Iguazu Falls

The bus journey to Puerto Iguazu was done in three stages, which took the best part of 30 hours. Fortunately the leg from Salta to Corrientes was a cama bus, which has comfortable reclining seats and so I managed to get some sleep on the way. Iguazu Falls is reputed to be the worlds most impressive waterfall, set amongst some pristine subtropical rainforest on the Brazil-Argentina border. The scale of the falls, is indeed immense, more than 2km across in a giant horseshoe. The Argentine side offers the best range of viewing options, especially to see the numerous cascades up close. The upper circuit takes you across the top of the main section allowing you to look down over the top of the Bossetti Falls. More impressive is the lower circuit from which the sheer ferocity of the falls is fully appreciated. A short boat ride then takes you across to a small island from where there is an excellent vantage point for the powerful the San Martin Falls. However, this is bettered by the walkway taking you to the edge of "The Devil´s Throat" - here more than one million litres of water a second cascade 80 metres down disappearing into a vast cloud of mist.




The beautiful jungle setting and the opportunity to view some interesting wildlife tops it all off. I spotted a large iguana, a caiman, toucans and parrots as well as a group of clownish coatis who provided plenty of entertainment. Later that day, I left the tourists behind and took the Macuco trail into the rainforest in search of more wildlife and was rewarded by seeing some Cai monkeys and a brief sighting of an agouti.


Viewing the falls from the Brazilian side, gives a much better overall panorama and allows you to get right up close to the amazing Devil´s Throat. These last few days here have been well worth the long detour and definitely one of the highlights of the trip so far. Next, its into Paraguay and a long journey across the hostile Chaco into Bolivia.