Iguaçu Falls, Brazil

After a great time spent relaxing in Campeche, Brazil we boarded another overnight bus to Iguaçu Falls – 17 hours to the northwest. It was unfortunately the worst experience of our entire trip and the details of that unforgettable night will follow in a post trip summary once we return home. Rest assured we arrived safely in Iguaçu Falls where we settled into a little hostel for two nights. The city of Iguaçu Falls (or Foz do Iguaçu in Brazilian) is a border town with access points to both Argentina and Paraguay. We chose to just explore the Brazilian side having already passed through Argentina twice on the trip and because we did not have visas to enter Paraguay. We ended up being very happy with this decision as our visits to both the stunning Iguaçu Falls and then a bird sanctuary were both highlights in our South American travels.

While in Foz do Iguaçu we stayed at a hostel recommended in our Lonely Planet guidebook for two nights. It turned out to be a great place to stay with both restaurants and the bus shuttles to Iguaçu Falls nearby. There was nothing spectacular about the city itself but it did have a very tasty shawarma shop on the main street that we visited on two separate occasions. Our first day in the city was spent relaxing and catching up on sleep after our overnight bus ride. It was also a Sunday and after our experiences in Montevideo, Uruguay on similarly deserted Sunday streets we thought that it would be wise and prudent not to venture too far.

On our second day we awoke early and headed to the bus terminal where we caught a very crowded local bus to the famous waterfalls about 20km outside of the city. Unfortunately it was overcast and threatening to rain but at least much warmer than the colder temperatures we’ve been experiencing on the trip. Arriving at the park gate we then boarded a double-decker style shuttle bus that took us a few more kilometres within the park to the start of the hiking trails leading to the falls. The park was busy with tourists but having traveled through Argentina, Chile and Uruguay without really seeing any other backpackers it was nice to finally see some other like-minded foreigners.

The falls themselves were spectacular as they plunged 70m into a narrow gorge below. There were over 200 separate waterfalls that split around treed islands and rocky outcroppings. Mist clouded the air and there were periodic rainbows visible. It was stunning and rightly deserving of being one of the seven natural wonders of South America. The trail that we walked followed the narrow gorge with views through Atlantic rainforest to the waterfalls and the Argentinean border. We encountered some local quatis wildlife (akin to racoons back home) and watched hundreds of large black vultures soaring in the air.

The best part of the visit was at the end of the trail where we walked onto an elevated platform rising out of the water and leading out to the edge of the waterfalls. It was a bit unnerving being so close to the precipice but exhilarating in the raw power of the thundering waterfalls all around us and the dense mist coming off the falls. We walked right to the edge where we snapped photos of the famous Devils Throat falls section and then looked downriver to where we had started our hike. Both views were simply unforgettable. As luck would have it, just as we finished our visit to the waterfalls and boarded the shuttle bus back to the park entrance it started to downpour and we were spared getting soaked. And just as we disembarked the rain let up – perfect timing.

Across the street from the Iguaçu Falls park gate was the Parque das Aves and we happily strode across the highway to check out the bird sanctuary. We didn’t know what to expect after our visit to the Cordoba, Argentina zoo and witnessing its rather sad state of animal enclosures but the sanctuary had been recommended by both the hostel staff and Lonely Planet. It turned out to be a fantastic visit as we witnessed hundreds of different types of tropical birds and all in large aviaries that they could fly effortlessly within.

The best part of the visit was the aviaries that we were allowed to walk into. It was a surreal experience as we ducked flying toucans and parrots, and pecking and squawking birds walking around us. There were trees surrounding the path and it felt like we were exploring the jungle. Some of the tree species had even been relocated from jungles destroyed by forest fires and were being rejuvenated in their new surroundings. Once full grown and recovered these same trees would then be replanted in their native habitats. There were pens with snakes, turtles, monkeys and caiman alligators and we finished our visit with photographs of Tom and a baby boa constrictor snake around his neck. It was an awesome day!