Iguazu Falls

---

On landing in Iguazu, the plane load of passengers applauded! We were not sure if we had missed something during the flight or it was an omen of things to come, of course, it was neither. Our last three days have been spent viewing the spectacular Iguazu Fallls from both the Brazilian and Argentinian sides, as the border between these two countries lies somewhere in the middle of the falls. A helicopter ride, Sue's first, gave us a sense of the immensity of the falls. The Igauzu River, 1000km long with 62 tribuataries, flows unusually from high lands the near the sea on the eastern side of Brazil, west, and not from the Andes Mountains. Arriving here at Iguazu, an enormous volume of water casacades (a far too gentle word when you see the volume and power of the water) over some 275 waterfalls into the canyon below at an average of 1.5million litres per second! Walking through parts of the National Park, on the Argentinian side, we passed over many arms of the then gentle flowing river on its way to what is known as the Devil's Throat - the 'big daddy of the waterfalls and where the majority of water meets ìn different directions, volumes and speeds to create a most spectacular sight. The thundering sound of the water is constant while the bottom of the canyon is not visible due to the thick rising spray which can be seen from kilometres away and is your first glimpse of what is ahead of you. Our visit to the Iguazu Falls finished on the Brazilian side with a fast and exhilirating boat ride up the raging river where we were suitably drenched at the foot of several smaller falls.

This special environment is home to a wide range of unusual and colourful birds. A few of these we saw in the wild but a wander through the Bird Park gave us an up close and personal view of many more. The two stand outs being the Toucans who are quite friendly and inquistive and the brilliantly coloured Macaws.

We have been staying in a most charming, old-world hotel on the Brazilian side, where the view from the main verandah is of the falls and its light spray can be felt at times. This is not always the case as different weather conditions can apparently make it a little less pleasant. Must go - drinks in the parlour bar are calling!

---

Comments

[Sarah]

BA looks beautiful - would never have guessed! All looks amazing! looking forward to seeing you both soon x