A Brazilian Side To The Falls

On the second day, I awoke feeling much better and Keith was up and eating breakfast too. So we set off to the Brazilian side to see what was on offer from a different point of view. We also got another stamp in the passport, which we were all pleased with.

As to be expected, we were blessed with even more spectacular views of the falls, and since Keith and I hadn´t seen the Argentinian panoramic views, we were blown away. After walking along the walkway to settle in the restaurant (where you view the water just going over the edge) we all agreed that the Brazilian side was better.

The two sides were both fantastic with different experiences to be had. But the Brazilian side allowed you to see the full 2.7km width of the falls allowing you to appreciate the magnificence of them.



The Brazilian side packed a punch and were done with the Falls fairly early that morning. Across from the park in which the falls lie, there is a bird park, so we went around and viewed all the birds. Most are in aviaries, which you can actually walk through, so it´s possible to get really close to the birds as well. There was also a butterfly house which you could also walk through. This also housed humming birds which were truly beautiful.

Since Iguazu is in the rain forest, the number of butterflies is immense. The lick the salts off your skins, which means at times you could easily have several beautiful butterflies on you. Quite a treat.

The following day we flew back to Buenos Aires and back to our rigorous itinerary.

The Argentinian Side Of Iguazu Falls

We decided to fly to Iguazu Falls rather then take the 18 hour bus journey. When we arrived in Iguazu we were greeted with a wave of humid heat that hit us hard. This was broken by a thunder storm overhead. As we sipped our coffee in a small cafe in the town, the storm thundered around us. A bolt of lightening hit a pylon nearby sending an array of sparks into the sky whilst surging the electricity of the town and sending us back to a time of warm beer and no air conditioning. The lights were out for the next few hours, so we spent the time writing postcards and catching up with tails from home. Luckily we had nothing planned for our first afternoon in Iguazu, as it was literally a wash out.

By early evening the electricity was back on and we headed out for dinner to a lovely looking restaurant called AVQA (a little too similar in name and logo to my previous employer). We all had local fish with different sauces and thoroughly enjoyed our meal. The following morning we met for breakfast in the hotel. Keith (Stuart´s father) had been ill all night and I wasn´t feeling too great either. Keith ended up staying in bed all day (and spent the next few days trying to build up his energy levels and recover) whilst the rest of us headed off to the Argentinian side of the falls.

Our first stop was to be the Devil´s Throat. A walkway meanders across the river for about one kilometre and you end up right at the top of the falls - literally looking down at the gushing water below and being soaked by the mist and spray being sent far into the sky. The sight was fairly amazing, but you only really got to see the top of the falls, and to be honest the movement of water was making me feel quite queasy. The best was yet to come with the panoramic views from below.


As we walked back along the walkway, my queasiness didn´t subside and by the time we reached the riverbank and I was straight to the loo. It seemed I had the same fate as Keith and I took myself back to the hotel and to bed for the rest of the day. The others went off to view the falls from below, take a boat trip into the gushing falls and generally be amazed by the awesome sight.



To give you an idea of the scale, the falls are split into two main sections. The first makes up the area of the Devil´s Throat and the second the rest of the falls. They´re 2.7km wide, which makes the panoramic views simply amazing. In places the falls are small, with a small trickle over the edge and others the water pounds down, creating a fine mist that soaks you to the sink. In certain sections again, the falls are stepped, so you get differing lengths of tumbling water. A real visual spectacular.