I think I’ve commented at some point here that, despite writing this blog and loving a good backpack, I carry some idiosyncrasies with me on hikes around the world. One of them is almost anathema for those who enjoy trails, mountains and ecotourism: I hate waterfalls. Falls, then, have always populated my worst nightmares. That said, I feel comfortable saying that, even though I never imagined myself there, I loved the Iguaçu National Park.
Created in 1939 by the government of the then President of the Republic, Getúlio Vargas, the Iguaçu National Park was recognized in 1986 as a World Natural Heritage Site by Unesco and is located 637 kilometers from the state capital, Curitiba, sharing the majesty of the falls with Argentina, the across the border. Before the pandemic, PN received 2 million visitors per year. With the reopening of the parks, recovery has been taking place gradually and, for the next 10 years, it is expected that around 4 million people will cross the box office annually.
But, after all, why would someone who is terrified of falls recommend going to PN Iguaçu? And the answer is simple: because, in addition to the impact of that tremendous body of water (whose view, I admit, is incomparable on the planet), the place offers other possibilities for activities that go beyond the Macuco Safari, the traditional boat ride on the Iguaçu River. , which gets as close as possible to the curtains of water, soaking (and enchanting) the passengers. Yes, I confess, I also went there to check out what the managers call, jokingly, “bath time”.
At the top, a 1,500-meter walkway takes visitors to the main observation points of the falls, with good accessibility and the right to find along the way some of the animals that inhabit the more than 169,000 hectares of the conservation unit (95,000 of which are included in the concession, leaving the remainder for ICMBio management and research, the Chico Mendes Institute, federally responsible for the unit).
And when we talk about animals, the matter is serious: in the first week of this year, tourists caught a jaguar and its calf walking along the access road to the place, inhabited, according to the catalog by Ibama (Brazilian Institute of the Environment), by 45 species of mammals, 41 snakes, 200 birds and something around 257 species of butterflies which, the locals swear, would actually be almost 800. The presence of the jaguar family is significant, since it is considered an umbrella species, or that is, an indication that there is balance to ensure the population of many other animals in this stronghold of the Atlantic Forest.
With the expansion of the granted area, Pablo Morbis, CEO of the Cataratas Group, says that two trails that were waiting for the new contractual rules should be reopened, such as the Poço Preto, with 9 kilometers of extension, and the Bananeiras, with 1.5 kilometer. To expand activities, the group plans to invest R$500 million over the next five years in infrastructure, operations and new attractions. So let new paths come!
Service
opening hours – daily, from 9 am to 4 pm (in this month of January, special programming opening at 8 am)
Tickets – R$78.00 for Brazilian and Mercosur visitors, R$86.00 for visitors from other countries and R$17.00 for residents of the 14 municipalities surrounding the park
Tickets for the park and the boat trip can be booked and purchased through the official website cataratasdoiguacu.com.br.
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