Leaving Buenos Aires we took a short flight up to Iguazu Falls for a visit we were looking forward to more even more after talking to Marian at New Year’s and her telling us it was one of her favourite places and they had been encouraged to go there by Mother and Father who had visited in the sixties. We arrived at our hotel ,the Panoramic Grand which looked across the river to Brazil and was situated in the heart of town. Walking around we were a little surprised to see how many empty store fronts there were considering that several million people visit the falls each year but we did notice that many hotels are situated outside of town and most likely many just come for the falls and leave which is their loss as the town was fun with good restaurants and lots of life at night with entertainment and spontaneous dancing in the street. That being said the da long visit to the falls was the definite highlight. We were so glad we had a guide to help us navigate the best way to see it all. We left the hotel bright and early so we could be there at opening and on the first train out to Devils Throat which is the biggest of the falls. Once we got off of the train we had a 1.5 kilometre walk over a raised walkway out to the view point. These walkways are all through the park so that the vegetation is not harmed. Once at the falls we stood there in awe. The thundering water and landscape was so much to take in plus we were getting soaked by the heavy spray but that was irrelevant especially in this heat as it was 32 degrees Celsius. We spent hours exploring all the falls on the Argentina side both from the upper and lower level. There was also a fair bit of wild life to enjoy including a variety of birds, beautiful butterflies which actually landed on you, the largest spider webs I have ever seen, cappuccino monkeys, and a multitude of raccoons that looked closely related to anteaters. After being almost overwhelmed with everything we had seen our guide, Christian told us we were now going to get in the car and go to Brazil which was a real surprise for us. After successfully going through the border we visited the falls from Brazil which gave us a different view of the falls altogether. The views we got of the Devils Throat were spectacular as on the Brazilian side one views these falls from down below as well as from above. When you are down and looking up at the power of the water crashing down it is absolutely mesmerizing. What an incredible day at a very special place on this great planet of ours. We finished off the day with a delicious Argentinan meal at a great local restaurant. Over dinner we talked about what a different visit it must have been for Grannie and Grandpa Sir over 50 years ago when the infrastructure was not there and it gave us a whole new respect for their sense of adventure.
Standing on this point in Argentina one can see both Paraguay and Brazil
Our hotel on the left looks across the river to Brazil. The bridge in the photo is the one that crosses to Brazil and is half in each country. Quite interesting as you cross because the Brazil side is freshly painted and maintained compared to the Argentina side as Argentina is much poorer economically.
The downtown area of Iguazu Falls which comes alive in the evening
Devil’s Throat from the top
A little wet but very happy
Wonderful raised walkways through the whole park
This bird was quite brave and approached those who had food
Each set of falls had its own beauty
The falls covers an immense area
Boats run below some of the falls
Apparently the volume of the falls run in 10 year cycles and they have been known to run to almost trickles up to having to close much of the park as there is too much water falling
The mixture of water ,rock and greenery is stunning
Rivers and falls in several directions
Had to avoid selfie sticks at times
This cappuccino monkey picture really reminds me of someone but I won’t say who in case it offends. I will leave you all guessing
Descending the trail on the Brazil side towards the Devils Throat
A view of Devils Throat from afar
An Argentinian raccoon. They were everywhere and were huge scavengers. We saw one woman put her freshly bought sandwich down on the outside table and fast as can be one jumped up, gabbed it and took off. She was not happy and went inside to demand another. We don’t know how that worked out
Panoramic of the falls
Looking down the river
Devils Throat from above on the Brazil side
A colourful restaurant in Iguazu Falls Taken at 7 pm and no one eats here before 830
Dancing in the middle of the street
These two seemed a little more polished and were fun to watch
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