(Argentina & Brazil) - Iguazú Falls - Walking on the footbridge and Wild Adventure

Iguazu Falls is undoubtedly the most visited place in Misiones and one of the most imposing natural attractions in Argentina, and why not in South America.

(Argentina & Brazil) - Iguazú Falls - Walking on the footbridge and Wild Adventure

 Together with Nahuel Huapi National Park in Patagonia, it is one of the most frequented tourist sites.

In guarani language, the term "Iguazú" means "great waters". It was discovered in 1541 by Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca and established in 1984 as Natural World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Situated in Iguazú National Park, some 20 km. from Puerto Iguazú in the north of the province, these falls are shared by Brazil and Argentina.

Iguazú river is born in Paraná state in Brazil, and after crossing 1,200 km. on a plateau where it receives several affluents, it reaches a fault forming a crack in the interleaved layers of sandstone and basalt where the river runs.

This river runs through a smooth geography until it reaches a series of faults, and suddenly an 80 m. canyon in the Devil's Throat where the water produces a thundering sound and then drains into the Parana river.

A legend says that a big snake called "Boi" lived in the river. To calm its ferocity, aborigines sacrificed a woman every year as an offering. But once a brave guarani aborigin kidnapped the woman and saved her from the traditional rite escaping through the river. Boi burst in anger, bent its body and split the river forming the cataracts separating the man and the woman.

Walking on the footbridge

There are more than 270 falls in an area where cliffs and islets are scattered in a half moon.

From the visitors center you can walk around trails or in a picturesque train.

There are two basic circuits: an upper path and a lower path.

(Argentina & Brazil) - Iguazú Falls - Walking on the footbridge and Wild Adventure

 The lower path leads to the base of the falls, where the spray moistens visitors. It is a unique experience, worth daring the adventure. In this circuit you may also take a boat to Isla San Martín.

From the upper path you have panoramic views from the footbridge in an unforgettable experience.

The falls that can be visited are: Salto Floriano, Salto Deodoro, Salto Benjamín Constant, Salto Unión, Salto Escondido, Salto Mitre, Salto Belgrano, Salto Rivadavia, Salto Tres Mosqueteros, Salto Dos Mosqueteros, Salto San Martín, Salto Adán y Eva, Salto Bozzetti, Salto Ramirez, Salto Chico, Salto Dos Hermanos and Salto Alvar Nuñez .

(Argentina & Brazil) - Iguazú Falls - Walking on the footbridge and Wild Adventure

 

Leaving from Cataratas station, we go to the footbridge on the upper part of the river. We get to the balcony on the Devil's Throat, the biggest fall with such a big flow of water that you will be overcome by the grandeur of the scenery.

Wild Adventure

The lovers of adventure travelling can acces to more intense circuits.

Apart from waterfalls, the jungle offers a series of alternatives in a dump but slightly fresher environment with a wide variety of animals and plants. Almost 500 species of wild fowl, 80 species of mammals and an immense variety of reptiles, fish, insects and butterflies live in this ecosystem.

(Argentina & Brazil) - Iguazú Falls - Walking on the footbridge and Wild Adventure

 Only some meters from the Research Center is Macuco Trail, a 3 km. walking path through the dense jungle with different degrees of difficulty. It is a 2 hour walk to Salto Arrechea.

A private operator offers a more daring alternative. Leaving in a 4x4 vehicle we drive 8 km. through the jungle to the coast of the inferior Iguazu river.

Some semi-rigid rafts with powerful engines will be waiting for us to go upstream and into the mist veil formed by the cascades.

Another option is to take a rowing boat in the upper Iguazú river to watch the animals and plants in this delta, and maybe see some water tortoises or yacares sunbathing on the coast.

Iguazú is a singular environment that inspired the writer Horacio Quiroga in his "Tales of the Jungle".

(welcomeargentina.com, en.wikipedia.org, gosouthamerica.about.com)

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(South America) – Amazon - World’s largest tropical rainforest and river basin

The Amazon rainforest is huge, and you can enter from several different countries in South America.

South America - Amazon - World's largest tropical rainforest and river basin

 

The landscape contains:

- One in ten known species on Earth

- 1.4 billion acres of dense forests, half of the planet’s remaining tropical forests

- 4,100 miles of winding rivers, the source of almost one-fifth of all free-flowing fresh water on Earth

- 2.6 million square miles, about 40 percent of South America, in the Amazon Basin

South America - Amazon - World's largest tropical rainforest and river basin

The easiest countries to enter from are Ecuador and Brazil. To enter from Ecuador , take an international airline to Quito . From Quito travel to the Amazon rainforest, by bus, small plane or private guide. Quito is a unique city, rich in history which should be explored if time permits. To enter from Brazil , you can easily find flights from all over the world to Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro . If you have time spend a few days in those cities if you want, especially Rio which is famous for its carnival parade in February. From Sao Paulo or Rio you can get another flight to the Amazon cities, you can choose among many state capital cities like Manaus , Belem , Macapa, Boa Vista , Porto Velho or Rio Branco . Manuas and Belem have the most infrastructures for tourists.

South America - Amazon - World's largest tropical rainforest and river basin

In the Amazon rainforest you can travel in small airplanes (very nice to get an aerial view) between the smaller cities. But on the ground level there is just one way to travel in the Amazon rainforest, which is by boat. The Amazon rainforest is full of rivers, from the smallest one to the biggest one on the planet. The Amazon River is responsible for 25% of the fresh water that goes into the oceans. The Amazon River is so big that in some places you can't see the other side of the river. Certain areas seem just like an ocean since you have white sand beaches and waves! In some places the rivers edges are 30 miles from each other.

(South America - Amazon) Scarlet Macaw Flying

 The size of the boats depends on how far you are going. For smaller day-trip travel the usual boat is called "Voadeira" (the best translation it would be "Flyer Boat") which are small aluminum boats for just a dozen people with stern nautical engines, they are very common, fast and you can go in most places in a voadeira boat.

(South America - Amazon) Old Growth Rainforests Amazon Conservation

If you are going to make a longer trip you will use wooden boats that vary in size but sometimes can carry hundreds of passengers. In these boats you can pay for a cabin (on some of the better boats air conditioning is offered, this will make your trip more pleasant through the Amazon rainforest). If you can't or don't want to pay for the cabin, you will travel the way the local do, with nets! Yes, for the common Amazon man and woman when they travel for long distances they sleep in nets, they are very used to it since a net is one of the most common things in the region. If you are adventurous enough and like to travel like the local population, this is your way and it's much cheaper (although the cabin is not expensive).

South America - Amazon - World's largest tropical rainforest and river basin

Longer trips are a very nice way to get to know the region. You can go from Manaus to Santarem (a medium size city) or from Belem to Santarem by boat. These boats have regular schedules and it's safe. You can also go from Belem to Manaus (and vice-versa ) but then you would spend a week in a boat, to Santarem it will be only a few days and there you have an airport with direct flights to the Amazon region capitals or other cities in Brazil like Brasilia ( capital of the country) or even Rio de Janeiro . On the largest boats you can eat and take small foot tours in the small villages they stop by on the way up the river.

Along with the big boats and the voadeiras, canoes are very common and are the local population's most important way of transport. Canoes can be used for small trips or to go deep in small rivers. These canoes are hand made by Indians, or local individuals that learn from Indians, using Amazon rainforest wood and although they were originally conceived to be propelled by paddles, nowadays people use small engine propellers. Going deep in a small river branch in a paddle canoe is an incredible experience. You are almost completely covered with the rain forest canopy and you can feel and hear the Amazon rainforest in all its greatness.

(amazon-rainforest.org; en.wikipedia.org; worldwildlife.org)

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