Cataratas del Iguazú

This week we traveled north to the intersection of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay to visit the Cataratas del Iguazú, known to the English speaking world as Iguazu Falls.  We had delayed going -- perhaps a sense of "Why travel so far for simply a waterfall?"  Was that ever a mistaken thought!

From the airport in Argentina we hired a car to take us across to the Brazilian National Park.  The driver waited while we spent three hours walking a trail along the Iguazu River, looking across at Argentina and the majority of the falls.  We returned to Argentina to its National Park and spent two nights at the Sheraton Hotel, which is the only hotel in the park.

The Iguazu River broadens into a wide delta (1500 meters wide) just above the falls which extend for 2-1/2 kilometers. The number of waterfalls varies from 160 to 270 depending on the volume of water in the river.  The largest, is the Devil's Throat, more than 250 feet high.  Erosion is making the falls constantly recede upriver.

There is no possibility of describing the experience.  Pictures don't start to capture the extent of the waterfalls, the sensation of the volume of falling water and the roar of the river.  Well-maintained trails and bridges let you stand below, beside and above these monstrous torrents of cascading water while being soaked with the cloud's mist.  Standing so close to such force and power is unbelievable.  It is truly a unique wonder of the natural world.

The falls are in a sub-tropical rain forest, filled with wildlife -- birds, animals, butterflies.  The sign by the sliding glass door in our hotel room said to keep the door closed to avoid a visit by a monkey -- but we didn't see any.  G had a great time photographing birds and Coati (a little raccoon-like animal that were everywhere). 

The second day while hiking the trails on the Argentine side, J spotted a familiar college logo.  Emily, a junior at Occidental College, was visiting Iguazu with her father.  For a semester, she is studying politics and economics at the University of Buenos Aires.  Emily plans to go to law school when she graduates.  We shared a very typical parilla lunch and had a great time trading stories of our experiences at Oxy.