São Paulo – In Brazilian native Indian language tupi-guarani, Iguaçu means "big water." Could there be a more appropriate name for the Iguaçu Falls, a set of waterfalls in the namesake river, located in the city of Foz do Iguaçu, in the southern Brazilian state of Paraná? Not really. The close-to-300 falls ranging from 40 to 82 metres tall live up to the name that they got from the Indians. They attracted 700,000 tourists from January to July of 2010. From that total, 50% were foreigners and 50% were Brazilians, proving that Foz is one of the destinations most coveted by foreign visitors in the country.
The Iguaçu National Park is an obligatory stop during their stay in Foz for domestic and foreign travellers attracted by the loads of sweet water falling everywhere. Distant 17 kilometres from the centre of the city, the park was built at the Iguaçu Basin, whose base level runs for 18 kilometres past the Falls, ending in the Paraná River. This meeting of the rivers, by the way, creates a triple border between Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay.
As if it were not enough to relax your eyes and rest your head under the waterfalls, letting yourself get slightly wet from the vapour of the falls, you can enjoy a host of attractions inside the park. "We have everything from a 12-minute helicopter ride over the area to tracks such as the Poço Preto (literally Black Well) one, which is nine kilometres long, by foot or bicycle, through the forest," explains Jorge Luiz Pegoraro, the head of the Iguaçu National Park.
Want a little more adventure? Well, you can also do rappel, ropes courses, rafting and climbing within the park’s boundaries. All of these services are managed by concession-holding companies. "We are in charge of monitoring the services supplied. The park’s conservation has improved a lot this way," says Pegoraro. According to the head of the park, diversifying the activities has helped increase the number of tourists by 10% a year.
Attracting more visitors, by the way, is the goal of both the government and private enterprises. Proof of that is the fact that this year saw the establishment of the Fund for the Development and Tourist Promotion of the Iguaçu (Fundo Iguaçu), which comprises sector organizations. "We are going to develop more actions in order to encourage tourism in the region even further. The plan is to achieve an annual growth rate of 8% to 12% in the number of tourists," explains the vice president of the Iguassu Convention & Visitors Bureau and secretary of Fundo Iguaçu, Enio Eidt.
Energy and shopping
OK, OK, so you have taken all the rides you could at the Falls circuit. Well, Foz do Iguaçu still has many other attractions to offer. Perhaps the second best known of them is the Itaipu Hydroelectric Plant. Built on the Paraná River, at the border between Brazil and Paraguay, the plant known as Itaipu Binational involves a tourist complex that includes the plant itself, the Piracema Canal, the Bela Vista Biological Refuge and the Eco-Museum. Upon arriving at the plant, visitors learn a little about how the power of the waters is turned into energy, and have plenty of time to fill up the memory cards in their digital cameras by taking pictures at one of the local overlooks. Especially in the late afternoon, with that special lighting that every tourist deserves.
Had enough of rivers? Okay, you may pause for shopping, after all, crossing the border to sfutt your shopping bags in the neighbouring Ciudad del Este, in Paraguay, is a classic in any trip to Foz. Avoid street vendors and prefer large stores, and seize the opportunity to buy perfumes, watches, beverage and electronic appliances at prices lower than in Brazil. A highlight is Mona Lisa, one of the stores most sought by Brazilians. The limit is US$ 300 per person for Brazilian citizens. Purchases higher than that require tax payment. So you would rather travel to Puerto Iguazú, in Argentina? There, it is a good idea to shop for leather items, wool and crystals.
Another highlight of Foz is the tourist infrastructure available, starting with the ease of access to the city. "We are three flight hours away from the farthest South American capital, which is Caracas," says Eidt." Combined, the airports of Foz, Cuidad del Este and Puerto Iguazú offer 40 flights a day," he claims.
If arriving at Foz is easy, finding lodging is even simpler. "We have everything from family lodges to first-class resorts, managed by major chains such as Sheraton, Orient Express and Bourbon, among others," says Eidt.
The commercial manager of the four-star Rafain Palace Hotel, Cândido Ferreira Neto, also underscores the supply of good events facilities in the city. "We, for instance, offer 43 different facilities for hosting business meetings, conventions and summits, with capacities ranging from 10 to 4,000 people," he explains. According to Neto, the Rafain is also known for hosting parties of the Arab community in Foz, which is the country’s second largest, with 12,000 immigrants and descendents.
The Mosque
Speaking of Arabs, write down another attraction worthy of visiting the city: the Omar Ibn Al-Khatab Mosque, whose architecture was inspired in the Al Aqsa Mosque, in Jerusalem. Featuring two 15-metre-tall minarets (towers) and a built area of 600 square metres, of which the oval prayer hall occupies 400 metres, the temple has its inner walls adorned with arabesques and geometrical shapes.
Inaugurated in 1983, the mosque is located in a 20,000 square metre area that also houses the Escola Brasil Árabe (Arab Brazilian School), which is in turn linked to the Centro Cultural Beneficente Islâmico de Foz do Iguaçu ( Foz do Iguaçu Islamic Charitable Cultural Centre). Painted all white on the outside, the Mosque attracts the attention of tourists of the most varied beliefs. And it is one of a thousand beauties that the land of the Falls has to offer its explorers.
Service
Iguaçu National Park
http://www.cataratasdoiguacu.com.br/index_brasil.asp
Foz do Iguaçu City Hall
http://www.fozdoiguacu.pr.gov.br/portal2/home_turismo/index.asp
Iguassu Convention & Visitors Bureau
http://www.iguassu.com.br/home/
Itaipu Hydroelectric Plant
http://www.itaipu.gov.br/
Mona Lisa (Department Store in Cuidad del Este)
http://www.monalisa.com.py/
Rafain Palace Hotel
http://www.rafainpalace.com.br/v2/home/
Foz do Iguaçu Islamic Charitable Cultural Centre
http://www.islam.com.br/
For further information call: + 55 45 3573-1126
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
