SUNDAY – INCREDIBLE IGUASSU

We had been told how spectacular the Iguassu Falls were but nothing really prepared us for their powerful splendour.

 

 

Our guide Marcos, who has to be Dan Sam's Brazilian cousin, collected us at 8:00 am this morning and took us over to the Argentine side of the river. It's about 30kms by road to end up on the other side of the river looking across the river at our hotel. En route, we had to pass through a border checkpoint where we had to produce our passports and receipt for the reciprocity visa payment We had to similarly produce it on the way back, but only to the Argentinians. The Brazilians didn't want to know that we left their country for a few hours and returned.

 

 

 

The infrastructure giving access to spectacular views of the falls on the Argentinian side is very impressive. There are numerous viewing platforms which are literally at the top of the falls. Of course, the best viewing points are also the wettest because of the spray.

Access to the walking tracks to the viewing platforms is by train.

 

 

After seeing most of what there is to see on the Argentine side, we returned to the Brazilian side for the obligatory helicopter ride. It was only a 10 minute flight but it is really the only way to get a view of all of the falls at the same time. As you approach the falls, the plume of spray looks like smoke rising up out of the jungle. Note the walkway on the left which gives access to the top of Devil's Throat.

 

 

The picture below shows how close our hotel is to the falls.

After the helicopter flight, we took a boat ride to the base of the falls. We were a bit unlucky in that it started to rain just as we got on the boat so, while we were always going to get soaking wet because the boat went almost to the base of the falls, the photography was somewhat limited by the rain. Fortunately we have Trish's underwater camera with us. Any other camera would have been drowned. We are taking advantage of the hotel's complimentary drying service to get our clothes dry. Wet clothes are pretty common around here.

 

 

 

 

We are advised that the normal flow of the river over the falls is 1.5 million litres per second but, at the moment, because of flooding, the flow is 4 million litres per second. That explains the muddy state of the water. Apparently, at normal flow rates, it is a clean green colour We will have to come back to see that.

 

 

We will have a few more hours touring in the morning before our flight departs at lunch time. We expect to be in Buenos Aires tomorrow night ready for Antarctica.