Brazil and Argentina. Cataracts, Cascades, and Coatimundi: Wonders of Iguazú Falls
Simply put, the waterfalls of Iguazú are among the most awe-inspiring natural features on Earth. Separated into upper (Brazilian side) and lower (Argentinian side) sections, the falls are located in a place where the Iguaçu River flows over resistant basalt rock. In contrast to a single curtain, Iguazú has 275 distinct cataracts and waterfalls, making it the largest waterfall complex in the world. At peak flow, the falls transport more than 12,750 cubic meters of water per second. Catching her first sight of Iguazú in 1944, Eleanor Roosevelt (wife of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt) is reported to have said, “poor Niagara.”
The first European to see the falls was Spanish explorer Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca in 1541, during an expedition aimed at finding a route between South America’s Atlantic coast and the Spanish colony in Peru. The name Iguazú (Iguaçu in Portuguese) comes from indigenous words meaning “great waters.” Legend says that a deity was slated to marry a woman named Naipi who fled with her lover Tarobá in a canoe. In a rage, the deity sliced the river, creating the waterfalls and condemning the lovers to an eternal fall.
Whereas many Iguazú visitors fly into either Argentina’s Cataratas of Iguazú International Airport or Brazil’s Foz do Iguaçu International Airport, my travel companion and I elected to drive from Buenos Aires in a rental car. It took several days to reach the falls. Although our lodging was on Argentinian side of the border, we elected to see the Brazilian section first. The falls are contained within two protected areas, Argentina’s Iguazú National Park (2,530 km2) to the south and Brazil’s Iguaçu National Park (677 km2) in the north.
Before viewing the falls, we took an hour to visit a bird sanctuary called Parque das Aves. Subsequently, we followed an elevated walkway along a bluff above the river. Generally speaking, we found that walkways on the Brazilian side offered the best panoramic views. The path ended above Devil’s Throat, a U-shaped curtain of 14 waterfalls partially obscured by spray. About half of the river’s flow passes through this narrow chasm. For visitors not opposed to getting wet, a 1,100-meter boardwalk over a portion of the river terminates at a platform offering the most spectacular river-level views of Devil’s Throat.
The Argentinian side enables visitors to see waterfalls from multiple angles. After purchasing tickets, we rode the tourist train to Garganta del Diablo, the last station. From there we crossed a long boardwalk over a slower moving branch of the river to an overlook above Devil’s Throat. Along our walk we could see a few abandoned sections of the boardwalk that had been damaged by flooding. On our return, we stopped at Cataracs Station and took a short hike above several other falls including Sallo Ramírez, Sallo Chico, and Sallo Eva.
Along with unparalleled scenery, the Brazilian and Argentinian parks at Iguazú protect biodiversity within the surrounding rainforest. The region has more than 2,000 species of plants as well as animals ranging from howler monkeys to parrots and toucans. Although we weren’t fortunate enough to see a giant anteater or jaguar, we did have first-hand encounters with coatimundis (aka coatis) that loiter in tourist areas. Resembling large housecats, coatimundis have small ears, a slender head, and a slightly upturned nose. Their long tails are accented by light colored rings. In the wild they eat fruit, lizards, rodents, and eggs. However, in tourist areas coatimundis prefer human food. Signs warn visitors not to feed or touch coatimundis that have been known to bite people.
