Iguaçu Falls Brazilian Style
Trip Start
Nov 14, 2008
1
7
13
Trip End
Nov 23, 2008
Iguazu Falls, Brazil
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
After an easy border crossing with a stop in No-Mans-Land to see the view of this giant Rio Iguaçu River, formed of the confluence of 2 rivers further up where Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay all meet, we were at the Brazilian Falls Park. They too have done an excellent job of making the Falls accessible to all. From the gate they have double-decker buses, glassless windows at the top so we can feel the wind, to whisk us the 15 kilometres to the Falls viewpoints.
We started the walk with a walk around the beautiful Pink Hotel Tropical das Cataratas built in Colonial style serving exactly what the ambiance required - from High Tea in the lounge to Brandy and Cigars in the bar. We decided a three night tour of one night in either side's Falls Park Hotel and a night in our Argentinean Iguaçu Hotel would be an amazing way to experience it all. Enough dreaming, off to the Falls.
Well, where to start... it's definitely another WOW!!!
We could now see the entire span of the Iguaçu Falls which is made up of around 275 waterfalls interspersed with jungle over a more than 3 Kilometre span falling over 80 metres in height! The Falls range from the huge and mighty to the small and slender but each with its own characteristics and all completely mesmerising.
The walkway has numerous stopping spots, either with viewing platforms or just another view that you have to stop and look at or take a few more photos. It is just so amazing to see the show that nature puts on for us.
There were so many culminating points on this side; firstly the chance to go and get sopping wet in the middle of the water, standing on a platform that looked down the one part of the Falls and got the full spray of a part higher up. Next was standing really close to a continuous wall of power, it felt like it had to stop or be turned off at some point but it just kept going and going. The next treat was a lift ride to the platform at the top with views beyond description. Seeing the entire span of the Iguaçu Falls from this vantage point was really special.
We still had time before our flight so we went and sat and drank coffee overlooking the river with a view across to our final point on the Argentinean side yesterday. I know I have said it a lot but this really was an incredible, amazing, awesome experience and something I hope you get to have the privilege of experiencing some day!
Time for a bus ride back to the entrance and off to the airport which turned out to be just a few minutes from the Falls Park, how clever.
