Iguazu Argentinian Style

After getting into our hostel late last night in Foz do Iguacu Brazil we slept 5 hours and headed by taxi to the national park in Argentina. Both countries have methods to view Iguazu Falls and Argentina demands more attention so we gave it a full day. Our goal was to be in the park early to do the Macuco Trail which heads to a hidden waterfall where you can swim in the basin (awesome, right?!). It's closed for renovation (bummer) so we hopped on the train to the main attraction, La Garganta del Diablo (The Devil's Throat). I would liken this part of the falls, viewable from both countries, to the Canadian side of Niagara. It is also horseshoe in shape and is a continuous curtain of water. The energy and power coming from the falls is incredible. They're 50% higher than Niagara and much more expansive--the cataracts seem to extend forever. If you have a minute, google the geography of the falls. They're pretty spread out. The origin is interesting too: a basalt plateau that is continually eroding under and behind the falls making them taller. The mythology behind the falls is more interesting, that a jealous god created the falls so a young maiden trying to escape would fall to her death in her canoe. The falls would definitely do the trick.

After La Garganta we opted to walk back to the two other paved trails to view the rest of the falls. All are named, from Adam and Eve to the Two Sisters and a salute to unknown soldiers, and they're all spectacular. The "Lower Trail," which gives excellent front-views of the falls tot the southwest of La Garganta, is also access to Isla San Martin which sits in the middle of all the madness. There we hiked to my favorite viewpoint of Salto San Martin, a double waterfall with crazy flow rates. The mist was incredible. I have videos but they'll have to wait until I'm back in Santiago.

The wildlife we saw in the park was impressive. We saw lots of very friendly Coatis that apparently are very used to being fed and will scratch and bite to get food. There were warning signs everywhere. We also saw some giant spiders and one large iguana. There are also apparently large cats (panthers, jaguars) and monkeys roaming the park.

It was a great day. We finished it off at another Brazilian steakhouse where I ate my share and then some. It was delicious.

Unfortunately tonight is our last night on the road. We fly back to Santiago tomorrow afternoon and real life begins Wednesday. Caitlin has been an excellent travel companion! Thanks for following along for my summer travels. Posts will continue into the school year and will be very short daily posts for the remainder of Lent. I hope you'll come back often!