Hidden treasures in Puerto Iguazu

As well as visiting the waterfalls there are a number of child friendly activities in the town of Puerto Iguazu.  Here we’re sharing some activities we enjoyed during our time there.

The Casa Ecológica de Botellas (Water bottle house) is a short drive from the entrance to the falls.  Our children were mesmerised by this visit.  On arrival you are greeted by the host who will then take you on a tour of the small, but impressive plot.  Here you’ll find plastic bottles and other items you might think of as rubbish being used in the most ingenious ways.  The children played with cars made from bottles and sat on tiny chairs made out of car tires and yet more bottles.  It helped spark conversation with our oldest about all the different ways you can use bottles.  There’s a small gift shop where you can buy handmade recycled products.  All proceeds go towards expanding knowledge across Latin America of the potential to build houses from plastic bottles.  An added bonus here were the hummingbirds zooming around - blink and you miss them but if you’re lucky enough to see them a real wonder.

Visit GuiraOga animal refuge to see the beautiful animals native to the area. Animals within the refuge have been rescued from road injuries or wildlife trafficking and, if possible, will be rehabilitated and released or live a healthy life within the refuge. This is great set up for children with a small tractor and trailer leaving the entrance area regularly which takes you further into the forest.  The trip is guided and informative for both adults and children.  You see the animals by following a walkway through the trees which is easy for little legs and buggies.  As well as the animals there’s plenty to see amongst the trees and plants lining the walkway.  We really enjoyed our trip here and were reassured by the environment for the animals. Beware not all animal centres in Iguazu are as pleasant, we came across a few with worrying reviews related to animal welfare.

At the time of our visit the Humingbird Garden was not open however we’ll definitely head here if we visit again.  Worth checking if it’s open during your visit.

Did you know?  Hummingbirds cannot walk or hop instead they can only perch or scoot sideways!