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Published: January 31st 2009
I had been looking forward to seeing Iguazu Falls for several years and I can say is that they definitely lived up to the hype. They are absolutely gorgeous, and well worth the overnight bus rides to get to the remote location on the tri border area of Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. The falls stretch out along 2.7 kilometers, 1.67 miles, and tumble an average of 64 meters (210 feet) down to the Rio Parana below. Garganta del Diablo, Devil´s Throat, is the largest of the falls and is 82 meters (270 feet) tall. It is a mind boggling display of the power of nature and the force of water. It is hard to explain the enormity of the falls, but to give a comparison for those back home in the States, the water falling over the edge has twice the surface area of Niagra Falls.
We got to the park around midday, as our bus had just arrived that morning, and unfortunately got stuck in the middle of the throngs of middle aged and retiree tourist buses visiting at the same time. While the lines were longer, the walkways were crowded, and it was harder to get to the
front of the view points, it didn´t detract from the beauty of the area at all. The infrastructure at the park is exceptional. There is a train to the more remote areas and well maintained wood, steal, and cement walkways throughout. It almost feels more like Disney Land than a National Park at times. The fact that you can walk out to the edge of a 270 foot cliff and look directly over without seeing the bottom due to the enormous amount of mist coming back at you doesn´t help avoid the feeling of Disney-esque surrealism either. I´ll avoid all the possible trite adjectives to describe how amazing it is and let the photos try and describe it for me.
After taking the train up to the trail leading to Devil´s Throat and walking out to be amazed by the largest water fall I´ve ever seen we headed back to walk the Upper and Lower Trails in the main area of the park. They provide exceptional panoramic views of the falls and one part of the Lower Trail actually allows you to go extremely close (and get exceptionally wet!). As we were walking we saw several tourist boats go
up to the base of the falls to get an even closer look from below. After a bit of a debate on whether or not we wanted to splurge, we came to the frequently used excuse that "how many other times will we be able to" get doused by the water at the base of Iguazu Falls. We jumped in the boat and giggled like school girls the entire time as we got completely soaked. It was hilarious.
Anyway, we spent the afternoon there and headed back into Puerto Iguazu for the night. We weren´t going to pay for the Brazilian visa in order to see the falls from their side of the border, so we ended up getting a night bus for the next evening and spending the rest of the day by the pool in our hostel. It was a short trip, but one of the most amazing spectacles of nature I´ve ever seen.
Another point to mention quickly, we were in Puerto Iguazu for Obama´s inaguration. I can´t help but mention how excited most of the world is for the new administration. Everytime it comes up that we are from Los Estados Unidos, everyone smiles
Lit Up
Sun broke through the clouds mid day something fierce...quickly and says "Obama!" This feels significantly better than when I was traveling several years ago and the first reaction was, "So... Bush?" Regardless of your political leanings, it is nice to have a president that is positively regarded by most of the world... or at least isn´t hated. If you disagree, at least it makes it easier on us backpackers, and you know you envy us!
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Clark and dwming
non-member comment
Abroad during bush does suck. Nice pictures. I'm studying; u suck.