“Wow!” doesn’t even begin to describe it…
I can only echo Riley’s sentiment in the level of magnificence that this vacation has taken. This place truly is a wonder of the natural world. I can only imagine the reaction of the discoverer, Spaniard Alvar Nunez, who first came upon it in 1542. Nothing that I could write would be able to compare to the beauty and impact of seeing it, so here are a few images to add to what Riley posted already.
What I can describe is the Sheridan Hotel where we were fortunate enough to stay for two nights. Once we arrived in Puerto Iguazú and had a better idea of the layout of the park and the town, we started to investigate our options. After reading countless testimonials to how incredible it is to stay at the Sheridan, the only hotel in the park on the Argentinian side, we looked it up. A lucky turn of events came together and there we were in the lobby, checking in with a view of the most spectacular waterfall I have ever seen.
The hotel itself is nice, but the location makes the deal. While staying in Puerto Iguazú, a 20-30 minute bus ride is required to get in and out of the park each day. Here at the hotel, you are a two minute walk away from the main trails. Just by virtue of staying there, there is an hour or so at the beginning and the end of each day when only hotel guests and a few visitors who drove themselves are left. Then, once everyone goes home when the park closes at five, hotel guests get to enjoy a view of the falls at sunset while sitting out in front of the hotel enjoying a drink (the natural fruit juices here are amazing…papaya, mango, pineapple). It was such a treat! What an incredible image to put you to bed and night and to wake up to in the morning.
The second and final day in the park we spent on tourist activities. We bought the “Green Passport.” It consisted of three parts. At 8:45 am we boarded a large truck, sitting on bench seats of an open flatbed, to drive an 8 km “off-road” path to the river downstream of the falls. The guide was an entertaining young argentinian woman who gave us great information about the park itself, the flora and fauna.
At the end of the road, we jumped off the truck and walked down a pathway to a boat. This was the part we were most excited for. As a part of the tour, we put on our life-vests and stored everything in dry bags. The boat sat around 30 people, but there were only 10 or so of us on the early tour. The driver was an older gentleman who sat on a raised platform at the stern of the boat. There were two more guides on the boat to help with instructions and to video the whole endeavor. From the dock we cruised up through some rapids 6 km directly toward the largest waterfall, La Garganta del Diablo (The Devil’s Throat). We had time at that point to take a few photos before we headed around the corner to the other significant wall of falls. The guides suited up in full rain gear as we waterproofed cameras, hats, shoes, and sunglasses to get ready for the “big shower.”
We went surging under one of the big falls and as we were drenched by the spray and the falling water the boat floated back out of the shower with the current. It was so fun. Lucky for us, our driver had us do it twice! (The fall all the way on the left of this picture, with the most spray, is the one we went into.)
What a rush. We visited another smaller fall near the Devil’s Throat for another go of it before the tour ended. Here we are, happy and soaked!
The last part of our tourist day was an ecological tour along the lazy rivers that wind their ways in and out of the jungle before taking the plunge. It started from the top of the Devil’s Throat. Upon arrival, we hiked the kilometer out to the waterfall and were, once again, awestruck by the forces at work below us…
After 10-15 minutes, we were able to pull our eyes away from the spectacle and head back to the mainland to start the eco tour. We boarded an inflated man-powered vessel with 14 others to float slowly along the waterways, enjoying the wildlife around us and learning a bit more about the biomes in the park. It was a hot ride. The sun was beating directly overhead, and we dipped our feet over the side of the boat until the guide mentioned something about a certain fish whose bites deserve immediate medical attention. He then splurged into a talk on pirhanas that reinforced our decision.
Our tourist fun ended at this and we made our way back to a poolside lunch and some afternoon lounging. In between reading, cards and talking, we took dips in the pool to cool off. We made an Argentinian friend. He was 7 years old and threw a plastic soccer ball around with us for a good while. He really enjoyed the challenge of throwing and catching with one hand.
The day ended with more pool side relaxing, a massage, and a nice dinner down in the main room. Perfect!
Tomorrow it is back to Buenos Aires!
Cait
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