Iguazu Falls

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

Cape Horn & Ushuaia

Crossing Drake Passage almost behind us we were in for a treat as the ocean cooperated enough that the Captain was able to take a bit of a detour and take us off tipoffs Cape Horn. The most southern tip of South America many books and tales have originated from here where so many ships have sunk and so many sailors have lost their lives. There is a monument of an albatross near the lighthouse to honour all those that have been lost at sea. Was a bit of a somber experience to sit out on the ocean on the ship and think about how many ship lay below us.  The rest of the trip into Ushuaia was much calmer sailing and we arrived at the dock in the late evening.  Saturday morning January 18th we disembarked early to sunny skies which let us see the beautiful snow capped mountains that surround the city that were not visible in the rain when we were here before.  We visited the former maximum security prison which is now a museum as this city used to be the Australia of Argentina as it was where they sent all their prisoners.  We then walked around town which certainly has the most adventure clothing stores I have ever seen in a town this size before setting off for the airport and our flight to Buenos Aires which will end our National Geographic Trip and we will be on our own.

Raising the albatross flag as we get near to Cape Horn

Approaching the Cape there was a viable excitement on the ship

This high island is the actual Cape Horn

The lighthouse at the Cape with the statue of the albatross to the left which is made from the steel from one of the ships that sank here

There were huge flicks of albatross at the Horn and even though we had seen lots of these birds we had never seen them in these numbers before 

Our very able Captain navigating the ship with Jimmy and Bud keeping close watch

Enjoying the Horn

Lovely poem that is posted at Cape Horn

Arriving in Ushuaia 

Rather a picturesque town with a real mix of architecture 

Inside the old prison, it was very cold and dark

The streets of town are all straight and hilly and have a mountain view at the end

This unique building decides to capitalize on the town’s history as a penal colony 

Beautiful statue of an albatross embracing the people symbolizing the sailors lost at sea

Southern most city in the world 

Chart of our trip

Farewell to Antarctica

After an outstanding morning at Portal Point the Captain headed the ship to Brabant Island where we were dropped off in zodiacs to circumnavigate the island and be picked up a little farther down the strait where we then navigated through a beautiful channel before heading north to the Drake Passage for our journey back to Ushuaia. The scenery on the zodiac cruise was outstanding as the fog lifted revealing huge ice fields with some peaks breaking through.  The thunder of calving glaciers could be heard and Bud turned off the zodiac a couple of times just to sit and listen to the sounds.  Amazing!  We saw one humpback and one penguin but the wildlife was scarce here as the water was so clear which shows there is very little plankton in this area and thus very little food.  The icebergs were once again beautiful and some of them were extra blue catching the light just right.  As our zodiac cruise came to an end we were met by a ‘viking’ zodiac from which members of the crew handed out spiked hot chocolate.  Sailing through the passage we tried to take it all in as we knew these were the last views we would have of this incredible continent before starting our return journey.  Our time here was short but we are so thankful for the wonderful weather and the experienced crew that together made this a trip that has given us memories that will last a lifetime and far surpassed our expectations.

Entering the waters around the island the fog started to lift

Sun on the ice is dazzling

The lone chinstrap penguin that greeted us and the last we would see in Antarctica 

Walls of ice meet the ocean 


Beautiful blue colours given off by the icebergs

One can see large pieces of ice ready to fall. Weighing tons this is why one never goes to close to the walls

Incredibly coloured iceberg 

Variety of textures

Making memories 

Piece of what was once a tabular iceberg 

The snow looked in places like it had been walked on by a multitude of people but it was just the pattern that developed as it softened during the summer season with falling snow and such

Looks like a black and white picture but this is full colour in Antarctica. The lines on the iceberg are from different water levels as it has rolled or grounded

Navigating the zodiac through the ice. Glad it is not ours

The ship in the distance waiting to pick us up

This iceberg looked like a church from certain angles with a big window you could see through 

Here come the Vikings with the hot chocolate

Sailing through our last passage befor heading into the open ocean

Jimmy, the trip leader, giving us a briefing on the expectations for the Drake Passage crossing.  It was expected to be calm which was not the case but sometimes one has to put up with some discomfort to reap huge rewards.  Eric and I had no problem with the rough seas so not an issue for us.

I felt this little guy was watching us go and hopefully wanting us to share the beauty of the place he calls home