One of nature's magical kingdoms to experience is Iguassu Falls, a J-shaped area comprised of about 250 waterfalls on the Brazilian and Argentinean borders.
My wife and I spent two days trekking at Iguassu National Park—one day in Brazil and one in Argentina. In Brazil, it's spelled Iguacu, and in Argentina, it's Iguazu. For English speakers, it's Iguassu. The word means "big waters" in Guarani, the language of the indigenous people.
It was rainy both days but tolerable as we were covered, for the most part, by the canopy of subtropical trees as we walked to the falls. And when we arrived to the falls, we felt the mist from the powerful cascading waters from the Iguassu River. Suggestion: Pack a raincoat!
We were there when the falls were probably at their mightiest as the river current was swift and wide from recent rains. The national park has walkways leading to overlooks, including the thunderous Devil's Throat, and to the mouths of lesser, but still impressive, waterfalls. For those who are more adventurous, and don't mind getting drenched, there are boat rides to the bottom of several falls.
The parks were listed as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in the 1980s. Besides the falls, they are nature preserves with many species of animal and plant life. Especially "friendly" were the coatis and prego monkeys, who weren't bashful around places where people get a bite to eat. The monkeys would strike, without warning, on those unsuspecting folks sitting at tables by grabbing their sandwiches and leaping back up into the trees. Another suggestion: Don't feed the animals, intentionally or unintentionally.
Iguassu Falls was named as one of the "New Seven Wonders of the World," and I certainly wouldn't dispute that designation. It's an unforgettable and magical place to visit.
Until the next time. . . .
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| A view of Iguassu Falls from Brazil |
It was rainy both days but tolerable as we were covered, for the most part, by the canopy of subtropical trees as we walked to the falls. And when we arrived to the falls, we felt the mist from the powerful cascading waters from the Iguassu River. Suggestion: Pack a raincoat!
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| At Devil's Throat |
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| A coati |
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| Prego monkey |
Iguassu Falls was named as one of the "New Seven Wonders of the World," and I certainly wouldn't dispute that designation. It's an unforgettable and magical place to visit.
Until the next time. . . .
Aggressive food raiding monkeys… How do you keep from unintentionally feed them? :D
ReplyDeleteThe main thing is to keep an eye on the monkeys and don't let them distract you. They often work in pairs—one distracts while the other nabs the food off tables. It helps for humans to eat in pairs/group to keep an eye on the animals. My wife and I opted to eat inside a restaurant so it wasn't a problem for us.
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