Saturday, October 8, 2016

Iguazu Falls (10/08/2016)

I have visited all the major waterfalls in the world and considered Victoria, where I visited in 2004, the most impressive.  This is my second visit to Iguazu Falls on the Argentina/Brazil border - first in 2009 and just returned this past September. Now, Iguazu Falls is the greatest because this time when I visited, the volume of water due to the rains was overwhelming although the roar of the falling waters was not as loud as those in Victoria Falls. Below is an HDR image of the falls from the Brazilian side as are those below.  Some of the images in the blog were taken with an iPhone; you may be able to notice the difference.
 So you can have an idea as to how big the area is, below is a guide of the falls. The actual falls are mostly on the Argentine side but there is a better view from the Brazilian side.  It is easy to cross the border without problems. You will need to spend a day on each side. Since this is an Argentine map, the trail for the Brazilian side was not marked so I added a black line for it.  The Brazilian trail is easier to follow.  There are small trains on the Argentine side since the distances are long, so be prepared to walk steep, slippery and narrow elevated trails.  The photos below are from the Brazilian side.



 The following images are from the Argentine side of the border, where most of the falls are located. The second image is that of the Throat of the Devil and next are of the White-collared swifts that usually nest behind the waterfalls; it is one of the largest swifts.  Their photo is not the best because the curtain of water interfering with autofocus.


 The raccoon is to the USA what the coatimundi is to the southern neighboring countries.  Also known as a coati, it is mischievous, cute, and at times, aggressive. In Iguazu Falls they are not afraid of humans and will come to steal your food without hesitation and usually get their way.  If confronted they will attack and cause injuries as the warning sign below documents. There are also signs warning against poisonous snakes that I found funny.  And next, the flower of the passion fruit that grows wild in the forest. All these are iPhone images.





I will leave this blog with a couple of videos of the falls so you get an idea of the volume of water going through these falls.