Bordering Brazil and Argentina, the spectacular Iguazo Falls rank among the world’s greatest natural wonders. Visited by over one million sightseers every year, the falls are taller and wider than those at Niagara. Writer Josh Stricker describes visiting Iguazu Falls – and his encounter with an over-familiar resident …
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Iguazu Falls Visit
We were barely able to keep our eyes open as the crowded plane screeched to a halt on the tarmac. After a long night of caipirinhas (Brazil’s national cocktail) and samba in Rio de Janeiro, it was a small miracle that we had even been able to catch the early morning flight. The crew mumbled something in Portuguese, and we were ushered off the plane down a tiny staircase and into the single room airport.
The city of Foz do Iguacu was just a short drive away, but this was not where my friend and I were headed in our tiny rental car. Instead we made for the Brazilian / Argentine border, crossing the mighty Iguazu River that forms a natural border between the two countries.
After a tedious wait at the customs border control, we drove to the small jungle lodge that would serve as the base for our upcoming adventure. The lodge was nestled among settlements from the indigenous tribes of the area, and it was here, as darkness fell, that we enjoyed our first sights and sounds of the South American rainforest.
We awoke the next morning with a group of yellow-bellied birds (three-striped flycatchers) flying noisily back and forth outside our window, shaking us from our dreams. With our Argentine pesos in hand, we eagerly made our way to the Iguazu National Park.
Iguazu National Park
At the entrance to the park we saw the familiar photos of the beautiful waterfalls and rainbows that awaited us. Alongside them, however, were pictures of bloodied hands and vicious looking racoon-like creatures, bearing warnings against feeding the native animals.
The signs were quickly forgotten as we boarded a train that would take us to the upper section of the falls. The railway weaved through the thick forest, and we kept our eyes on the canopy in search of toucans, monkeys, and scarlet macaws.
Coati Encounters
Alighting from the train, we were immediately greeted by a group of animals rushing up to our feet. We recognised them from the warning pictures, but our first impression was that they seemed quite harmless.
The animals had striped tails, long pointed snouts, and seemed to be a mixture of raccoon and cat. We were informed that they were called coati, but we playfully referred to them as “cat-coons”. I saw a group of tourists laughing as one of the animals jumped up and grabbed a hat straight out of a small boy’s hand. We watched for a few more minutes before beginning our hike to the upper section of the waterfalls.
Waterfalls
The trail was unlike any that I had hiked on before. At the very start of the walkway, we crossed a steel bridge that traversed dozens of tributaries and streams. We were able to look down through the woven steel below our feet and into the crystal clear water as it carved a swerving path through the jungle.
As we walked, a gentle breeze rustled the leaves of the trees high above our heads, and rays of sunlight slipped through, illuminating the forest floor. It was a balmy morning and our pace was appropriately relaxed. We stopped periodically to examine the colourful flowers and breathe in the fresh forest scents.
The sound of rushing water was steadily growing in volume and I sensed that soon we would get our first view of the falls. We saw an opening in the forest trail ahead and sped forward in anticipation. When I reached the clearing I gasped, unable to believe the sight before my eyes.
I was standing on the edge of a cliff, looking out at the most spectacular landscape I had ever seen. As far as the eye could see there were waterfalls gushing over the edges of mossy green cliffs, producing clouds of mist that filled the valley.
As the sun lit the sparkling droplets of falling water, rainbows would continually appear and fade. Each waterfall had its own mesmerizing rhythm. We sat in silence and stared out at this magnificent fantasy world.
Eventually we decided to continue along the trail. Much of the path had been built along the tops of the waterfalls, allowing us to watch the river flowing beneath our feet before plummeting over the edge. We stopped to photograph every new vista; each one was seemingly better than the last.
Iguazu Falls Wildlife
The trail also gifted us with sightings of some amazing native wildlife. There were plush-crested jays sitting in the trees, gazing at us from under their bright blue brows. We saw an endangered black-fronted piping guan perched among the branches.
Most exciting of all was the chestnut-eared aracari, with a colourful mix of red and yellow feathers and the distinctive long bill of a toucan.
Along the final section of the hike, we saw another group of cat-coons walking across the handrail of the bridge with utter confidence and poise. We thought that the animals looked friendly, but it seemed the mist from the powerful water had clouded our judgment.
Coatis In The Mist
We made our way to the picnic area, and purchased two large bags of overpriced empanadas (stuffed pastries). We sat down to begin our meal, happy to be off our feet after the long hike. However, just as we were about to tuck in there was a sudden crunching sound from the bush nearby.
A small cat-coon / coati emerged, and began circling my feet. It jumped uninvited onto one of the vacant seats at our table, as if it were ready to join us for lunch. We stood up and held our bags of empanadas in the air, out of the reach of the animal. Although it looked harmless, the earlier warning signs began to creep into my mind. We made barking sounds at the coati, and finally it nonchalantly scurried away.
Crisis averted, we sat back down and continued eating. When we were down to the last few empanadas, a small nose appeared over the side of the table. The pesky cat-coon had once again climbed onto the bench.
I stood quickly, clasping my empanada bag, but my friend was too slow. The cat-coon leaped onto the table and flung itself onto her bag, gnashing its teeth and presenting its sharp claws. My friend released the bag and the devilish animal tore off with its prize. I rose to give chase, knowing that I had no chance of recovering the empanada, but feeling that I should attempt to salvage some pride after being swindled so thoroughly. The Coati was long gone.
We left the dining area shocked by the audacity of little creature, and took the train to the start of our final hike of the day. This would take us to the waterfall named Garganta del Diablo (Devil’s Throat). As we walked along the 1km trail to the waterfall, I smirked at the irony of the name: I imagined the demonic cat-coon gleefully stuffing the stolen empanada down its own ‘devil’s throat’.
Garganta del Diablo
Arriving at the waterfall, all we could do was stand in awe at the sheer force of nature before us. The Garganta del Diablo is the deepest and highest of the Iguazu Falls. As we watched, a group of exotic butterflies danced playfully through the air. As the sun began to set, I reflected on the magnificence of what I had seen that day. We stayed until the park guides told us that it was time to go, then headed to the exit feeling exhausted, but fulfilled.
That night I drifted off to sleep with a smile. Visiting Iguazu Falls had just been the start of my adventures in the South American jungle. There would be more to come.