The magic of the Iguazú National Park is often eclipsed by the magnificence of the eponymous Falls.

It is that one of the 7 Wonders of the World attracts so much attention that it diverts, in many cases, people's interest to know one of the most beautiful National Parks in Argentina.

As anecdotal data it is worth remembering that the Iguazú Falls, the undisputed star of this park were officially discovered by man 50 years after Christopher Columbus discovered America.

The Blue Dancer typical and extremely beautiful representative of the birds in the Iguazu National Park.

It was Alvar Núnez Cabeza de Vaca who in 1542 discovered them by giving it the name "Saltos de Santa Maria"

Today I will focus on highlighting the benefits of the Iguazú National Park, beyond the Falls, which in themselves are the reason for more than one article alone.

We agreed on the Argentine side. It can be accessed by bus or car, although many tourism agencies offer services that facilitate transportation to the park and provide additional services.

Iguazú National Park: World Heritage.

In 1984 the Iguazú National Park was declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) with the aim of its preservation and universal diffusion, given its exceptional natural and cultural importance for the common heritage of humanity.

27 years later in 2011 the Iguazú Falls were declared selected as one of the New Natural Wonders of the World, in a worldwide vote organized by the Swiss foundation New Seven Wonders, a rating that it shares with six other destinations in the world.

The red earth.

What will catch your attention in the first place is the color of the earth: red. As a consequence of the high concentration of iron oxide present in the soil.

It mixes with the intense green color of its vegetation. The color of the Paranaense jungle, within which is the national park.

Macuco Trail.

The Macuco Trail is the wildest and most natural of the Iguazú National Park trails.

It is a dirt road in the middle of the jungle that culminates in the beautiful Salto Arrechea.

This trail crosses the territory of the Monkey Caí, which allows one to often find the pleasant surprise of seeing groups of them in the treetops.

The entrance to the Macuco Trail is allowed from 08:00 to 15:00, its opening is conditioned to the weather and the approval of National Parks.



Please remember that it is important not to feed the animals so as not to harm them, they get their own natural food in their habitat, in addition to not touching them. Let's respect wild animals.

Flora.

Whether on the banks of the Iguazú river or on the numerous delta islands that form, several species of trees grow that are characterized by their humidity requirement.

Read also: Travel Memories #1: the amazing and varied fauna and flora in the Iguazu Falls.

Among them we find the curupay, the white laurel, the barayú or cedar from Paraná, the aguay, the ceibo, the palm heart and the rosewood or perobá del cuúl we already talked about in this post.



More than 90 species make up the tree flora of the Iguazú National Park.

There is a great variety of some plants that live in a humid ecosystem. Different types of climates can also be found.

Fauna.

Among the main species of birds that inhabit the place, we must mention the waterfall swifts, which fly through the interstices of the water columns to perch on the rocky wall, where they generally nest.



In the sector of the catwalks and mixed among the public it is not strange to find coatis (do not feed them!)



And specimens of the large toucan, one of the 5 species of toucans that live in the park. The harpy eagle also stands out.



In the sunny parts of the trails, especially towards noon, you can see specimens of lizards, climbing trunks and stones.

Among the endangered species covered by the park, the yaguareté, the tapir, the ocelot, the yaguarundí, the large anteater, the tamandúa, the jungle eagles, and the yacaré overo should be mentioned.



Among the insects that abound in the park's trails can be found butterflies of different types with spectacular colors.


For those who cannot see the birds in their natural habitat, I recommend visiting the Bird Park, a very beautiful natural environment.

The formation of these waterfalls comprises about 270 falls that are found one after the other along about 4 kilometers in length, most of which are within Argentina, the largest being known as the "Devil's Throat".

That reaches 80 meters high, which is also one of the most visited for the beauty and majesty of the fall.

The Iguazú Falls, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, are made up of 275 waterfalls that fall from the most diverse heights. The highest, 80 meters, is known as the Devil's Throat.

Each side, or in this case countries, has perfectly placed walkways that allow you to get as deep as possible into the natural charm of the Iguazú Falls and thus enjoy different perspectives of each one of the falls of the falls.

The Iguazú National Park, where the famous Iguazú Falls are located, is located in one of the largest eco-regions on the continent, the Paraná jungle.

There is no predetermined order for the tour, since for both sides it is the same, it starts walking from the north of the falls, which allows you to enjoy the native flora and fauna, as well as many viewpoints where you can take great photos, in order to reach the end point that is the already mentioned Devil's Throat.

A rich biodiversity in the Iguazú National Park.

The Iguazú National Park, where the famous Iguazú Falls are located, is located in one of the largest eco-regions on the continent, the Paraná jungle.

The Iguazú National Park was created in 1934 in order to conserve the environment and the biodiversity of the Iguazú Falls.

Read also: Travel Memories #3: the Blue Dancer a true treasure hidden in the missionary jungle.

The flora and fauna that inhabit the Iguazú National Park represents one of the most biodiverse areas of Argentina, so majestic is the flora that the first Guarani who settled in the missionary jungle called it "The Country of Trees" or "Ibirá Retá ”In Guaraní.

La Aripuca is a theme park that aims to raise awareness among its visitors about the effects of indiscriminate felling of trees and care for the environment, as well as showing how the missionary jungle was once shaped.

Wildlife thrives thanks to the humid subtropical climate, the Paraná jungle occupies only 1% of Argentina and half of all the species of plants and animals in the country are concentrated there.

Iguazú National Park is a protected area that preserves one of the most biologically rich sites in Argentina.

Flora of the Iguazú National Park.

The native flora of the Iguazú National Park, understanding plants and flowers as such, has more than 2000 species.

Among them are beautiful orchids, ferns, palm trees, bromeliads and huge trees.

Do not forget that it is the land of the ceibo, the tree whose striking red flower is the national flower of Argentina.

The arboreal flora of the park has more than 90 species, the majestic "Palo Rosa" stands out, the largest tree in the Parana jungle, which reaches 45 meters in height and can live for centuries. Its name is due to the color of its wood, which is more noticeable when the cut is recent.

This superb tree is the one that reaches its greatest size in the missionary jungle, with 42 m specimens. high and 1.60 m. diameter.

Due to the fact that its number is scarce, it is declared a National Monument.

The bud of this plant is edible and very tasty, but its extraction causes the death of the plant, making it also an endangered species.

Other typical plants of the tropical regions found in the area are tree ferns, orchids, guatambú, palm, pindó and carnation from the air.

Currently the missionary araucaria, a giant of the jungle, was declared "critically endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), due to overexploitation that has reduced and fragmented its natural distribution area.

And we must not forget that it is the land of the ceibo, the tree whose striking red flower is the national flower of Argentina.

The flora produces the fruits that constantly feed the animals of the park such as toucans, monkeys and coatis, among other members of the fauna of the national park.

In the missionary jungle you can see huge softwood ficus and fruits edible by monkeys during the day and bats at night, giant nettles, yellow ground orchids (highly prized for being one of the few that grow on land) and ferns of more than 80 years.

The main characteristic of jungle flora is the multiplicity of strata in which it develops, which occupy from the ground to the canopy of the tallest trees, forming a true green spider web of vines, lianas and hanging plants.

Fauna of the Iguazú National Park.

The visitor who enters the trails with an attentive spirit will have the sure opportunity to observe numerous species in their natural habitat.

Like the flora, we could not mention each of the species that make up the fauna of the Iguazú National Park because the list would be very extensive, for example, in the case of birds in the Iguazú National Park, there are more than 450 species.

Small, colorful, with extraordinary bridal behavior, the dancers are true treasures hidden in the jungles of South America.

Many of the mammals have habits determined by the jungle environment they inhabit: they are arboreal and communal.

One of the most striking adaptations to life in the treetops is the development of a prehensile tail, which functions as a fifth hand.

Monkeys, such as the red carayá - known for emitting strong sounds that can be heard at a great distance - and monkey caí are highly appreciated when looking to photograph animals in the jungle.

If you pay attention, especially when you walk the Macuco Trail, and look up, you can see the Caí or Capuchin monkey, who moves with agile movements that look like a dance, high up in the trees.

Other animals that share this characteristic are the great bear, the weasels or opossums and the coendú, a rodent covered with thorns.

The large toucan is a characteristic bird of both the missionary jungle and the Chaco forest and the Yungas

The coatis, with their tail full of rings, are a very frequent spectacle for visitors who walk the catwalks.

He is mischievous and always moves in groups, delighting the boys, who play with them.

The cats, agile, silent and cunning hunters, are another wonder of the park.

The most important is the yaguareté, declared a National Natural Monument in 2001.

Other smaller cats are the puma, the ocelot and the yaguarundí.

It consumes a wide variety of prey, including larger mammals.

A show apart is the enormous variety of insects that populate the park.

Butterflies are huge, with bright colors and strange shapes, a festival of natural design!

The Argentine researcher Ezequiel Núñez Bustos has cataloged 653 species for the Iguazú National Park, in Argentina.

Among the bird species that can be seen the most within the park is the famous large toucan (5 types of toucans inhabit), magpies, terres, parrots and swifts, the latter species that we mentioned fly through the water columns from the waterfalls and can be easily seen from the balcony of the devil's throat.

There are at least 18,682 species of butterflies in the world. Of these, 3,280 species are found in Brazil. The Iguazú National Park serves as a refuge for some 800 species, of which only 257 have been adequately identified.

We continue our journey through the National Parks of Argentina.

It is noteworthy that, as is customary in most of the parks and natural reserves of Argentina, admission is free and free, every day of the year.

The Río Pilcomayo National Park.

The Río Pilcomayo National Park preserves a representative sample of the Eastern District of the Gran Chaco, characterized by a large plain covered with estuaries and lagoons, palm savannahs, mountain islands and riverside jungle.

The climate is temperate subtropical, with an average of 1,200 mm per year of rainfall that floods the extensive grasslands with the exception of the highlands.

The average temperature is 23º C. In summer it exceeds 40º C and in winter with several days of frost, temperatures drop below zero.

Fauna.

The fauna is adapted to this climate and stands out for its great diversity: about 322 bird species, 80 fish species, 32 amphibian species, 50 reptile species and 90 mammal species.

Read also: A virtual journey through the national parks of Argentina (#4): Los Cardones, protects cardon.

The emblem animal of the park is the aguara guazu, in danger of extinction. No more than 900 copies have been surveyed.
The Rio Pilcomayo National Park has the task, not only of protecting the vegetation that grows there, but also of the fauna that inhabits and feeds on it.

We find throughout the park yacarés, the boa curiyú, the monkey carayá, fishing bats, capybara, aguara popé, aguará guazú, coati, tapir, puma, mountain fox, river wolf, ocelot, the big anteater, and other difficult figurines.
We can also count (eye to the photographers) more than 300 species of birds, storks, herons, roseate spoonbills, ducks, straw-headed woodpecker, ñenday parrot, tuyuyú, the yabirú, ñandúes, groups of red-legged chuñas and many more.

Flora.

The great environmental diversity supports a varied flora, which, favored by the subtropical climate and abundance of water, develops exuberantly.

In the open areas covered with Palmares de Palma Blanca, we will find a dense and continuous herbaceous cover forming beautiful grasslands.
Adapted to withstand floods, they are made up of grasses such as Espartillo, which grows to 50 cm in height, the Yellow Straw and the Boba Straw.

The latter generally grows in fields covered with termite nests, known locally as "tacurúes". The high mount islets are made up of stout trees.

Between 2005 and 2015, seven new species have been registered for the National Park: male Black-bellied Hummingbird, Osprey, Scaled Torcacita, Anambe Grande, Yasyyaterè Chico and Milano Tijera.

Examples worth mentioning are Lapacho, with beautiful pink flowers, Quebracho Colorado Chaqueño, Guayacán, Urunday and Espina Corona, among many others. Bordering the course of the Pilcomayo River, we find the Forest in Gallery.

Densely covered with vines, lianas and epiphytes we will observe enormous trees, up to 20 meters high, such as the Tarumá and the Higuerón, accompanied by Sauces Criollos, Alisos de Río and the Ingá, which vegetate on the banks.

We will first meet dense communities of Guajó, (the Guajozales) and Pirí (the Pirizales), which cover the edges of the lagoons, sometimes reaching two meters in height.

They are accompanied by Totora, Achira and Paja Brava. Towards the center of the lagoon we will find an enormous variety of floating plants such as the well-known Camalote or Aguapey, Repollitos, Helechitos and Lentejitas de Agua.
The National Park has two areas of public use for the visitor, Estero Poí and Laguna Blanca. Both have ideal conditions for recreation and recreation throughout the year. It is recommended as the best time of year to visit it from March to October.
We visited the two and we went on to tell them the most salient aspects of each.

Highlight "Estero Poí".

The most characteristic environment of the National Park is the savanna with palm trees, here the view is lost in the immense plain of green pastures dotted with caranday palms and the large termite mounds where anteaters find their food.

Its landscape is shaped by the alternation of fires and floods, from where the mountain islets emerge, patches of forest that you can enter through the trails and observe the plant species of these environments such as the red quebracho, the urunday and the guayacán, among others.

The more than 300 species of birds that the protected area houses make up one of the main attractions of the Park. They coexist with other, somewhat more elusive mammals, such as hoopoons, fur bears, bush foxes, lipped and collared peccaries, carayá monkeys and mirikiná monkeys.

The mirikiná monkey is a typical species of the Argentine northwest.

Highlight "Laguna Blanca".

Another point of great scenic beauty is the Laguna Blanca, a large 700-hectare water mirror, which is accessed through a system of walkways, from where you can enjoy spectacular sunsets that color a landscape featuring guajós, camalotes, pirís, and some yacarés that appear from the water.
Location: 8 km from the town of Laguna Naineck.

Services: Information office. Camping with electric light and plugs. Bathrooms with showers enabled for people with disabilities. Picnic tables. Steakhouses. Wash basins. Catwalks. Supply of treated water (non-potable).

How to access.

By vehicle: from the city of Formosa on the RN 11 to the city of Clorinda. From there, take RN 86 and travel 50 km to the town of Laguna Naineck or 60 km to Laguna Blanca. From the RN 86, which joins the two towns, 6 km and 8 km local roads depart, respectively, to the entrance gates to the National Park.

Public transport service: from anywhere in the country to the city of Formosa or Clorinda. In both places, a combination can be made towards the towns of Laguna Naineck and Laguna Blanca by the Godoy Company, Norte Bis and Flecha Bus. The buses do not reach the protected area but to the closest towns (Laguna Naineck and Laguna Blanca); Once there, you can take a taxi to reach the protected area.

The cougar is a large feline, almost like the Yaguareté (Panthera onca), even surpassing it in some external measures, although it does not reach its corpulence.