Iguazu Falls
January 24- 27, 2016
Sunday morning Larry and I caught a cab to the domestic
airport, Jorge Newbery at 8:20am. It took about 20 minutes to get there….there was
absolutely no Sunday morning traffic in Buenos Aires. Why?..... because they
had been up partying the night away into the early morning hours. Argentinians
close up shop everyday around 1:00pm for around four hours for a siesta….we were
awakened Friday and Saturday evenings/early morning hours with happy shouts of
partying in the streets.
We got our boarding tickets….no electronic tickets here….and
headed to Gate 11 waiting for our plane to arrive at 11:00AM. After sitting
there, Larry noticed that they had printed out the wrong gate number on our
ticket so we scurried down to Gate 16….the same area that we had boarded to go
to Ushuaia three weeks earlier. Here we
found that the plane had some repairs being taken care of and that we would not
leave until 12:30. I am beginning to think that this whole trip will be the
record of having delayed flights. Larry and I have been so lucky to not have
this happen to us in the past….but it is sure making up for lost time.
Metal Sculpture Coatie.....Argentina type raccoon
We finally boarded and took off in a plane that did the
shimmy….I was saying my prayers that we would make it to Puerto Iguazu because
it shimmied all the way for an hour and forty-five minutes. Finally we made it….and
boy was it hot….upper 90’s.
After
gathering our bags, we were able to board a mini bus to our hotel….La Cantera Jungle
Lodge. Our room was down a boarded walkway through a deep forest/jungle.
After a light dinner we fell fast asleep.
On Monday we were up at 6:30 and ready to have breakfast when our tour guide, Carlos, showed up to take us (a whole hour early)to the falls.
Larry and I quickly assembled two scrambled egg sandwiches and jumped into the
van with four other tourists…. two from Paraguay and two from Chile…making
Carlos translate in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
Carlos, our guide
By the end of the day we
were all communicating with a lot of hand signals and body language. We were
pleasantly surprised to find the temps this morning were nice…somewhere
in the 70s.
Entrance into the Argentina National Park
Iguazu means big waters….and that is just what we found.
The Jays jabber just like in the US.
After about a 20 minute ride through this lush green forest,
we arrived at Iguazu (Spanish spellinig) Falls National Park on the Argentina
side.
Coaties were running all along the path
Carlos led us through the lines of people into the park explaining that
we would have about a three mile hike into the park to reach the falls. Along
the way he pointed out many different plants and critters along the way ….the
tiger ant, a clump of moving caterpillars
These caterpillars moved in mass to keep preditors away
Warning signs about the monkeys and Coaties
The coatis (a South American branch of our raccoon)
These critters, Coaties, were all over the place. They would get into tourists bags if they had snacks. Worst of all, signs warned us that some could carry rabies that could be gotten through scratches, licks, or bites. Needless to say we tried to stay away from them.
We walked many catwalks seeing magnificent views of the
upper falls spotting orchids,
morning glories,
spiders,
and unusual butterflies…..
We stopped around
11:30 for lunch, eating baked empanadas filled with chicken and beef while
guzzling lots of water. The temps had soared to the high 90’s. After lunch we
hiked the lower falls and took a boat ride under the falls getting totally
soaked and enjoying the refreshing drench.
Dos Hermanas Falls/ Two Sisters Falls
Are we happy or what?
What a plunge!
A monkey family was hanging out right after lunch.
Lower falls hike
This sort of captures our hike down the mountain side to get to the boat ramp.
And away we go.....ready to get drenched!
The boat took us to a drop off point where we
boarded a huge open ended truck that took us through the forest.
Didn't take long to dry off on top of this ride.
After that we
boarded the Rainforest Ecological Train (similar to the Walt Disney World
Train) for about 20 minutes and rode to an area where we walked a mile long catwalk
across the flowing Iguacu River. We spotted a huge catfish....
turtles, and
an alligator.
At the end of the catwalk we came to Devil’s Throat, a U shaped part the waterfall that over half of the river
water plunges 82 meters down, projecting lots of spray and giving us a grand
view of the falls on the Brazilian side.
The park boasts 275 waterfalls all with incredible majestic views….it makes Niagara Falls in New York look
very small. Carlos returned us to our hotel around 6:00pm….an oasis of air
conditioning. We were content to have a light dinner and watch a movie with Josh
Brolin for the evening. What a day!
Tuesday morning we were up at 6:00am, had breakfast, and
were ready to tackle the Brazilian side of Iguacu (Portuguese spelling) Falls
at 7:30am.
Breakfast Buffet
Carlos picked us up at 7:30 sharp and got us through the Argentina and Brazil
borders.
Brazil
Surprisingly, Argentina border had long lines coming and going, even
doing a check of our vehicle when returning.
Carlos knew how to bypass the line taking us right to the front….that
was nice.
Larry and Carlos
We stopped off at a shop to do some Brazilian shopping
before going to a 40 acre bird sanctuary called Parque de Aves.
Loved these stone craved parrots in the Brazilian Shop
What sights we saw in this fantastic park!
Although birds
are the priority of park, they have great exhibits of reptiles and butterflies.
Opening in 1994, the aviary aims to help endangered bird species in the world. The park was absolutely AMAZING!
My favorite....gorgeous!
What a colorful bird....Uganda's National Bird!
Many birds
were paired for reproduction purposes in cages while others were exhibited in
larger aviaries for a visitor’s close up view of many species.
These flamingos will only mate in a large group, so the staff have put up huge mirrors to reflect the flamingos that are standing there to fool them into thinking that they are a larger group. ...it works....they are multiplying!
Parque de Aves........What a fabulous
two hours of pure enjoyment!
Larry and I were eager to see the Brazilian side of Iguacu Falls so off the group went around 11:00am.
Arriving at the Brazil Iguacu National Park, we drove about
seven miles into the park. Here we walked past the historic hotel, Hotel das
Cataratas,
a short distance to reach the first terrace viewing of the Argentina
side of the fall. Unbelievable! Incredible! Because 80% of the falls is on the
Argentina side, the views are much greater from the Brazilian side…and what spectacular
views.
The Brazilian falls were first
owned in the 1930’s by a foreign gentleman until 1939 when the government
bought it to make a National Park for all to enjoy. It became a member of the
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1984.
Popular view point of the Argentina side....lots of mist in the air today.
The coatis took a backpack away from a teenage tourist....scary....Carlos rescued it back for her.
We continued walking the 1,200 meter path of pure sensational
views. The pictures just do not capture the enormity of the falls. A huge black cloud formed overhead and Carlos
gathered us to ride the elevator back to the top of the falls for lunch, just
before the rain can tumbling down on us.
We all enjoyed views of the Iguacu
River while enjoying cuisine from a Brazilian buffet.
A Brazilian Passion Fruit Drink....tasty orange flavor
Our tour group at lunch
After a long leisurely
Brazilian lunch we went back to the top of the falls to watch the endless
waters plunge to the lower Rio Iguacu Inferior. What an incredible flow of
water!
What a powerful falls!
We arrived back to our hotel for a relaxing late afternoon…
it was rainy and overcast and the perfect opportunity for a little nap. The
Iguacu Falls was a fantastic experience. Larry and I were excited to check off
another of the Seven New Wonders of Nature. (Last year we checked off Table
Mountain in South Africa.)
Plants co-exist on the side of trees creating some natural beauty.
Adios to Iguazu Falls
