We got up early on the fourth day and bid a fond farewell to both Lima and Peru...sad that this part of our journey was over, but glad for all the great experiences we had had...next stop Brazil.
The trip to Brazil was uneventful and we had no problems at the border. We were more encumbered than we had been as we had all of our luggage with us, so it was a bit more awkward than the previous three weeks where we had taken just our backpacks.
We arranged to get to and from the falls the following day and went to visit the Brazilian side of Iguazu Falls. (The falls lie between the Argentinian and the Brazilian border and there is a hot debate about which side is better and more picturesque. We decided to spend time on both sides of the border to see for ourselves which is the more attractive side.)
Our first stop was a bird park where birds from around Brazil are on display. We really enjoyed it as the enclosures were very well done and the birds seemed very well treated.
The birds were not tame, but they were used to humans as you can see from this picture of Paul with a Toucan
And this curious Toucan who was fascinated by my pants...
Part of the park was devoted to butterflies and humming birds...
It was a lovely start to our Iguazu visit.
The bird park is just outside the entrance to the Falls themselves, so our next stop was the National Park. The park is immense, much larger than we had expected and is heavily forested with trails available for walking or biking, activities such as kayaking available and, of course, vantage points to view the falls.
As the park is so big, we had to choose our activities in advance and thanks to advice we were given at the tour desk we went directly to the end of the long road via the bus which is provided. We had a lovely lunch overlooking the Iguazu river and then we went to observe the falls. We thought we knew what to expect as we had been to Niagara Falls so often, so we took our time.
As we approached the falls though, it was evident that our expectations had not been correct. The falls are spectacular and so numerous they are not easily counted.
We started at the head of the falls...called the Devil´s throat and thanks to strategically placed elevators and walkways we were able to see the falls from a lower vantage point:
The sight was breathtaking and we could feel the power of the falling water.
We took a walk which followed the gorge from the top and we could view falls on both sides of the gorge.
The jungle growth is lush and green all around the falls, including on the cliffs...making them very beautiful. At every turn of the path, we saw a new vista...it was incredible!!!
We had booked a side trip on the Macuco Safari, which is available inside the park. This turned out to be a jeep ride through the jungle followed by a ride in a rigid-hulled inflatable over rapids and under one of the chutes of water on the Argentinian side of the gorge!!! My life flashed before my eyes more than once...(fortunately, and thanks in part to this trip, my life in review was interesting at least)...I kept remembering that I had forsworn white water rafting some years previously and kept wondering whatever possessed me to sign up for this part of the adventure. Fortunately, the water was warm and the boat driver very competent so we made it back safely and soaked literally to the skin. I guess I would have to admit that the view from the boat added a new perspective to our viewing of the falls. Paul enjoyed the boat ride a lot, so all in all it was a success.
Our day finished at this point, we were wet and very tired as we got on the bus to return to the entrance but thanks to the warm weather and despite being caught in a torrential downpour after the soaking in the falls, we were mostly dry by the time we returned to our hotel about 30 minutes later. Our day ended with a lovely meal at a restaurant in town and a restful night.
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