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Published: June 22nd 2017
Iguazu Falls
As most of the waterfalls are on the southern, Argentine side of the river, the views from the Brazilian side (like this one) are more panoramic.Geo: -25.6856, -54.4435
TAM Airlines A320 to the Brazilian side of the Iguazu Falls, landing at midday on Monday. Our appetite was whetted by distant glimpses of the river and waterfalls from the plane, along with large swathes of virgin jungle. Carlos, our talkative and informative guide picked up our tickets and we rode in on the park bus to the point where we walked the last kilometre to the Brazilian falls.
Geologists say the falls started 150+ million years ago at the confluence of the Iguazu and Parana Rivers. Erosion has moved the falls 23km up the Iguazu River and there are now around 275 waterfalls in a 2.3km length of the river. The Iguazu River is the boundary between Brazil and Argentina, and Paraguay lies on the other (western) side of the Parana River - a "triple frontier". Most of the waterfalls are on the Argentine side of the Iguazu.
After spending a few afternoon hours on the Brazilian side, we crossed a bridge over the Iguazu River into Argentina and checked in to the hotel for our two-night stay.
Changed guides on Tuesday and Marcello walked us over kilometres of steel boardwalks and lookouts on the southern side of the Iguazu. We
Devil's Throat (obscured)
The largest falls, 1.1km long and 80m high. There are five dams upstream of the falls that regulate the water flow. Last July was the biggest flood in memory (!) and the flow was twenty times the "normal" 2,000 cubic metres per second. opted for the "Nautical Adventure" - a 6km guided drive though the jungle in open top trucks, followed by a 20min boat ride to the bottom of the Devil's Throat and the Mbigua Falls. We were well wet by the spray and then a couple of waves broached the boat to ensure we were all drenched!
Around 4:30pm we had a brief but violent thunderstorm with hail that was entertaining to watch from our waterfall-view hotel room. We saw a flock of Toucans with their huge, brightly coloured beaks; a pretty Jay hoping to be fed; hundreds of Swifts that roost behind the waterfalls and spend most of their lives on the wing; a Capuchin monkey (a la "Pirates of the Caribbean"😉 and many more Quatis. Both sides of the Iguazu have been national parks since the 1930s.
The food prices and service at the Sheraton Hotel are terrible so we chose to do a dinner and show back on the Brazilian side of the Iguazu (with abbreviated immigration processes).
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Lowie
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Iguassu falls. Double wow! No, triple wow! The falls are now on my "bucket list"! Look forward to reading your experiences in the region. Meanwhile, in Philly, it is cool and rainy!