Iguazu Falls

It was a birthday treat we never could have imagined. Jim and Lisbeth decided that during their two weeks in Argentina we should spread our wings a little further than Buenos Aires. After much discussion and research we decided that we just had to see Iguazu Falls, deemed one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature. Unfortunately, Monica wasn't able to make it until later that week so we set off just the four of us on this wonderful, wet adventure.

At the Devil's Throat you just can't comprehend how much water must be falling per second - it takes you breath away or, in the cases of myself and Lisbeth, leaves you feeling quite dizzy. Niagra Falls seem like dribbling streams in comparison (First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt obviously agreed with me as she exclaimed "Poor Niagra!" upon seeing Iguazu!). What we couldn't believe was how the walkways straddled the top of the waterfalls - it must be some strong concrete to hold them in place. I don't want to think about what might happen if one of the pillars holding the bridges were to shift...

I must admit to having been reminded of the recent film Avatar at times. Because we couldn´t see the bootom for mist, the islands seemed to float just like the floating ´Hallelujah Mountains´ in the film; the shrubbery and trees seemed to be exactly the same colour and growth.

The trails through the National Park which reach the waterfalls are impressive and give incredible views from both the top (Devil´s Throat and Upper circuits) and the bottom where you are covered by spray from the falls on some days (Lower circuit).

Lisbeth surprised all of us by practically running
underneath one of the 275 waterfalls... Crazy loco!

Jim, on the other hand, found his wild side by adopting

the persona of a gaucho for much of the three days...

We stayed on the Argentine side due to the incredible cost of Brazilian visas for US Passport holders, despite this, we can´t have hoped to see more spectacular views.

Lisbeth had checked the weather and realised that our only sunny day here would be our first - so right after our 7am flight landed we set off to complete all three of the circuits, making the most of the weather. We´re certainly glad we did this as it was cloudy and rainy for the rest of our three days here.

We decided to use one of our cloudier days to take a boat to the base of the falls, it´s similar to the Maiden of the Mist at Niagra except... you get far wetter on this trip! We were soaked to the bone when we´d finished as the captain drove his boat as close as he could get to the base of the falls while it rocked and rolled on the rapids caused by the force of so much falling water.

Our hotel (this time The Sheraton - another first for me), the only one in the national park itself, had spectacular views of the falls too - Chris and I just couldn´t believed it. It really was an incredible place to stay. With it being the only hotel in the park, it was a forty minute journey by bus to the town of Port Iguazu and consequntly any other restarants. Luckily, the menu at our hotel had enough delicious dishes for us to try. We spent three fantastic evenings at the hotel´s restaurant and enjoyed a huge spread for breakfast each morning.


Jim and Lisbeth, I can´t thank you enough for taking us on such a wonderful trip. To be able to see this natural wonder of the world with you two and to spend our time in such luxury was for so special for us. We had a brilliant time and will never forget this amazing trip. THANK YOU...