This is part of an ongoing series. In the original feature I explain why you should sit down and map out a multi-year travel plan to make sure you get to see and do all the things that are most important to you. Read this guide, “Why Right Now is the Best Time to Plan Your Travel Bucket List” here.
In this follow up series, I present 30 different curated Once in a Lifetime experiences and destinations for you to consider. Obviously everyone’s dream list will be different, and whatever it is that you feel you really want or need to do should be at the top of your list, but with the help of experts and my 25-years experience as an award-winning travel journalist I’ve put together some great highlights to consider. Each day I’ll present a different option (see them all here):
Iguazu & Victoria Falls
Why? There are lots of different expressions of nature’s beauty, from rock formations to icebergs, lush foliage to coral reefs. But in terms of going to one place and being awed simply by looking around, it is hard to beat the world’s biggest waterfalls. These combine the three-dimensional geography of mountains with such a display of raw power it can be difficult to comprehend once you get up close.
Unlike mountains, among which Everest is king, there is no accepted measurement of the biggest waterfall or even what makes a waterfall. Niagara is said to have the highest volume of water but it’s neither widest nor highest. Some of the “largest” waterfalls barely drop at all, and some even argue bragging rights for those underwater.
But there are three that are far and away the most famous and most desirable to visit, and interestingly, all straddle national borders, lending themselves to being viewed from both sides, an inherent doubling down of travel experiences. They can also be viewed myriad ways, from a distance, up close on foot, from boats and from the sky. They have become such popular destinations that additional tourism infrastructure has sprung up around them, with lots of interesting things to do. That in turn means that instead of a one hit wonder, you can spend several days in the vicinity of the falls on a meaningful vacation.
Where? The world’s tourism trio includes Niagara, Iguazu (Iguacu in Portuguese on the Brazilian side) and Victoria. Sorry Niagara, but in terms of both stunning awesomeness and general regional tourism interest, it is the latter two that stand out as the best on earth.
Because waterfalls cannot really be compared by simple measurements, they are more like art, and Iguazu is the Mona Lisa of the bunch – the one to see if you can only see one. It is so enormous (more than a mile and a half across) it is hard to comprehend, and because it wraps around peninsulas of cliff edge and is comprised of hundreds of individual cascades, there is no one place you can stand and see it all at once – you have to go airborne to do that. But when you do take your first look it will be simply amazing, the biggest and most impressive complex of interconnected waterfalls and islands you have ever seen – even though you are likely only glimpsing about a third of the falls. For this reason, it handily won among waterfalls when the world voted on the New 7 Wonders of Nature over a decade ago.
Victoria is also stunningly beautiful, but as a waterfall it doesn’t quite match up to Iguazu. However, its additional tourism options are superior, and as such it can make for a weeklong destination, which is not really the case for Iguazu. And while it is worth going over to the Zimbabwe side, where the majority of the falls reside, you will almost certainly stay in Zambia, which simplifies things down to one hotel.
Famed explorer David Livingstone (as in “Dr. Livingstone I presume?) was the first non-African to see the falls in 1855. About a mile wide and 35 stories tall, it claims to be the world’s widest single waterfall, a curtain rather than smaller cascades next to each other. It’s as impressive as its indigenous Zambian name, “The Smoke That Thunders,” and you hear the fury and see the crashing mist long before you view the falls themselves.
In either case, the falls are usually combined with other world class tourism. Iguazu is an easy add on to just about any destination in Argentina (Buenos Aires, Mendoza, Salta, Patagonia) or Brazil (Rio, the Amazon). Victoria Falls is traditionally an extension to the Mother of all Bucket List Trips, the African Safari. This is part of what makes it so compelling – two different once in a lifetime type experiences in one trip. Read my African Safari entry here.
How?: Both are relatively straightforward in terms of the top options. Iguazu Falls has two international airports, one on each side of the border, but they are so close together it doesn’t really matter which you use, it’s more where you connect from, typically Sao Paolo or Buenos Aires.
On the Argentinean side, the top lodging choice is Awasi, a very high-end luxury all-inclusive adventure lodge. Like the finest African safari lodges, Awasi has expert guides, private vehicles and drivers for each guest, accommodations in free-standing villas with plunge pools, and a slate of guided activities to choose from – as well as great food and free flowing first-rate wines. Other Awasi locations include Patagonia and the Atacama Desert, which can be combined into one trip, and the award-winning company is exceptional at what it does. It’s also one of the only all-inclusive lodge brands that stresses cocktail mixologists.
But most importantly at Iguazu Falls, Awasi offers guests special VIP access excursions that allow them to visit the Argentinian side of the falls early, before opening to the general public, important because the best viewpoints are perpetually jammed with visitors. Stay at Awasi and you will eat better, sleep better and literally see the Falls better – plus have access to lots of other local attractions. I think 3-nights is about right.
The Brazilian side is an equally simple proposition: the Belmond das Cataratas is the only lodging in the National Park, sitting right at the entrance to the footpaths and overlooking the falls. This gives all guests special crowd-free access before and after the park gates open and close, and even at night, including naturalist-led full moon walks. Because it has a monopoly on such an enviable location, the Belmond could fall short and I would still likely recommend it, but it does not: this is a grand, top shelf, full-service luxury hotel with old school flair, uniformed barmen and excellent food, plus a great spa, gorgeous pool, and exquisite hospitality. You would be happy to stay at this hotel anywhere, but in this setting the combination is unrivaled.
Victoria Falls is not much harder to decipher – you want to stay at the Royal Livingstone, a classic grand hotel now renovated and run by Thailand’s superlative Anantara group. There are other good luxury lodgings in the area, but like the Belmond, the Royal Livingstone has an unparalleled location – you can walk from your room to the falls. Also, being Africa, it has free ranging zebra, giraffe and other animals on the grounds.
While many visitors combine a visit with a full-blown African safari, you can view wildlife right here, in two small National Parks on either side of the border. Other major tourism activities range from golf to educational cruises, and there are myriad ways to experience the falls, including canopy tours of rope bridges and trails, horseback tours, helicopter flightseeing, whitewater rafting, catamaran cruises, canoeing, jet boating, even cage diving among crocodiles. In any case you will want to allocate more time than you might think, and you can easily fill five or more days.
Travel Agents: Savvy experts can help you sort out when to go, how to get there, add-ons and all the important details. This is why when planning these kind of Bucket List trips I always recommend using a good travel agent or travel advisor. In addition to making sure you get it right, they can often save you money or get you upgrades and more bang for the buck. For more on why you want to use a travel agent and how to go about it, read my earlier article on this topic here.
