Off again for another flight!  We had never been on a tour with so many flights, but there was no way around it.  Besides, there was no way we were going to miss the post-extension and not see Iguazu Falls!  We had been to Niagara Falls and were mesmerized and in awe of how large and powerful it was.  Well, Niagara Falls (167 feet high and 3,947 feet wide) are small compared to Iguazu Falls, which measure as high as 269 feet and are 8,858 feet wide! 

The falls can be viewed from both Brazil and Argentina because they are located on the eastern-most tip of Argentina and surrounded by Brazil and Paraguay.  We were going to get to view the falls from both countries.

After arriving in Iguazu, we crossed the border into Brazil and changed buses, drivers, and guides.  Ola Manuel (“Manu”)!  More about Manu in my next post, but he was a terrific guide! 

We headed straight to Iguazu Falls, which is comprised of 275 waterfalls, the largest waterfall system in the world!  There were several viewing platforms to see the falls from different perspectives as well as a walkway built over the water to get an up-close and personal (and very refreshing!) view of the falls.  The volume of water pouring over those falls (61,000 cubic feet per second!), was so powerful that a constant mist was present.  It was impossible to keep my camera lens dry, but the cold water was a glorious relief from the heat!  I got completely soaked (on purpose), which was a lifesaver during the hike up the hill to get more of a birds-eye view.

The sky was a bit mucky, so my photos aren’t pretty like the ones in that Wikipedia link.  I think they will give you a pretty good idea of what we saw, though:

(For all photos, especially panoramas, click on the image for a full screen view.)

Wildlife seen on the walking trail overlooking the falls:

Following our visit to the Brazil side of Iguazu Falls, we crossed back into Argentina and headed to Puerto Iguazu, our home base for three nights.  We learned from Manu that since the city is situated on the borders of Brazil and Paraguay, the 82,000+ residents are a mix from those two countries in addition to Argentina.  As a result, the food, language, and culture is a bend of all three.  Spanish, Portuguese, and the language of the Guarani natives can all be heard in this tourist city.  And, 70% of the residents work in tourism-related jobs, because Iguazu Falls is the most visited National Park in Argentina.

Our hotel, Amerian Portal Del Iguazu, was beautifully situated on the river where we could see Brazil straight across the river and Paraguay across to the right.  A short walk away was the Three Borders Landmark where there were more beautiful views of all three countries.  Although our room didn’t have a view of the river, we looked out from our balcony to lush jungle views as far as the eye could see.  On the roof of the multi-story hotel, there was a beautiful outdoor bar with amazing views:

During the evening, our group gathered for a wonderful dinner in the hotel’s restaurant overlooking the pool and the lit-up Ferris wheel across the river in Brazil.  It was beautiful!

Coming up next: ARGENTINA & CHILE #19: A VISIT TO THE INDIGENOUS GUARANI COMMUNITY