Four countries in 48 hours to get to the Iguazu Falls

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Having taken it very easy in Sucre we geared ourselves up for a Sonic the Hedgehog-style run from Sucre to Iguazu. First we flew from Sucre airport to Santa Cruz regional airport. We spent an afternoon in the Irish Pub on the main square and then found a hotel for the night. Next morning we made our way to Santa Cruz International airport outside of town for our flight to Asuncion that afternoon. We bid a fond farewell to Bolivia, and then spent about 10 hours in Paraguay where we became millionaires for a day. The currency in Paraguay is the Guarani and the lowest note comes in 5000 G's.

We caught a taxi (for 90,000 G´s) from the airport to the bus station and decided to take a night bus to Ciudad de l'Este on the Paraguay border. Our bus wasn't until midnight so we made our way into the centre of Asuncion to soak up the atmosphere for a few hours. There wasn't much life in the city bar a protest being held in the Plaza de los Heroes, however in the brief time we were there we both noticed the relative wealth that appeared to be in the capital (in comparison to Sucre....we had been told that the opposite was true).

We disembarked the fairly comfortable nightbus in Ciudad de l'Este at 5.30am and waited for the first bus that would take us across the border. We are getting used to just arriving in bus stations without being sure of our next step! We found the Argentina bus that the locals take, paid our 3 pesos and were whisked passed the emigration office (no passport stamp then!) through Brazil (although we never got off) and then stopped at the Argentinian border to get an entry stamp. When we reached Puerto Iguazu we were delighted to see our hostel directly in front of the bus terminal. It was a tiring journey, but it did at least mean that we managed to catch up to our old friends Ellie and Patrick before they moved on to Brazil.

With our room not ready for another few hours we got lunch and drinks with Patrick and Ellie and caught each other up on our travels since Cusco. We were relieved to learn that the Salar de Uyuni trip that we had decided not to do in Bolivia was not as good as the pictures would have you believe. Patrick and I exchanged sympathy over our altitude sickness on our Machu Picchu treks and Ellie brought us up to date on the tours we should and shouldn't do in Buenos Aires as we ate a lovely meal out in the sun.

Sadly the guys had a bus to catch, but luckily our room was ready. We checked into the dorm and checked out the pool. At the poolside we got chatting to another travelling couple. Helen and Werner are seasoned travellers and were able to give us hints & tips on India, China and Australia. We soaked up the information and eventually ended up going for dinner with them and a girl from New Zealand, Alex. Over dinner we figured out what to do and not do in the Iguazu National Park the next day.

The next day we took the El Pratico local bus to the Parque Nacional de Iquazu as this meant we could run to our own schedule. When we got to the park we were dismayed by the volume of tourists there. However when we realised that it was a Saturday and a bank holiday weekend in Argentina, what else would we expect! On the advice of the others we decided to shun the jungle tour (apparently you don't see any animals) and only pay to do the quick speed boat tour. First though we took the wally train up to the Devils Throat platform. We thought by doing this first we would avoid the worst of the crowds, but as we fell in line to walk out to the platform I was entertaining ideas of turning back.

I'm glad we didn't turn back though, because crowds or no crowds, the view from the platform is sensational. You have a panorama view of all the falls and are a couple of metres away from the gushing water. Every so often the wind changes and the mist from the falls sprays the squeeling crowd. It was fun, and enough to wake me up for the rest of the day!

Next we decided to walk the higher trail. Again the views are amazing. We were lucky and managed to stay a few minutes behind the tour group ahead of us. Even with the sound of the powerful waterfalls all around you it is still a peaceful park. There are racoons waiting for you around every corner, although we were warned to stay away from them as they are not averse to rugby tackling the odd human for food!

You might think that one waterfall is much like another, but they are all different, and all worth visiting. So after the high trail, we began the lower trail. This route brings you out on a platform close the falls where you can run out into the spray. It is a water fight that you don't win, but you can't help but laugh at the innocent fun of it all. Already damp, we took the plunge and signed up for the speedboat tour. Ellie and Patrick had said that this was a must-do and they weren't wrong. For 75 pesos each we got soaked to the skin. First though we had to queue for 20 minutes, pull on our life jackets and pack our stuff away in a waterproof bag. The speedboat is very powerful. After a first photocall, it looped back on itself and made a beeline straight for the foot of the falls. You can barely see for the water all around you, and when we were directly under the falls I struggled for breath. It it was exhilarating, and we went under about five times. It is not a cheap thrill, but it is certainly an enjoyable one!

Off the boat and in soaking wet clothes, we ran up the lower trail to the bathrooms. Thankfully we had brought a change so we could enjoy the rest of the lower trail in comfort. We meandered our way back to the entrance to take the local bus back to the hostel after a truly enjoyable day.

The Iguazu Falls have been shortlisted as one of the new Seven Wonders of Nature, and truly deserves to win a place. I hope our pictures do it justice, as it is up there with Machu Picchu for me in terms of beauty.

Next stop is Buenos Aires....just a 17 hours bus-ride away!

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