Iguassu Falls with Birds

We had a grueling flight from Ilha Fernando do Noronha to Iguassu, starting at 10 in the morning and going until 1 AM the next morning. We had two connections - one in Recife and another in Sao Paolo, but we and our bags all made it. To make it even more complicated, we had to have a special private car take us to the hotel inside the national park in Brazil, because they lock up after 7 PM.  Guests at the hotel have a special dispensation to arrive late, but, after midnight, you must use a car with a special permit. These cars must carry a park-issued GPS during the trip that will issue a huge fine and suspend the car's permit for six months if they exceed the very low speed limit. Why? They are trying to avoid deaths of wildlife in the park. Our driver told us he'd seen eight jaguars in six years. There are plenty of other animals there as well.

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We got up pretty early and enjoyed a great breakfast buffet with two espresso drinks. A lot of coatis, which are sort of like daytime party raccoons with long, curled tails visited the patio near the buffet. Plush-crested jays also came to visit. 

Another photo of the same kind of bird. 

After breakfast we met our driver Bruno, who would take us to and from the Argentinian Iguassu Falls national park. That is quite a drive, crossing over a triple border between Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay. We had a little excitement as we crossed. Our driver pointed out a car surrounded by drug inspectors just beside us as we inched through the international checkpoint. There on the ground next to the car were about forty packets of cocaine, and they were still pulling more from the car as we passed. I was crazy enough to get out my phone and snap a photo of this. Luckily, the agent either didn't notice me, or decided it wasn't worth the trouble to stop us. I'm not posting the photo because it could be used to identify the agent(s) and the car and driver. 

Finally, after a chaotic arrival among numerous private cars and tour buses and huge lines, we managed to get inside the park. We saw lots of coatis and monkeys along the paths. 

We first hiked along the trails below the falls. 

Then we went to an area called the Devil's Throat. This trail was destroyed by flooding a couple of years ago, and only reopened about a week before we got there. The "trail" consists of a series of metal walkways stretching across the flowing river from one small island to the next for about a mile, until it finally reaches where the falls are somewhat more than a semicircle, all in a small space. With all the recent rains, the waters were exceptionally strong, causing a massive amount of spray to fly up all the way from the bottom to above the observation platforms, getting us all wet each time the wind shifted our way. 

There was so much spray you couldn't really see the other side. 

Later that day, we walked on the trails above the falls. In this view, you see the water going over the edge of one of the falls in the foreground, then the full height of the waterfalls in the background. In the center, the water is rebounding almost a hundred feet in the air after hitting bottom in a convergence of water from several surrounding falls. There were rainbows all around the falls that day, created by the sun hitting the spray shooting up from the falls. 

We walked about nine miles that day, according to our phone GPS app. The next morning, we took the hike just in front of our hotel inside the park, on the Brazilian side. It was pretty spectacular, as it ran along in front of the falls, varying in height from near the top of the falls to near the bottom. As on the day before, there were rainbows everywhere. 

It might appear as though there are specks on the lens in this photo, but each one is actually a bird. Zoom in for a closer view. The birds love the spray. I imagine it must be a good place to catch bugs to eat. I love how this photo merges a dreamlike look with the stark reality of daylight. 

On our way to the airport, we stopped off at the bird park called Parque des Aves, where they had a huge walk-through park with a series of very tall caged in areas with a huge assortment of beautiful birds. 

That's all for our visit to Iguassu. This part three of our trip.

Click here for part 1, jaguar highlight photos.

Click here for part 2, our visit to Ilha Fernando do Noronha.