The amazing Iguazu Falls, visiting its two faces between Argentina and Brazil

After 10 hectic and fun-filled days, we left Buenos Aires behind to go to the northeast of Argentina to visit one of the wonders of nature: the Iguazu Falls. Our flight left at 5:00 a.m. and in about an hour and a half, we landed in the province of Misiones.

We were going to stay just two days in Puerto Iguazú, a small town only 17 km from the falls, just enough time to get to know its both faces, between Argentina and Brazil.

At the airport we asked about accommodations and they recommended a good, nice and cheap one, so we took a cab there. It wasn't yet 8:00 in the morning, but we had to make the most of the time, we changed clothes, had breakfast and went to take the bus to the Brazilian side of the falls.

I had researched, and it was a little further than the Argentine side, about 17 km, and since we had to cross the triple border (Argentina - Brazil - Paraguay) and stamp our passport, it was going to take us longer, so I decided that we would visit this part on the first day.

_{Bus terminal / Terminal de autobuses}

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It was very hot, this region is also quite humid, but the sky was without a cloud, ideal for photos. We arrived in the city of Foz do Iguaçu, state of Paraná (Brazil), where the entrance of this National Park is located, we paid our tickets, and to begin the adventure .

_{This National Park was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986 / Este Parque Nacional fue declarado Patrimonio de la Humanidad por la UNESCO en 1986}

For the tour of the park, there was a double-decker bus, my mom and I sat on the open top to better enjoy the scenery. A few minutes later, we got off at the stop where the main trail to the falls begins.

Here there is a spectacular jungle environment, as you go down you hear the sound of the water and then the vegetation opens little by little letting you see several of the waterfalls.

I was fascinated with the landscape, I couldn't believe it! But my mom even more, because she hadn't even seen pictures of the place, I simply told her that we were going to visit some famous waterfalls, but without a doubt we were both shocked with the magnitude of these falls.

_{With my mom / Con mi mamá}

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In the language of the Guarani Indians, inhabitants of this region, the word Iguazu means "big water", a very appropriate name for this place with 275 waterfalls of different heights.

And the highest fall is where the main trail of the park ends: the Devil's Throat, which with its 80 meters high and its impressive amount of water, is the undisputed protagonist of this walk.

_{The Devil's Throat / La Garganta del Diablo}

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As you go along there are several viewpoints, from one of them we could also see the boat rides that take people closer to the Throat, for a more extreme experience, there they give them a baptism in some of the waterfalls.

As we continued walking we saw more water falling everywhere and how close we were to the footbridge that lets you see almost straight ahead the Devil's Throat.

To get to this walkway you have to go down an elevator, of course waiting a bit in line because there were a lot of people. By the way there were several coatis, cute little animals that as they are used to tourists, they ask for food, and if you are careless they snatch it, it happened to my mom , a coati took several cookies from her and ran away, it was so fast that I couldn't even take a picture.

Once down, you feel the tiny drops spraying you, a refreshing prelude to the encounter with the majesty of the Devil's Throat.

And finally, here it is in all its splendor.

According to what we were told, the name of this waterfall comes from an indigenous legend that tells that the devil was envious of the love that a Guarani princess and a prince had for each other, and that is why he turned the woman into this waterfall and the man into the surrounding jungle, so they would be close but without contact. But the legend also says that the rainbow that always appears here, joining the waterfall with the vegetation, is the sign that the couple circumvented that condemnation.

_{Do you see the black dots on the waterfall? They are birds, the Great Dusky Swift (Cypseloides senex), they cross the water curtains and that is why they have become a symbol of the site / ¿Ven los puntos negros en la cascada? Son aves, los Vencejos de Cascada (Cypseloides senex), atraviesan las cortinas de agua y por eso se han convertido en un símbolo del lugar}

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After this incredible view, we went back up with the elevator and I took some general shots. These falls originated 200 million years ago by a volcanic eruption.

At the end of this trail, we took the internal bus of the park and went to another stop, to see the stores there and have something to eat, then it was time to return to Puerto Iguazu in Argentina.

The next day we went to see the Argentinean side of the falls, we left very early and took a bus to the Iguazu National Park, by the way the oldest in the country, created in 1934. In a few minutes we arrived, bought the tickets and went to the station, here there is a train service that leaves you at the beginning of the trail to the Devil's Throat.

This day began cloudy, although it was still hot, but the clouds gave a more dramatic aspect to the landscape, my first impression was that the view of the falls from the Argentine side is more raw, like more savage.

All this impressive amount of water is collected by the Iguazú River in its extensive basin, falls through the gorge and then flows into the Paraná River.

When we got off the train we took the path that leads to the viewpoint of the Devil's Throat, which has an extension of 1,100 meters, it was an incredible feeling to walk along the walkway in the middle of so much water falling on all sides.

What a spectacle! Look how the force of the vital liquid falling forms a mist so thick, like a veil, that it barely allowed us to see the Devil's Throat.

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After a good time contemplating, we returned along the same trail and went to see other routes available in the park, two circuits, one lower and one upper, which take you to other waterfalls, viewpoints and activities.

On the way we saw a lot of life, this is a protected area with great biodiversity. In addition to some 2,000 species of flora, there is the fauna: 450 species of birds, 80 varieties of mammals, about 10 species of reptiles and a countless number of insects.

_{Broad-snouted caiman (Caiman latirostris), a medium-sized crocodile that inhabits this region / Yacaré overo (Caiman latirostris), un cocodrilo de tamaño mediano que habita en esta región}

As we were walking along the lower and upper circuits, we saw that they were promoting boat rides, to get you closer to some of the higher waterfalls and give you the famous "baptism". It wasn't expensive, I thought my mom wouldn't want to do it, but I was surprised, she liked the idea, so we signed up.

Mientras íbamos caminando por los circuitos inferior y superior, vimos que estaban promocionando los paseos en lancha, para acercarte a algunas de las cascadas más altas y darte el famoso "bautizo". No era caro, yo pensé que mi mamá no iba a querer hacerlo, pero me sorprendió, le gustó la idea, así que nos anotamos.

When we got on the boat we were given some instructions and a special bag to put the things we didn't want to get wet, like the camera for example. Those who didn't have a waterproof camera like me, could opt to buy the pictures they took, but they were very expensive, so I resigned myself to not having pictures of those moments.

Al subir a la lancha nos dieron algunas instrucciones y un bolso especial para que pusiéramos allí las cosas que no queríamos que se mojaran, como la cámara fotográfica por ejemplo. Los que no tenían cámara impermeable como yo, podían optar por comprar las fotos que ellos te tomaban, pero eran muy caras, así que me resigné a no tener fotos de esos momentos.

I was also carrying a video camera apart from the photo camera, and guess what: I didn't close the bag properly, but of course, I realized that at the end, after having fun, baptized in several waterfalls and getting soaked . When the excitement was over and I went to take the stuff out of the bag, I saw that the video camera had gotten wet, and no longer turned on , in the end, that ride was expensive...

Yo además cargaba una cámara de video aparte de la de fotos, y adivinen: no cerré bien el bolso, pero claro, de eso me di cuenta al final, después de haberme divertido, bautizado en varias cataratas y haber quedado empapada . Cuando la emoción terminó y fui a sacar las cosas del bolso, vi que la cámara de video se había mojado, y ya no encendía , al final me salió caro ese paseo…

_{Me and my video camera drying in the sun / Mi cámara de video y yo secándonos al sol}

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We then went to a very nice green area, and while our clothes were drying, we started to watch some animals that appeared around us.

As we were leaving the park, we met a group of Guarani Indians who were performing some songs for the visitors, and so, with the music of the natives, we bid farewell to this great natural wonder.

Well travelers, I hope you enjoyed this tour, and if you have the opportunity to go to Iguazu Falls, I recommend you to live the full experience visiting both sides, you will remember the adventure forever See you next time!

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