Iguazu Falls
February 24 - Our flight to Iguazu Falls was at 7:15, so we woke up at 4:00 and took an Uber to the airport. We ate breakfast in the lounge then boarded the plane. I was very excited to finally see Iguazu Falls; they have been on my bucket list since high school. I've always been drawn to waterfalls and I'm not sure why. It could be because I grew up in Nebraska and the closest waterfall was a 7-hour drive away. Or, maybe it's because the water is in transit, and I'm always thinking about my next destination. I've been to Niagara Falls, Multnomah Falls, and dozens of lesser-known waterfalls. Iguazu always seemed impressive to me.
I slept really well on the plane, and I awoke while we were making our descent, I noted the city of Iguazu Falls was a decent-sized city. I thought it was a small town in the middle of the rainforest, but there was actually a lot of development. After we deplaned, we were happy to learn our lodging was only a 6 minute drive from the airport. We arrived too early for check in, and one of the hotel hosts, Santiago, a friendly man from Argentina, recommended we walk to the bird park nearby. He suggested going to the falls later in the day because they are extremely crowded in the morning and early afternoon, and there's only one trail, so it's best to go right before the park closes.
We took his advice, stored our bags, and walked about 10 minutes to the bird park. It was a big conservation area designed to protect endangered birds in the Atlantic Rainforest. We saw many different kinds of flamingos, parrots, owls, vultures, and we saw toucans, birds we had never heard of, and we found Kevin from Up! Or at least it looked a lot like him (spoiler alert: her). Not all the birds were in cages, and the ones that were had a lot of space. Over half the birds were rescued from injuries or illegal trafficking. We also spotted some small monkeys swinging high in the trees. The park was much bigger than we thought it would be and we became very thirsty after wandering around the hot and humid rainforest, so we bought a fresh coconut to drink the water. After about an hour and a half, we walked back to the hotel.
The place we were staying was very nice. It was situated on a farm, with plenty of animals like horses, cows, pigs, sheep, chickens, ducks, dogs, and cats. There was a fruit forest and a patch of rainforest with a trail that encircled the entire property. We were allowed to pick the fruit if we wanted to and eat it. There were 2 ponds where you could fish. The lodging was a series of spacious duplexes, where we had our own porch, living room, kitchenette, bedroom, bathroom, and garden. I thought our hotel in Rio may have been our favorite given it had a rooftop pool with a beautiful view, but this place was even better.
Our room wasn't ready yet, so we ate a big salad full of carrots, beets, palm hearts, arugula, and cheese, with french fries on the side. I befriended a couple of cats, then our room was ready for us.
After we settled into our house, it began to storm and we debated whether or not we should go to the falls. The weather forecast showed rain and storms all day the following day so we opted to wait a little while then walk to the falls. The weather began to let up, so we left around 4:00 P.M. The park closed at 5:00 P.M. but people don't need to leave until 6:00 P.M.
Iguazu Falls National Park was across the street from the bird park, so we arrived to the entrance in about 10-15 minutes. Once we entered the park, we had to take a bus for about 15 minutes to reach the trailhead. On the bus, we learned Iguazu Falls was made up of 86 different waterfalls. Then we began our hike, and after only a few minutes, the line of waterfalls appeared. The entire rest of the hike which was about 20 minutes, waterfalls were everywhere on our right side, to the left was dense rainforest.
At the end of the hike, there was low walkway over the river that allowed you to get closer to the falls to see the iconic view. I found Iguazu to be even more impressive than Niagara. The sky was only partly cloudy, a magical rainbow appeared in front one of the large waterfalls, it was hot and humid out, but the falls provided a cooling mist. I stood for a few minutes appreciating the view, then for another few minutes with my eyes closed feeling the breezy mist and smelling the rainforest surrounding us.
Santiago was wise in knowing when to visit the park. Other visitors were there but only a few dozen. It was easy to imagine the place packed full of people which would've made the trip less enjoyable. We hiked back to the bus, went back to the entrance, and walked back to the hotel. The experience of visiting Iguazu Falls surpassed my expectations.
We ate dinner at the hotel that night. Since we were on a farm, most of the food is fresh from the garden. We ate beans, rice, grilled veggies, potatoes and veggies in a cheesy sauce, and fruit.
It was a long day, so we relaxed in our farmhouse for the night and went to sleep early.
- T