Iguazu Falls

Iguazu Falls - one of the natural wonders of the world.  They are so big that we had to see them from two countries.  The waterfalls themselves are about 300ft tall and  run at least a mile across in different cascades.  Sarita said it well . . . The views from the Brazil side let you appreciate the beauty of the Falls, and the Argentine side let you appreciate their power.  They were powerful, and inspiring, and HUGE.

The river forming these waterfalls also forms the border between Argentina and Brazil. The Falls themselves are mostly on the Argentinian side, which means most of the views are from the Brazil. We started off in Brazil and the pictures just don't do this place justice.

An early morning and a 30 minute car ride got us across the border and to the entrance of the Brazilian national park right after it opened.  The border crossing was a non-event . . . we didn't even get a Brazilian stamp in our passports.  After a quick bus ride through the jungle, we could walk along a paved pathway.  People were queued up to take pictures at all the scenic outlooks, most of them in swimsuits or purchased plastic ponchos because the mist from the falls soaks you from hundreds of yards away.   Each view just got better and better. The Falls are so big that you can't actually see them all at once.  Every turn led to another amazing view and more waterfalls.  By the time we walked out into Devil's Throat, we were soaked!  Standing at the base of tumbling water on this scale was awe inspiring.  The mist alone rose many stories tall and you had to shout to hear each other.

At the trailhead in Brazil

An early viewpoint.  We were mostly
dry at this point

A viewpoint almost halfway down the trail

Getting soaked at Devils Throat
You cant's tell how tall these falls are
from the picture

Climbing up after walking into
the mouth of the falls

A pack of coaties - with babies!

Our constant companions along the paths in Brazil were the Coaties.  These animals look like a cross between a raccoon and an anteater.  They are cute and not particularly aggressive, but also had no qualms stealing food out of backpacks or trashcans.  These animals were always underfoot in Brazil, and still very present at trailheads in Argentina.

The Argentinian side was different.  There were people in swimsuits and ponchos there too, but we were the exception.  I even saw ladies in a miniskirt and platforms walking around.  The walkways there actually get you out over the waterfalls, so you get to look down at the huge towers of mist instead of walking through them.  Even though the Brazilian walkways were right below us, they were invisible on the other side of the cloud of water.  We walked out across the huge Iguazu river for what felt like forever (and is actually about 1 km) until reaching the falls themselves, where we stand over them looking down into the cascading water.

Standing on top of that much swirling water makes you feel very small indeed.

Standing over the falls
 at Devils Throat

In front of other "lesser" falls
on the Argentinian side

The Argentinan national park was huge and there were several different paths to offer other viewpoints of smaller but still impressive waterfalls.  After seeing the main event, we kept going and walked all the paths we could in about 4 hours.  Unfortunately the river was running so high (from a lot of recent rainfall) that we couldn't get out onto the island or the boat.

We also saw lots of wildlife on the Argentinian side.  There was a Tucan, lots and lots of butterflies, and even a monkey that tried to stay hidden in a tree. And of course, lots of Coaties.

How many butterflies can you find in this picture?
We counted 11

That night, we had dinner at one of the restaurants downtown.  The strip of restaurants along Avenue Cordoba was surprising nice considering that the town of Iguazu generally feels like a 3rd world country.  (It only exists for the tourists that come to see the falls).  On our way to dinner, we ran into 3 other girls in the hotel lobby that were headed to the same restaurant.  We ended up sharing a cab, and then dinner together.  The first toast of the night (over a bottle of Malbe, or course!) was "to meeting people without staying in hostels."  I'm looking forward to seeing them again when we all re-assemble in Mendoza.

Next stop: Santiago, Chile