We arrived in Puerto Iguazu, the nearest town to the Argentinian side of the falls, early in the afternoon and set about organising ourselves to visit the national park the following day. We then wandered down to the Hito Argentino, an obelisk painted in the colours of the Argentinian flag, which is situated near the edge of the Iguazu river at the point where both Brazil and Paraguay are visible. The two other countries mirror the obelisk with ones of their own.
The following day we were on a bus heading to the national park by 9 o'clock in the morning. The park is quite large, with several circuits which you walk around offering different views of the falls. The immense size and power of the water, cascading down waterfall after waterfall was mind boggling. Additionally, throughout the morning the sun shines directly on the water, creating stunning rainbows which only add to the beauty of the place.
You can get right up close to a few of them, and we felt the spray and the power up close. We were therefore very glad that the weather so far north is much more pleasant during the day, reaching 25 degrees during the day. The heat was especially appreciated after we finished a boat ride on the river, where they take you directly under two of the falls. We were completely soaked, but the experience was like no other. Additionally, this allowed us a view of more of the falls from the river, which are normally viewable from an island reached by a boat from the main land. Unfortunately, the island was closed during our visit due to high water levels. On the bright side, this meant the falls were at their most impressive, which can be hit and miss during the dryer months of winter.
We ate lunch in the sun on the lawn of the Sheraton hotel on the complex (imagine staying in the national park!), far away as possible from the thieving coatis! These small mammals, related to the raccoon, are notorious for stealing food and bothering tourists. They had already tried to grab a sandwich out of Tanya's bag as she took some photos, and there were warnings everywhere that they could become quite dangerous (on the Brazilian side, the warnings also included that they might transmit rabies!).
During the afternoon, we jumped on the train which leads to the "pièce de résistance" of the argentinan side: an incredible view over the "Garganta del Diablo" or "Devil's Throat". At this point half of the river's flow converge at one point ibto several falls and there is so much water that all you can see as you look down is white froth and foam. Again we were soaked and unfortunately this was the last straw for my camera, which now refused to close it's zoom! This is a little annoying for the rest of trip, as we now do not have a camera, however iPhone will have to do for the last week!
We finished the day walking the "Sendero Macuco", a path which leads to a small hidden waterfall set apart from the main strip. The real reason for the walk however is for the wildlife you see along the way. We spied several colourful birds, butterflies and a few interesting mammals. Of the latter, the most common were, as a fellow walker so eloquently put it, like gigantic rats! They had large, round ears and no tail, but besides that the description was very accurate. Most interestingly, we caught sight of a tapir in the under growth, and as we left the trail at the end of the day, as if they'd been placed there on purpose, there was a group of monkeys swinging the in trees above us.
We were very excited the next day to set off for the Brazilian national park. From what we'd heard, you get a completely different view of the falls, it's much more panoramic. Additionally, it would give us a very brief taste of Brazil, a country we would have loved to have devoted some time to but which we'd had to leave off the list. It was very strange to suddenly be in a country with a different language, and it made me realise how "at home" I'd become in Spanish speaking South America!
The views from Brazil are indeed more panoramic, and you get the sense for the scale of the place. As you walk along the trail past the falls, the views seem to become more impressive with every turn. At the end of the walk, you can walk out on to a platform which mirrors the platform on the Argentinan side of the Gargana del Diablo. Once again, the morning sun played tricks on the water, and several rainbows were often visible at a time, reaching out over the water.
The park on the Brazilian side of the falls is significantly smaller, and we completed it with a couple of short hours. We therefore had ample time to visit the excellent "Parque das Aves" (bird park), across the road from the national park. Here we were able to get up close to some amazing species, including the colourful toucans and macaws. The park is laid out with avairies you can walk through for excellent views and photo opportunities. All the birds in the park have been rescued and are very used to human contact. They don't even mind if you stroke them as they sit on the banisters of the walkways through the aviary! The macaw cage is particularly fun as they fly around quite oblivious to the people inside, meaning that often you have to duck to get out of their way! We were able to hold a bird on our shoulders for an obligatory tourist snap (which ended badly for me as my macaw decided the charms on my bracelet looked very tasty and bit my wrist!). In addition to the birds, the park had a butterfly enclosure with several gorgeous species as well as adorable hummingbirds flying all around as you walked through.
We decided to make the most of our very short stay in Brazil and take a look around the local town of Foz do Iguaçu. Here we tried the local cheese bread balls, accompanied by fresh fruit juice, and soaked up the culture of the country and it's extrovert residents. It was then back over the border at the end of another wonderful day, filled with beautiful sights. With all this border hopping, we now have 7 stamps from Argentinan immigration!
We spent the evening in the company of an Argentina couple who currently live in Brazil, who introduced us to some of Argentina's comedy scene via YouTube. Highlights included a long lived advert about "la llama que llama" (the llama who talks) which was very amusing. The next day, we were able, for the first time in a while, to get up when we liked and to spend the day catching the rays by the pool and lunching in the local market.
We'd thoroughly enjoyed our time in Iguazu, but it was soon time to head back to Buenos Aires for our final week. I hope to have my last post of the trip up by Monday next week, just before we board out plane home. What a strange thought!
Lots of love,
Emma
No comments:
Post a Comment