Date of Entry: December 27th 2015
Date of Writing: January 4th 2015, El Charrua restaurant, Salta Argentina.
Taking a helicopter ride over Iguazu Falls, surely something only possible for the incredibly wealthy, not a backpacker travelling the world right? Wrong.
Okay it’s not exactly cheap, especially if you look at it as a time versus money thing, but for me at least it was definitely worth it. the cost is 308 Reals for the standard 10-15 minute ride. That translates to 77 USD a much better deal than paying in american currency where the cost is 95 USD, but either way it’s a once in a life time kind of experience and I can’t imagine a better place to take your first helicopter ride. I do have to say huge thank you to my father Robert, whose generous christmas gift made this decision much easier and will also pay for a few more fun adventures in South America still to come.
Taking the ride is simple, simply take the bus to the Brazilean side of Iguazu falls and ask to be let off at Parque Das Aves, cross the main street and head straight into the Helisur Terminal. You can book ahead online I believe but there’s not much need and often it leads to paying a premium to a tour company to make the reservation on your behalf. When I walked in they told me it would be about a half hour wait, however after less than ten minutes I was being called forward to complete a group. the advantage of being one person.
Helicopter rides are evidently an ecological concern and also seem to disturb the toucans more than most animals of the jungle who don’t like the noise of the helicopters. To be honest it made me feel a little hesitant to do it but Helisur have at least invested in modern quiet choppers to minimize their ecological impact and certainly seem to take their responsibilities to the jungle seriously. Still, doing a ride is incredible, but there’s no way to spin it to make it good for the environment. But honestly, I couldn’t resist the temptation.
The company have two types of helicopters, one for 4 passengers and one for 6. I went up with a group of 5 people who were together. Now here’s the thing, it makes a huge difference where you sit, and you don’t really get to choose, though you can express preference. They distribute it by weight so heavy people like me will almost never sit up front which is undoubtedly the best seats, but sitting on either side in the back row is still very impressive and I was quick to the chopper and was the first person to board in the back row letting me slide all the way over to the right of the aircraft securing myself a big window to look through. Sitting in the middle it’s much harder to see the falls for any distance of time and I really think those seats should be cheaper.
I’m lucky in the end to have the window seat as we get strapped in and take off up into the sky. Even from a great distance Iguazu is impressive and riding in a helicopter is just about the best way to appreciate the sheer size of this natural wonder, allowing you to see it all at once, in all it’s glory.
The pilot is friendly enough and we hurry to get there then make several passes directly over the falls allowing for lots of photos. Honestly it’s an awe inspiring site unlike anything i’ve ever seen or done, and while it’s not the same as getting up close and personal with a waterfall, it remains a beautiful sensation, and helicopter flights are surprisingly smooth and relaxing to me. I think there’s not much point trying to describe the next 12 minutes of my life. I could go on and on with heavy hatted words and maybe communicate some small portion of the beauty of Iguazu from above, instead though we’ll leave you with the wonders of multimedia, photos and a video of the entire experience. I hope you enjoy, and if you’re ever at Iguazu falls it’s worth at least considering taking this helicopter ride, I can’t think of a better place for one. Thanks again Dad, for a great Christmas gift.
