Iguazu Falls ARGENTINA and BRAZIL

How lucky am I to visit both Iguazu Falls in South America and Victoria Falls in Africa, all in the same year.  (Please see the blog post way down below "AFRICA: Zimbabwe, Botswana, and South Africa: from April, 2013)

These two majestic falls have in common massive amounts of water thundering down and misting everywhere in the air.   Add sunshine and there are magical multiple rainbows.  Iguazu also has butterflies in the landscape around the perimeter of the falls, tucans in the trees, and swifts darting in and out of the mist. 

Thrilling, needless to say on the walkways by the Devil's Throat, Brazil side. 

The falls are surprisingly quiet and innocuous from the top
on the Brazilian side.

Iguazu, meaning “Big Water” in the local Guarani language, is a colossal complex of falls and cascades on a several levels and in the “Devil’s Throat” a horseshow-shaped configuration of rock and crashing water.

There is so much water falling everywhere that it is difficult to comprehend how the outflow river contains it all.

Resting in the shade with friends Karen and Ralph Allen.

On both the Brazilian side and the Argentine side the respective countries have established national parks with fully developed walkways, stone stairways and overlooks, metal catwalks over the water, and concessions.  Shuttle buses and trains transport people from access points to trailheads to vistas,  I particularly enjoyed that we Iguazu Falls tourists had to walk some good distances, climb and descend stairs, sweat, and work for our ohhh-ahhh views and vistas.

The world’s most productive hydroelectric facility nearby harnesses energy from this immense amount of water.  

All the water comes from rainfall, not from dams nor, of course, from glacier melts.

Our tour bus stopped along the roadway for this Iguana to pass.  Notice the yellow line on the roadway.

We spotted several more of these giant lizards along the Brazilian side of the Falls, under the grate we walked on and in the low growth beside the trails.

This guy was under the steel grate walkway.  He's about 16" in length.

Day One we visited the sites along the Brazil side.  Day Two we scampered along the network of catwalks on the Argentine side. 

Crossing the border between the two countries was a classic line-up-and-wait confusion.  Our guide Gabriel, known locally as Chino, was expert at ‘working the system’ with the border patrol to get us through in only an hour and a half despite the fact that we were lacking documentation of the infamous Argentine Reciprocity Fee for 7 of our people (including mine!).

Swifts

With Ralph Allen above the boat launch site. 

See those Zodiac Boats way down below?  With 26 students and Ralph Allen, we scrambled down the trails and stone steps to the bottom, took off outer clothing, donned life vests, and rode out under the falls WHERE WE GOT REALLY WET!  It's like having a fire hose directed at you - though I have never actually tried that before Iguazu Falls. 

Worried Guy

Along the way were the occasional sightings of exotic birds in the wild.  

Additionally we stopped by the Bird Park where gigantic aviaries housed a grand assortment of tropical fowl, turtles, and furry creatures like sloths.

Ruby Ibis