The power of nature

We secured a round trip bus from the airport in Iguazu falls to our hostel, about 40 minutes away in the town of Puerto Iguazu.  The falls, which are the most amazing waterfalls I have ever seen are the chief attraction of this area and what attracted us to travel all this way to this out of the way location.  The falls connect Brazil and Argentina as the Rio Iguazu passes over a plateau that ends just above the junction with the River Parana.  Before reaching the edge, the river divides into many different waterfalls.   The most awe inspiring is the Devils's throat or Garganta del Diablo.  A series of catwalks allow one to get as close as you would want to and get a good soaking as the wind changes direction, drenching you with a heavy mist generated by the power of the falls. The semicircular waterfall of the Devil's Throat drops some 80 meters vertically and the falls span almost 3 kilometers.

We were told to go to the falls early to avoid the crowds and the spray fog in the afternoon that is generated from the power of the waterfalls. We saw the resulting mist from an airplane after leaving the area.  The falls themselves are located about 40 minutes away by bus in the Parque Nacional Iguazu nestled in the subtropical rainforest.  Once we arrive we are cautioned repeatedly not to feed the wildlife, especially the coatimundi, related to the raccoon, which in the late afternoon come out in droves hoping for a free snack, which, despite the warnings, we saw numerous tourists defying. The literature state that this area has over 2,000 species of plants and is home to abundant wildlife including anteaters, tapirs, howler monkeys, ocelots, jaguars and caymans.

When at the falls themselves, you can see the Brazilian side across the river, but those who have a visa are able to view the falls from the Brazilian park. Although we did not have a visa and therefore didn't visit the Brazilian park, we were not disappointed by the wonders of the Argentinian side of the falls. The park is comprised of lower and upper falls, all with catwalks that pass numerous vistas along the way. Then the piece de resistance is the Devil's throat with it's semicircular series of waterfalls. After getting a good shower of mist from Devil's throat we took at 4 km walk through dense forest to a hidden waterfall, where we took a swim to cool off.

Prior to leaving Puerto Iguazu, we visited a nearby animal hospital and wildlife rehabilitation; additionally they have a breeding program for endangered species found in the rainforest. Few of our experiences compared with the powerful impression left by Iguazu falls.