go to the customs office and that we’ll be picked up from where he left us. There was no one else at the customs office so we got our entry stamp quickly. We then went back to the bus stop and waited for the next bus into town. The next bus which came wasn’t from the company we booked with, but we got on anyway and they didn’t ask to check our ticket. So we assume they just pick people up from here and assume they’ve paid. It was then another 20 minutes to get into town and the bus stopped at several locations, so we got off at one which was close to our hotel.

The City

The city was much bigger than I was expecting, and a lot bigger than Puerto Iguazu. The city center was quite busy and there is even a mall near the city center. Our hotel was in the city center, and after dropping off our bags, we headed to the bus terminal to try and find a bus to the falls. We needed cash though and we stopped by an ATM on the way but it didn’t work. The bus terminal only takes cash, so we headed to the mall which was a 20-minute walk away. There were ATMs there and if they didn’t work for our cards, then we planned to buy a SIM to order an Uber. Luckily. the ATM there worked and at this point, it was around noon so we hailed a taxi to get back to the terminal rather than walk back. However, when we got in the cab, the driver said he could take us to to the national park for 50 BRL². It was only a 30-minute drive by taxi and this was cheaper than expected so we agreed.

Foz do Iguacu National Park

At the park entrance, we joined the queue and waited about 15 minutes to buy our tickets. It cost 63.60 BRL and they accept credit card payments. With the tickets, you have access to buses that go up and down the park. They leave every 10 minutes or so and are on a first come first serve basis. The bus makes several stops and we got off at the one of a viewpoint with the start of a trail. From the viewpoint, you get a panoramic view of the smaller falls. We took some pictures here and then started the trail to the viewpoint for the Garganta do Diabo (Devil’s Throat). About 10 minutes into the trail, there is another viewpoint of another panoramic of the falls. This viewpoint was a little busy so we had to wait a couple of minutes to get some pictures here. Then, we continued for another 10-15 minutes to reach the Devil’s Throat viewpoint.

From the trail, you walk onto some bridges which extend into the river. There are falls all around you and below you. You’ll get wet from walking around since the force of the falls creates a mist that reaches the bridge. On this day, we had clearer skies so the sun created a small rainbow on one of the falls below. The bridge can get quite busy so it took some time for us to get pictures with the surrounding falls. We spent around 20 minutes walking around the bridges before heading to the Elevadores do Garganta do Diabo (Devil’s Throat Lifts). This is a concrete observation tower built next to the falls. You can get some close-up pictures from the deck below. From the upper deck, you’ll get a panoramic view of the falls from above. Leaving this deck, there is a food court and bar to grab some lunch or drinks whilst enjoying the view. It was now around 3 PM so we decided to get take the bus back to the Macuco Safari where the boat tours leave from.

Once at Macuco, there were still some slots left for a safari and boat ride to the falls. It was quite pricey at 215.40 BRL, more expensive than when we asked in Argentina, but it’s a once in a lifetime experience so we went for it and did not regret it. The safari tour goes through the rainforest to the shore. A train buggy takes you about halfway through. Then you’re given the option to walk the rest of the way for about 15-20 minutes or continue on the train buggy. On the walk, the guide leads you through the rainforest giving info on the flora and fauna in the area. Once we reach the shore, there are changing room facilities and lockers to leave your stuff. Lockers cost 10 BRL and you should leave all valuables and electronics that aren’t waterproof since you will get soaked. Once the group has changed, we head down to the pier, put on life vests, and board the speedboat. The speedboats are quite large with capacity for about 20 people. We then set out upstream for about 10 minutes. The river has a strong current and the boat maneuvers into the waves which make for an adrenaline-filled ride.

Once we reach the falls, the boat floats around for a couple of minutes for everyone to take pictures. Then the boat positions itself in front of one of the towering falls. Everyone holds their breath as the boat heads towards the waterfall. As we get closer, sprays of mist turn into a high-pressure shower as the water comes thundering down meters away. These 5-10 seconds are exhilarating and the boat pulls away for a couple of seconds allowing us to catch our breath before heading in again. It’s amazing feeling the power of the falls this close up. After going in a second time, the boat pulls away, and it’s then time to head back; our hearts still pounding fast as it recovers from what we’ve just put our body through. Back at the pier we return the life vests and head up to the changing rooms to get our belongings. We then take the train buggy back to the main road where we wait for the bus back to the park entrance. It was now around 5.15 PM and the buses were coming by already full. We managed to get on the 3rd bus which had a couple of empty seats. At the park entrance, we asked where we could take a bus back to the city and were directed towards the bus stop. Several people here were waiting for the bus which came after about 10 minutes of waiting. The one-way ticket cost 3.05 BRL and took about 40 minutes to reach the city center.

Iguazu Falls – Puerto Iguazu, Argentina

Jean Maldonado — Sun, 07 Oct 2018 20:45:00 +0000

There’s a bus option that takes 18-hours from Mendoza to Puerto Iguazú, but we decided to take a flight leaving at 5.55 AM and arriving at 7.45 AM. The Puerto Iguazú airport is very small and being an internal flight, getting through customs was quick and easy. The airport is quite far from the town so you have to get a taxi or bus transfer. There’s no ATM at the airport and only some agencies take credit cards. Also, there’s bad network service at the airport so the sales rep had to try to take our credit card payment 3 times for it to go through. With that in mind, it would be best to take some cash just in case. Our bus transfer cost 200 ARS¹ each and it took about 30 minutes to get to the bus terminal in Puerto Iguazu. If you’re staying at one of the large hotel chains on the highway to Puerto Iguazu (e.g. Marriott), the driver will ask beforehand to drop passengers off there.

The Town

Since we arrived in the early morning, our room wasn’t ready at our hotel so we went for a walk around town. Puerto Iguazu is quite small with most of the shops and restaurants concentrated around the town center. There’s a boundary post mirador about a 30-minute walk from the town center which we visited. This is a tri-border point where you can see Paraguay and Brazil from the Argentinian side of the river. What’s most interesting here, is how the muddy brown waters of the River Iguazu and the grey/blue waters of the River Paraná merge. Other than the viewpoint, there are a couple of stalls at this site to buy drinks, snacks, and souvenirs.

On the way back, we walked by the riverside road and came across a small boat port. Here, there were boat tours available of the river and also boats to Paraguay. As we continued along the road, we went by a customs office. So if you came to Argentina by boat, that’s probably where you have to get your entry stamp. We continued further to the town center to find a restaurant for some lunch. There are several options around an area called 7 Esquinas (7 Corners). However, we found a lot of places didn’t accept credit cards, so we headed to an ATM first to take some cash out. By the time we were done with lunch, it was around 3 PM so we headed back to the hotel to get some rest. Later that evening we went for dinner in the 7 Esquinas area but this time walked further down the Avenida Brasil. There were several pop-up restaurants here serving mainly grilled skewers and steaks. It was very lively with musicians performing in the outdoor seating areas.

Iguazu Falls

At the terminal, we booked return tickets the day before for a bus to Iguazu Falls National Park for 260 ARS each (cash only). You can take any bus and we took one for the second departure leaving at 8.30 AM. It took about 30 minutes to reach the park entrance and at this time, there were already some short queues. We waited for about 15 minutes and bought our ticket for 600 ARS each which you can pay by cash or credit card. Once inside the park, there’s an information area, some shops, and restaurants. Going past all of these, there’s the platform entrance to take the train to different parts of the park. There are 3 main trails in the park; Garganta del Diablo (Devil’s Throat), Upper Circuit, and Lower Circuit. The main site is the Devil’s Throat which is the biggest part of the falls. You have to get a (free) ticket first to get a time slot to board the train. We got our ticket for the train leaving at 10 AM, so we had about 30 minutes to check out the information center. There is also a trail to walk between different parts of the park but it’s really hot and humid outside.

Once on the train, it takes about 30 minutes to reach the station for the start of the trail to the Devil’s Throat. The trail goes to some wooden bridges that go over the River Iguazu to reach the Devil’s Throat. As you get closer, the roaring sound of the falls gradually grows louder. It takes about 10 minutes to reach the viewpoint and here, the sound is completely deafening from the power of the falls. You will also get wet since the water falls with such force that it creates a permanent cloud of mist above it which reaches the viewpoint. A section of the viewpoint is cordoned off by a professional photographer who takes an elevated picture from a step ladder. There is plenty of space elsewhere, although you may have to wait a couple of minutes to shift into an empty spot. We spent about 40 minutes at this viewpoint before heading back to the train station.

For the way back, there’s no need to get a ticket and it’s on a first come first serve basis. We got off at the next stop after a 20-minute ride which was in the center of the park. This is where the Upper and Lower Circuit trails start and we chose to first go on the Upper Circuit. This trail takes us through several falls with views from above. You can hear the thundering noise of the falls fade in and out as you go past them. There are several viewpoints along this route which took us about 45 minutes to complete.

Once back at the station at the center of the park, we were about to start the Lower Circuit trail but it started to pour down with rain. We took refuge in the food court for about 15 minutes to wait for the rain to die down before setting out again. The rain didn’t completely stop, but we set out anyway since the grey skies indicated it wasn’t going to stop raining anytime soon. This Lower Circuit trail overlaps with some of the falls from the Upper Circuit trail, but you get a view from a lower elevation. There are also several viewpoints and panoramic photo opportunities. The highlight of this trail is when you reach Salto Bossetti (Bossetti Falls). This is one of the bigger falls and the viewpoint gets pretty close. As you walk up to the end of the viewpoint, you’ll feel a gust of mist from the force of the waterfall literally take your breath away. Needless to say, you’ll get soaked from approaching the waterfall but it’s a great experience and my favorite part of the visit. From here, the circuit then leads you back to the station at the center of the park. It took us about an hour to complete this circuit so we were done at around 3.20 PM. There was still one more trail that goes through the rainforest, but because it was still raining, we decided to head back to the hotel.

Valparaiso, Chile to Mendoza, Argentina

Jean Maldonado — Tue, 02 Oct 2018 20:58:18 +0000

Initially, we planned to make this journey overnight since we read up that it was around a 9-hour trip. However, whilst on the Uyuni Salt Flats tour, we met an Argentinian traveler who recommended we do the trip in day time instead since the landscapes were beautiful and we were not disappointed. When we arrived at Valparaiso, we bought bus tickets for Mendoza leaving the following day at 8.30 AM costing 15,000 CLP³ each. The bus departs from the main terminal and it takes about 2 hours 30 minutes to reach the Chilean customs control point at the border. On the way here, the bus goes up meandering roads to climb up the Andes mountain. It starts with rocky mountains but then we start to see some snow and by the time we get to the top, the landscape is completely white covered in snow. There was a queue of vehicles at the customs stop so it took some time to get the Chilean exit stamp. From here it was then another 20 minutes to reach the Argentinian customs control point.

Again there was a queue here so we had some time to leave the bus and take some pictures. Once it was our turn to go through customs, the group from the bus is put in a queue. The officials unload bags from the bus and inspect some at random. If you see your bag on a table, then you have to approach the customs official as they go through your bag. Otherwise, you just pick up your bag from the pile it’s left in and proceed to get your entry stamp. Once the group is back on the bus, we continue to Mendoza. Again the landscape of the Andes here is beautiful as we descend the meandering roads. It takes about 2 hours 30 minutes to get to Mendoza and we arrived at around 5 PM.

Quito, Ecuador to Chachapoyas, Peru

Jean Maldonado — Sat, 25 Aug 2018 12:30:17 +0000

When people say they’re going to Peru they normally mean Cusco and Machu Picchu. However, Peru is a large country with many more destinations. The north of Peru has the nicest beaches the country has to offer, however, I’m more of an adventure seeker so I looked around and came across Chachapoyas. Located to the east of the Andes and approaching the Amazon, this developing town has many hikes and activities in its vicinity. The problem is that the town is quite remote, making it a little tricky to reach within Peru and even more challenging from Quito. It is possible though and it takes 2 nights, 3 days, and 3 coaches. After looking up some routes, I found that the most convenient was via the Tumbes border due to its opening hours. With this in mind, I formulated the following route:

Quito
Cuenca
Chiclayo
Chachapoyas

Quito to Cuenca

The Quito to Cuenca coach ticket cost 12 USD⁴ and we purchased this a couple of days before departure at the Terminal Terrestre Quitumbe; the southern bus terminal of Quito. The terminal is modern and well organized, but as anywhere in South America, be alert at all times of your belongings as scammers and thieves roam the terminal. The ticket stalls are organized by regions so you can easily find the row of stalls to purchase a ticket for your destination. There are several bus companies which go to the same destinations so you can take a look and choose. Since we were going during the day, we got a ticket for a coach with standard seats that recline 120 degrees. Also, note that there is an additional fee for using the terminal. If memory serves me correctly, it costs 0.40 USD and it is paid in cash only after presenting your ticket to the terminal employee when entering the boarding area. There are many platforms and coaches so you will have to ask which one goes to your destination. The journey is a long one; we left at 8 am and arrived in Cuenca at around 5 pm. The coach made one stop for a toilet break at a petrol station near Alausi. The views are amazing as the route goes through ‘Volcano Avenue’ and the skies cleared up for us to see two of Ecuador’s biggest volcanos; Cotopaxi and Chimborazo.

Cuenca to Chiclayo

Once at Cuenca, we went looking for coach tickets to Chiclayo. The Cuenca terminal is older and not as organized so it was difficult to find the bus companies that went to Chiclayo. We were able to find two but one was sold out and we were lucky enough to get the last two seats from the other company. Tickets cost 23 USD with Super Simera for standard 120-degree seats and came with a packed meal (sandwich, biscuits, and a drink) that they distributed when on the journey. The bus company lets you leave your luggage in a locked storage room which we took advantage of since our bus was scheduled to leave at 10.30 pm. There are several restaurants in the terminal, but most of them were closed so we decided to venture outside in search of food. The area, however, felt rather unsafe so we went into the first place we saw. Once we were done, we headed to the waiting area in the terminal which has benches and tables. This terminal also has a usage fee which I believe was also 0.40 USD. For this one, you pay it at a machine which prints out a receipt that you present to the terminal employee. The journey to the border takes about 3h30. Crossing the border to Peru is a two-step process. First, the coach stops at the Ecuadorian side where everyone gets off, queues up for the Ecuadorian exit stamp, then boards the bus again. Once everyone is back on, the coach drives to the Peruvian side where everyone gets off again, queues up for the Peruvian entry stamp, and then boards the bus once again. The customs officials ask a couple of questions mainly about the duration of your stay and travel plans. Since it was the middle of the night, there aren’t many officials on duty making it a lengthy process as there are several coaches at the border. It took around 3 hours for us to get through and back enroute for Chiclayo. The remainder of the journey took about 8 hours and we were in Chiclayo around 1 pm.

A day in Chiclayo and onwards to Chachapoyas

Chiclayo has several ‘bus terminals’ and we arrived at the main one called Terrapuerto Plaza Norte. This terminal is small and quite run down. When we got there, several of the ticket stalls were closed and we were swarmed with drivers offering their services. We thought the locals would know best so asked a moto-taxi driver where we could buy tickets for Chachapoyas. He mentioned another terminal around the corner and we made the mistake of trusting him. We asked him to take us to an ATM first since we had no Peruvian currency. He took us to BBVA and this ATM charged us 6 USD to take money out. Just to make our first Peruvian experience worse, the moto-taxi’s brakes broke and the driver was going slow because of it. On the way back he even stopped at a mechanic to get them fixed so it took us 1 hour to get to our destination instead of the 30 minutes it would have taken. When he dropped us off at the terminal, he wanted to charge us 25 soles! We settled for 15 which is still outrageous in Peru. Now at the terminal, he recommended a coach company called Fropesa and we asked if they went to Chachapoyas. They said yes so we bought tickets for 35 PEN (15 USD) leaving at 9 pm. However, when I looked at the ticket it said Pedro Ruiz as the destination. I asked again to confirm if it goes to Chachapoyas and again he said yes. Note that I am fluent in Spanish so there is no language barrier here. It was only minutes before boarding the bus that I was informed that Pedro Ruiz is an hour away from Chachapoyas and that I would need to pay for a Combi to take me the rest of the way. Now it was too late to buy another ticket so I had no choice but to take this coach and then the Combi.

We finished buying the tickets at around 2 pm so we decided to go looking for a SIM card in the town. We tried some shops but they only sold top-ups and said we could find them at the plaza/parks. The shopkeeper gave us directions to Parque Las Fuentes and indeed there were people walking around selling SIM cards. We bought a Movistar SIM for 5 PEN with 5 PEN top-up included. Then we bought a Claro SIM for 5 PEN but no top-up. Each operator has its own pre-pay deal like 7 days which includes some megabytes and unlimited social media. You need to have credit on your SIM and then choose the plan by dialing a code on the SIM package and go through the on-screen options. SIM cards need to be activated and you need to be a resident to do this but the street vendors sold us pre-activated ones since we didn’t live there. Now that we had internet on our phones, we walked around the town and headed to a shopping center for some food. With a couple more hours until our coach left, we decided to catch a movie at the shopping center Real Plaza. The journey from Chiclayo to Pedro Ruiz was long and we got there around 5 am. There were several Combis waiting when we got off and it cost 5 PEN for the 1-hour ride to Chachapoyas. The Combis are 12+ seater minivans and they tie your luggage on the roof of the vehicle. The Combi drops you off at the town entrance on the highway so it’s a 30-minute uphill walk to the town center. Next time I would pay extra for a more comfortable coach. Movil Tours is well known and reasonably priced coach company which services the Chiclayo-Chachapoyas route.