September 10, 2018

September 10, 2018

We got up early today and went to Rio’s airport where we caught a flight west and inland. Two hours later we arrived at Foz do Iguacu on the border with Paraguay and Argentina. We loaded on our coach bus and drove to the nearby World Heritage Iguacu National Park. Iguacu Falls is the largest waterfall system in the world. The Iguacu River, held back by a hard plug of volcanic basalt spreads out over a large area and then plunges down the entire length of a narrow crack in the rock.

After a snack lunch, we walk along a downhill trail that parallels the river. We can see a long line of waterfalls on the opposite Argentina side. At river’s edge we follow a catwalk out over the water where we face the narrow center known as the Devil’s Throat. Iguacu is supposed to be taller than Niagara, wider than Victoria and more dramatic then both. It certainly is extensive and awe-inspiring.

Along the trail Aimee was excited when she spotted two brilliantly colored Green-Headed Tanagers. Their colors were almost fluorescent. I think their Spanish name of Rainbow Tanager described them better.

We ended our walk by taking an elevator back to the top. We then drove across the border and checked into our Argentinian hotel in Puerto Iguacu. Before dinner we walked to the nearby monument called Tres Fronteras which our room faces. Here the Iguacu River joins the larger Parana River and separates the three countries of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. Interestingly ten miles upstream on the Parana River is the Itaipu Dam, the world’s largest hydroelectric plant, about 25x the output of Hoover Dam, and equivalent to dozens of nuclear power plants. Mind Boggling! I would love to see it.

For dinner we had Empanadas (a type of stuffed pastry) and Grilled Pacu, a local river fish.