Iguazu

people always go gaga for waterfalls, and most any national park will have at least a couple of trails that lead to one. small waterfalls, large waterfalls, groups of waterfalls, etc etc… waterfalls are everywhere. next to sunsets, I would bet that waterfalls are one of the most photographed natural phenomena. I’ve seen a ridiculous amount of waterfalls in my lifetime. I’ve even seen the Niagara falls which is one of the largest waterfalls in north America. yet, I’ve heard that pretty much no waterfall can even come close to iguazu falls in Argentina. at about 2km wide and 80m tall, this is supposed to be one of the most impressive waterfalls anywhere.

near the falls is a small town called Puerto Iguazu which is where we stayed. the town itself is actually pretty nice. it’s really warm here and there’s a very tropical feel: large lush green jungle, palms, etc. we read that when there is a full moon, you can take a tour of the falls by moonlight which seemed like a really cool way of seeing the falls. after asking around all over town, it turned out we were totally in luck. due to bad weather, the moonlight tour had been cancelled for the last 3 days, but tonight it would be happening. perfect timing!

we took a bus to the park, and everyone piled out peering at the sky. clouds. lots of them and everywhere. the moon was nowhere to be seen, so we all started worrying that we wouldn’t even be able to see the falls. after waiting a bit, we boarded this gas powered train, and took the short ride to the “devil’s throat” which is supposed to be the most impressive part of the falls. after the train, we started the kilometer long walk to the devil’s throat. the walk went on and on a long metal catwalk over water. only after walking for quite a bit did it actually hit me… I was on *top* of the falls. the water I was walking over was the Iguazu river as it was about to plummet over the edge. for some reason I had thought that I would be seeing the falls from the side, and had no idea that I’d be looking down on them from above. it was a bit disconcerting, walking in the murky darkness on a wet slippery catwalk, and knowing that all the gurgling churning water rushing under your feet was on it’s way to a 260 foot drop.

eventually we got to the falls. the roar of the water all around us was incredibly loud. devil’s throat is “U” shaped, and you are standing over one leg of the “U”. this is a kind of perfect vantage point because you see the waters of one side of the falls crashing below you, but you can also look across the “U” and see the falls from the side as well. watching the water crashing all around under the moonlight was awesome. there is so much water crashing down at all times, that it sends up a cloud of mist that rises and falls, and on certain parts of the catwalk it felt like it was constantly raining. I took a few photos of the falls, but it was difficult since it was so dark. a few of them turned out ok.

the next day, I returned to the park. this time, I took two trails that take you level with the falls so you can see them from the side. the paths went through lush dense jungle, and there were butterflies and lizards everywhere I looked. I even got a photo of a toucan, but from far away… unfortunately the toucans are shy.

the falls themselves were amazing. of course, it had been really cool seeing them at night by moonlight, but during the day they were just insane. they seemed to just stretch on and on forever. the whole stretch of falls is made up of over 200 sections of falls. some are really wide and others narrow, but put them altogether and it really is quite a sight. there are so many waterfalls, and the stretch is so long, that from the ground there’s no way of actually seeing them all at once. at any given time, you’re only looking at a chunk of the falls, and even that is breathtaking. plus, one of the reasons why so many people prefer iguazu to Niagara, is the setting. the falls are in the middle of beautiful jungle which makes the view even better.

at the end of one of the trails, you get to a part of the catwalk that goes really close to the falls. the water is spraying everywhere as you look up at this monstrous waterfall. this thing is HUGE. if you saw this anywhere, you’d be absolutely impressed… and it was just mind boggling to think that this gigantic waterfall was just one tiny section of the iguazu falls. people were taking turns running out to the end of the catwalk and getting their photos taken, so I did too. I was instantly drenched.

insects and birds weren’t the only wildlife that we saw. there are also these small raccoon-like animals in the park called Coatis. they had long pointy noses, striped tails, and they roamed the park in small packs. these things were hella funny and at one point we saw a bunch of them all jumping on each other and rolling around while squeaking. these guys liked people food a little too much, and at one point we saw one climb into a garbage can with only it’s stripey tail sticking out.

eventually, we noticed that the sky was getting more and more grey. then it started sprinkling. then it was raining, and soon it was pouring like crazy. we ran back to the train and stood there waiting with all the other dripping people. it was raining too hard to stay any longer, so we took the train back and then caught the bus back to town.

at that point we had a difficult decision to make. we had already been to the park twice now. but, we still hadn’t yet seen the devil’s throat during the day. should we go back a third time? on one hand, the devil’s throat is the best part… but going to the park *3* times?! plus, we were worried that the weather would continue being crap. that night it rained all night, and we were woken up over and over all night by thunder and lightning. surprisingly though, the next morning when we got up, the clouds had parted and it was warm and sunny. oh well… I guess it’s back to the park then.

of course, once we got there, we were really glad that we went. the devil’s throat is just amazing. there’s just so much water rushing everywhere. unfortunately, due to all the mist flying up, it’s really hard to get a good photo… all you get is cloudy mist everywhere.

so, yeah.. I’ve seen a million waterfalls. but of course, this was the best one. I cant imagine anything being bigger of better than iguazu…

*v