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Published: February 10th 2008
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El garganta del diablo
Devils throat viewed from Argentina We arrived in the town of Puerto Iguazu (there is no port) and decided to stay a while as there was much to see - mostly of the nature reserves and waterfalls. The first day we explored the little town, which surprisingly did not feel touristy despite existing mostly for that reason. In the afternoon Henry bought an Argentinian football shirt and when leaving the shop we bumped into Toke and Line, the Danish couple. We all had a delicious tropical fresh fruit drink together and caught up with a few stories to tell. That evening we went to a newly opened restaurant and stuffed ourselves with pizza starters, massive steaks and a bottle of wine. We were again treated with a free bottle of champagne at the end of the meal!
The following day we caught the first bus to Iguazu National Park and the waterfalls, located 15km from the town. The park consists mostly of subtropical rainforests and is 55000 Ha in size. We were taken by jeep through the forest for 10 km where we were told about the fauna and flora. We reached the Iguazu river where we all boarded a speed boat and sped upsteam
Iguazu falls
Overview from helicopter with the roar of the waterfalls increasing. The water got choppier, the cliffs increased in size and the anticipation was met with the majestic sight of huge cascades of water. It is hard to describe the scale of the falls - they are roughly laid out in a semicircle and made up of 275 individual waterfalls, spread between Brazil and Argentina. We were given the chance to take some photos after which we noticed the crew started putting on rain jackets...the warning signs were there. Cameras went into the watertight bags and we were subtly moved under a small part of a fall (Known as the Three musketeers). A bit of a light shower...and then the captain engaged in full throttle, raced round a nearby rock into a huge waterfall (Known as San Martin) and absolutely soaked us! It was like buckets of water being continuously thrown over you...and that was just in the spray! So he did it again! It was lots of fun and fortunately we dried out quickly as the day was a scorcher. It was funny watching some of the folks boarding the next boat (we know we shouldn´t have laughed...) as they were in jeans,
Boat trip
Iguazu shower! trainers and cotton shirts...
We spent the rest of the day exploring the park with its many carefully created walkways which enabled us to get very close to the falling water. We saw butterflies, lizards, fish, coatis (racoon like rodent), caiman (crocodile) and many species of birds. It was a lovely day in the wild, while at the same time being in awe of the power and size of the water around us. Hopefully our photos will do the place justice...
The following day we took a tour to Paraguay and the Brazilian side of the falls, which has a better overview of the site. Paraguay´s first stop was the Hydroelectric dam (Itaipu) which until 2007 was the largest project in the world. We learnt about the scheme and drove over the massive dam wall which gave a great view back to Foz Iguacu (Brazil) and Cuidad del Este (Paraguay). We then went to a market place near the border and spent an hour looking around at the bargain basement electronic goods! We then crossed over to the Brazilian side and had a traditional lunch. Thereafter we were driven to the Brazilian side of the National Park, where
Iguazu falls
Soaked through! we decided to get a really good overview by taking a helicopter ride! The trip was thrilling (especially with open windows!) with the vast jungle a green carpet below. As we approached the falls we could really appreciate the sheer scale of the natural formation. The great width of the river before the falls compared to its narrowness after was surprising. The helicopter made a few sharp banking movements near the main falls (Devils throat) and seemed to spend ages up there! It was great. After landing and catching our breath, we explored the Brazilian Park and view of the falls. It was not as extensive as the Argentinian side but we could get a great view of the collection of falls.
The last evening we bought a few odds and ends at the craft shops, had some pizza, wine and played cards. We had no idea where we were off to next (before the wine)...as we were 2 days ahead of our planned route. After being informed about a 4x4 company that did trips to the isolated town of Colonia Pelligrini, we decided to head there and experience some more wonders of nature...
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rachel
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hey, look at your sis managing to work a computer! am at work so not sure if this will work... everyone has seen you shiny and drunk as per usual hogarth- smith.... looks fab there, need to do a proper long read when i'm not supposed to be working. lots and lots of love xxxxxxxx