Awasi Iguazu: Your Rain Forest Adventure Awaits You!
Believe it or not, it was actually my husband’s idea to visit Awasi Iguazu. We had such a great experience at Awasi in Patagonia that when he saw that there was another property opened near Iguazu National Park in the Argentinian Atlantic Rain Forest we jumped at the chance. They also happened to have a special opening rate we could take advantage of (that is still running!)
Opened just last month, the hotel opens up an exciting new opportunity to lure luxury travelers to what was once an overly touristy National Park catering to visitors of the famous Unesco site, Iguazu Falls. Before Awasi showed up on the scene, uninspiring restaurants and accommodations blanketed Puerto Iguazu, the closest town to the Falls on the Argentinian side.
After a day and a half in Buenos Aires we flew from the domestic airport to Iguazu, just a short 1.5 hour flight from the metropolis. Looking out the window of our plane, spying the thick green jungle that awaited us, it was hard to remember we were actually in a rain forest- in Argentina. Suzy and Aldo, our guides for our stay greeted us at the airport, along with the humidity and then it was just a quick 20-minute drive to Awasi. As with all of their properties, your all-inclusive stay includes a guide and a truck for adventuring throughout your stay. It’s a concept that I’ve come to cherish after spending a multi-day safari at a South African luxury camp with our good friends but we were forced to share our jeep for bush excursions with another couple that had completely different interests than us. At Awasi there’s no need to worry about anything else except your own excursions.
Arriving at the main lodge, I was reminded of the South African luxury camp- half outdoor, half indoor, full of cozy seating areas with plush pillows and natural wood surroundings fitting for an eco-hotel. The main lodge and villas sit on stilts to minimize disruption to the rain forest.
There are 15 over-sized villas at Awasi Iguazu each with floor to ceiling glass windows along all sides although completely private so you can enjoy the jungle view from the shower, oversized bath tub, or the outdoor plunge pool that lit up for nighttime dips. We actually kept the windows open at night and just used the ceiling fans comfortably so we could hear the rain outside.
As would be expected the food was delicious and menus changed daily with an Argentinian wine pairing to match. Mostly there were a lot of meat options (this is Argentina after all!) and river fish dishes. Depending on your excursions, your guide could pack lunches or you can return back to the hotel for a nice leisurely lunch. It really is about whatever you want.
One evening, there weren’t any great tables available for dinner outside, so we asked if we could have dinner in the lounge area of the deck away from the restaurant area. In a matter of seconds, our new private table was set up with a great view of the jungle.
I really didn’t know what to expect in terms of excursions- obviously everyone visits the falls since that’s the main attraction but I was nervous that because the area only really existed for the falls, it might be hard to find excursions that challenged us. Luckily, I had nothing to worry about. Our guide had lots of ideas of excursions we could do outside of the falls and away from the tourists. Of course we visited the falls, and they were gorgeous, but she took us on a hike through the falls, rather than taking the train trolly so that we could see more and have the experience we were looking for- that hike ended up being 8 miles. Awasi is always about customization- if you don’t want to walk 8 miles you don’t have to! I was actually impressed at the wildlife viewing opportunities at the Falls. We saw monkeys, Rain Forest raccoons, toucans, and crocodiles and we ate fresh herbs and pink peppercorns off the tree (so delicious!). We also learned about different rain forest plants. One particularly would retract when you touched it. Argentinian children grew up telling the plant, “Close yourself, lady”.
On another excursion, we enjoyed an hour-long boat ride along the Paranha River that divides Argentina from Paraguay and Brazil- complete with Awasi snacks and wine while we socialized with other guests- not every activity has to be on your own. Awasi Iguazu also sits on the border of the Guarani indigenous tribe so some of the excursions include cultural interactions like basket weaving with the village or enjoying a bonfire while listening to traditional songs. Unfortunately, ours got rained out but I would definitely recommend anyone visiting Awasi Iguazu to take advantage of the bonfire event!
For a little bit more off-the-beaten track, we drove to Yaqui, about a 2-hour drive through muddy roads to go kayaking on the river and hike in the jungle. We made stops along the way to sample fresh fruit from the trees- enjoying fresh avocado, mandarin oranges, and graviola, a fruit that looks like a mini pumpkin on the outside, tastes like banana and pineapple and looked like cocao fruit on the inside. A note, there are snakes, but Awasi provides snake guards- in case you’re wondering we didn’t see any snakes! After our hike through the jungle we enjoyed a riverside lunch for 2 that our guide had laid out for us with melon gazpacho, couscous salad with dried plums, cashews, and green goddess dressing alongside garbanzo bean salad. Surrounded by butterflies we enjoyed our lunch and a bottle of white wine.
To be honest, Iguazu falls was never really on my radar- it just seemed too touristy. I really had no idea that the Atlantic Rainforest had so much to offer before learning about Awasi. Awasi, as a brand, is known for attracting the discerning traveler looking to return to luxury after a day of adventuring. Awasi opening near Iguazu opens up new opportunities for the area to mature past just the Falls. I really don’t think people know that there’s actually a lot to do in the National Park outside of the Falls and I believe Awasi has the power to change that to help grow tourism to the area which I’m excited to see unfold.
