Reel 31 - Argentinian side of Iguazu Falls and packing list

Small waterfall pouring into a pool.

Everything is very green.

I like the way the rocks split the falls into bands.

Does this count as one fall or two?

Crashing into a pool.

A river pushes its way through the trees.

Wide shot of a good chunk of the system.

At the top right you can just about make out a fake lighthouse that was built as an observation point.

I've mentioned the heat and humidity at Iguazu Falls before, and I've also mentioned the meagre luggage allowance on internal flights in South America. Combine that with the need for clothing suitable for Antarctica and you will see that some thought went into what to pack. If you're thinking of making a similar trip, you might want some advice on this matter, so in this post I'm going to present my entire packing list along with notes about what I did and didn't get quite right.

All of this was packed into a medium (66 l) hardshell Tripp suitcase and a very anonymous small black rucksack. The rucksack would later become a cause of great stress, but that's a tale for another time. The internal flight weight limit for Aerolineas Argentinas was a mere 15 kg for economy. It does increase to a more standard 23 Kg in premium economy, which wasn't an option we were given by our travel agents. In retrospect, had I realised this I would have tried to upgrade, so that's something to bear in mind. As it happens the Aerolineas Argentinas check-in desk didn't seem overly officious about the weight, so you could probably get away with being a little over.

I worked with the weight by packing my heavier items in the carry-on rucksack. This was mostly camera gear which I wouldn't want in my checked suitcase anyway, so that worked out.

Note that the list doesn't include boots, a jacket or a waterproof coat. These were all supplied by Intrepid.

Here is the full list I made:

General clothes:

• 1 pair of jeans – the pair I wore on the way out began to disintegrate in the humidity so a spare pair was essential!
• 4 pairs of regular socks
• 3 pairs of regular pants (underwear, for any Americans) – why are there fewer pants than socks? There aren't – more socks and pants later in the list.
• 7 t-shirts
• 1 long-sleeved shirt
• 1 baseball cap – for general city wear.
• 1 bush hat – this came in handy in Iguazu where I wanted the sun off my neck and face.
• 1 fleece jacket – I wore this at the airport so I didn't have to pack it, plus it gets chilly on the plane.

Antarctic clothes:

• 3 pairs of merino socks – merino wool is perfect for Antarctica. Pack as many as you can reasonably afford to cut down on washing.
• 4 pairs of bamboo pants – like merino wool these will wick sweat away.
• 2 pairs merino leggings – the bottom half of my base layer.
• 2 pairs merino tops – the top half. It's important that all layers can wick so you don't end up a sweaty mess on the ice. Cotton is to be avoided.
• 2 merino jumpers – I wore one over my base layer.
• 1 fleece gaiter – this was bright orange, fluffy and a mistake. Fortunately I realised it might be a problem before boarding the ship and bought a more compliant one in Ushuaia. It did the job but I was constantly fiddling with it, so I would advise choosing one carefully beforehand. Its main job will be keeping you warm on Zodiac rides.
• 1 pair of walking trousers – these go between the merino leggings and waterproof trousers. They were bought as a last-minute replacement for what I called my techno trousers. The techno trousers were bright orange fleece workwear trousers complete with reflector strips. I had bought them online during a period of madness when I was trying to keep costs down. My thinking was that they would be hidden under the waterproof trousers so being violently orange didn't matter. I did actually pack them as a spare pair in case I fell in the water while landing, but thankfully didn't have to use them.
• 1 pair of waterproof trousers – these go over the walking trousers, and also need to go over your boots. As such it's very helpful to get some with zips down the side of the legs.
• 1 pair of gloves – I went for ones with conductive fingertips so I could operate a phone while using them. This was handy for using my old Xperia for photos while on a Zodiac, for example.
• 1 pair of mittens – these were quite expensive Montane Prisms that squashed down into a conveniently small pouch. I didn't wear them often, only needing them when clinging to the side of a Zodiac in bad weather. But I really appreciated them at those times, so don't skimp here.
• 1 trapper hat – this was waterproof and fleece-lined and was super-comfortable and convenient. The flaps kept my ears warm and the strap tying them together kept it on when zipping along in a Zodiac.
• 1 regular hat – a standard woolly hat. I didn't take this out with me on landings but used it all the time on deck.

Toiletries – most of this should be obvious, but I like to make sure I don't forget anything:

• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Combs
• Deodorant
• Shower gel
• Shampoo
• Sunscreen – this is important for both South America and Antarctica, as the bright Antarctic sun will burn you quickly. I used my usual spray-on factor 50 for South America, but for Antarctica, where only my face would be exposed, I used Ultra Violette SPF 50+, which is more like an application of foundation.
• Moisturiser – it's dry in the Antarctic.
• Hand moisturiser – you'll definitely want to keep your hands moisturised.
• 2x UV lip balm – you do not want to get sunburnt lips. I took two sticks but didn't even finish one. They take up little room, so you should err on the side of caution too.
• 2x regular lip balm – I barely used any of this. Whether you take any is up to you – I tend not to use it much day-to-day anyway.
• Insect repellent – I went with the nuclear option of a DEET-based repellent, which worked, but it did start eating through things so when we returned to Buenos Aires I bought a citronella-based one. It did the job, but now I've looked at efficacy studies I may reconsider DEET again in the future as it's clearly the best, or at least look at better alternatives to citronella.
• Bite salve – came in handy after having ankles savaged by mosquitoes on the first night in Buenos Aires. I had not reapplied DEET in the evening.
• Shaver and charger
• Nail clippers
• Towel – you should always know where your towel is.
• Travel wash – I took a tube of Dr Beckmann's travel wash. This was so I could wash clothes in the sink.
• Water bottle – a metal water bottle that I could clip onto my rucksack for landings. Some of the walks were quite thirsty work.
• Face masks – COVID was still on people's minds so I packed a few FFP2 masks. I never actually used them however.
• Hand sanitiser

Medical things:

• Prescription drugs – only you know what you need here.
• Co-codamol
• Ibuprofen
• Cold & flu medication – paracetamol, caffeine & phenylephrine or whatever your local potion is. I wish I'd taken more as I ended up having to buy some in Iguazu.
• Cetirizine – who knows what I would be allergic to in South America? Nothing in particular, as it turns out.
• Sleeping pills – these helped greatly with sharing a cabin.
• Seasickness patches – the scopolamine patches which caused so much trouble earlier. Despite that, I still recommend them. Just be careful handling them.
• Seasickness tablets – these were a backup in case the patches didn't work or caused problems. I would recommend doing the same.
• Earplugs – again, these helped with sharing a cabin.
• Plasters

Technology – this is pretty specific to me but might be helpful to see:

• Headphones – these are Bose in-ear noise-cancelling headphones that are handy on flights.
• Glasses
• Sunglasses
• Plug adapter – I took one which has changeable plates for all countries. The ship used standard 2-pin euro sockets supplying 220 V. Argentina uses types C and type I, while Brazil uses types C and N. The Europlug is compatible with type C sockets so in theory you only need one of those. In practice of course the sockets available in hotels vary, so to be sure you will need compatibility with types I and N if you're visiting Argentina and Brazil respectively. Your hotel will probably be able to lend you an adapter if you're stuck.
• USB hub – let's face it, most of our gadgets charge over USB these days, so packing one of these takes a lot less room than a multi-socket extension.
• USB power pack – for charging devices on the go. I needed it a couple of times for my Lumix camera on expeditions. Note that the cold will impact the battery life of lithium-ion batteries so it's best to be prepared. Ideally I would have a spare battery for the camera, but I've never got around to buying one.
• USB cable for phone
• USB cable for spare phone
• USB cable for headphones
• USB cable for power pack
• USB cable for Lumix camera
• Charger for W3 camera – annoyingly this is the only non-USB device so I had to unplug everything else to charge it.

Camera gear:

• View-Master camera – the reason for this blog.
• Film – I took 11 rolls of Fuji Velvia colour-reversal film, and used 9 of them. Better to take too much than run out!
• Lenses – the View-Master camera has optional 24" and 36" close-up lenses. I only used them once.
• Small tripod – in case I wanted to take any long exposures, eg at night. I did not.
• Cable release – also for long exposures.
• Lumix camera – my main digital camera.
• W3 camera – digital 3D camera
• Small shoulder bag – a small bag in which I kept my digital cameras, lenses and spare film.
• Dry bag – a 10 litre dry bag. I had quite a system of bags going on for landings. My small shoulder bag and View-Master camera went inside the dry bag, which in turn went inside my rucksack. Liz helped me retrieve my gear from it when we landed and also pack it away at the end. Fortunately I never fell in the drink, but it was good to know that my gear would be safe if I did.

Miscellaneous:

• Passport – yes, I seriously have it on my packing list.
• Guidebooks – in this case for Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro.
• Lonely Planet guide to Antarctica.
• Fiction – I took a couple of novels, including a massive sci-fi tome that I never touched. The ship's library took precedence.
• Notebooks – for scribbling in. About the only thing I scribbled was the penguin poem.
• Pens – they come in handy even in the digital age.
• Printouts – these were of the itinerary including flight details, tickets and insurance, in case of electronic disaster.
• Cruise tickets – we were actually issued with tickets for the cruise separately to other tickets and vouchers, which were given by handlers at each destination.
• Sink plug. This wasn't on my packing list but it was on Liz's. Some hotel sinks don't have plugs, which makes doing washing in them impossible, so it's definitely worth taking one.
• Doorstop. A safety precaution that wasn't really needed, but it's advisable to take one in case you find yourself in dodgy accomodation.

That's the lot! I believe it covers everything you're likely to need. I bought most of the Antarctic clothing from Mountain Warehouse. The sky is the limit when it comes to buying expedition gear, but Mountain Warehouse is cheap and everything did the job well enough. Since the lead time on an Antarctic cruise is so long, you should wait for sales if you want to keep the costs down. It does all add up.

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Bonus selection of digital 3D and 2D shots on Flickr