Brazil > Under the Iguazú Falls

Junior greets me in the hotel lobby. “Bom dia, como você está?” I reply with “Bom”, which means “good.” Junior will be our guide again today. We take the bus back to Argentina to view the Iguazú Falls from the Argentine side. This also means formally crossing the border again and getting an extra stamp in my passport. The process is fairly easy—Junior collects all the passports and has them stamped. I don’t even have to leave the bus. The weather looks a little less grey than yesterday. I can even see a few patches of blue between the clouds. Hopefully, it stays dry and the sun comes out. The Parque Nacional de Iguazú on the Argentine side is much larger than the Brazilian park. From the entrance, a small train transports visitors through the park. Each train can carry a few hundred tourists per trip and moves at a leisurely pace along a narrow-gauge track to the far side of the park. I get off at the walkway to the Devil’s Throat—a footbridge over the water above the waterfall. Here, the water still seems to flow calmly, a stark contrast to what happens just a few dozen meters further on, where it plunges down with a deafening roar. The walkway leads right up to the top of the Devil’s Throat. I can see the viewing platform where I stood yesterday on the opposite side. Now I’m much closer to the falls. From here, the horseshoe shape of the Devil’s Throat is far more apparent. It’s as if the water is being swallowed by a giant drain. The power of the water is immense. The view is fantastic and incredibly dramatic when combined with the thunderous noise. I stand for a while, simply taking in the spectacle.

Brazil - View of the Devils Throat at Iguazu

A bit further back in the park begins the upper trail, a walking route along the top of the waterfalls I saw yesterday. Now I’m closer to the cascades, and every turn offers another breathtaking view. In the depths below, I see boats navigating the Río Iguazú. They head toward the falls at full speed, and a huge splash of water crashes over their decks. I’ll be doing that after lunch—it looks spectacular from up here. For a quick lunch, I head to a restaurant. Even though the weather is nice, I can only eat indoors. The tables are surrounded by mesh fencing. Around the restaurants roam coatis, a raccoon-like animal. Along with capuchin monkeys, they are on the lookout for food and are not shy about attacking people to get it, even biting. Although the animals wander right along the mesh, I’m safe inside. Still, it feels odd to eat in a cage. For the boat trip, I first take a ride on a truck. I climb aboard the open flatbed, which is fitted with thirty seats. As we head to the starting point of the boat ride, a park employee tells us about the waterfalls, certain trees, and local wildlife. At the river, I’m given a life jacket and a waterproof bag for my belongings. I try to fit my backpack inside, but a staff member comes over to help. Together we tug the bag over the backpack, making sure it’s securely sealed—important, because under the falls nothing stays dry. I board the speedboat. Two 200-horsepower engines push us upstream against the current. The sun is shining, and from below, the view of the many water streams is fantastic. This might actually be the most beautiful vantage point of the Iguazú Falls. I quickly take a photo, then carefully store my camera away. The skipper steers us straight toward the San Martín waterfall. The water crashes down onto the boat. There’s so much of it that I can hardly keep my eyes open. What an amazing experience! The skipper warns us as he prepares for another run.

Brazil - With the boat right under the water spray of the Iguazu Falls

Once again, I end up directly under the torrent, feeling the water rush down my back—probably the last spot that was still dry. Incredible! At high speed, the skipper drives the boat to the other side of the rocks. The wind blows through my soaked clothes. Here too, he positions the boat right under the falling water. Slowly, he turns the boat to make sure everyone is completely drenched. Then we head back downstream. I’m lucky I did this excursion today, with reasonably good weather. Thanks to the sun and the wind, I’m already partially dry by the time I step ashore. Just as I’m about to walk back to the truck for the return ride, I feel something at my shoe. I quickly find out what it is—a sharp sting under my foot. I’ve been bitten by a large Brazilian ant. I quickly take off my shoe to prevent another attack. An ant bite isn’t dangerous, but it does hurt quite a bit. At the restaurant, I meet up again with the other travel companions. Those who didn’t take the boat trip walked the lower trail. They had a view of the water and the boats, but it was hard for them to tell exactly which one was ours. We take the bus back to Brazil, crossing the border one last time. As we re-enter Brazil, it begins to rain. The forecast for tomorrow morning is uncertain. I want to visit the bird park, but of course not in the rain. We decide to simply try at eight o’clock tomorrow morning. Those who aren’t coming can sleep in.