17-22 Oct 2013. The Iguazu River forms the border between Brazil and Argentina. In the south of Brazil, and in the north of Argentina, the river rushes towards a huge chasm in the land, up to eighty metres deep and several kilometres long, and comes crashing down into it. Half the volume of water thunders over at the end of the gorge, known as the Devil’s Throat, while the other half spreads out along the length of the gorge, forming waterfall after waterfall along both sides.
I first went to Iguazu in 1978 as part of a four-month overland journey through South America. I spent only one day there, on the Brazilian side. One of my strongest memories is of a boat ride across the river above the falls, aware that if the little outboard motor in the little dinghy failed we were dead. It didn’t. We stopped at an island in the middle and watched the water thunder down all around us. I also remember the magnificent endless vista of the falls. I’d never seen anything like it. Indeed there is no comparison in the world; there are higher falls, and falls with perhaps greater water volume, but none like Iguazu that spreads itself out and goes on and on and on down either side of a long canyon. The other thing I remembered about Iguazu all these years is the butterflies. The butterflies! So many. Every different size, shape, colour and pattern you could ever imagine. Landing on you frequently. Walking in a cloud of butterflies.
I remember sitting around on the lawn with a few of my travelling buddies. Without anyone noticing one of them gently picked up a butterfly with folded wings and put it in his mouth. I don’t remember how he got our attention but it seems suddenly we were all looking at him and he opened his mouth and out flew a butterfly! Screams of laughter, surprise and delight! Can you imagine? Sitting chatting with friends and you look at one of them and he opens his mouth and out comes a butterfly?
I’d told Don so much about Iguazu, and the butterflies. I was afraid time and pollution and climate change and encroaching development and tourism would have led to the disappearance of the butterflies.
I’d never been to the Argentinian side of the falls and Don had never been at all so it was a new adventure for both of us. Four days of heaven, if only to be back in tropical warmth again. On the Argentinian side there’s a walkway over the river above the falls all the way out to the Devil’s Throat. As far as I could see there are no longer any boats coming from Brazil across the top of the falls, but the river is so very wide that it is highly possible that what we could see from the Devil’s Throat footbridge is no-where near where I took that boat ride all those years ago.
My photos and Don’s 20 second video of the Devil’s Throat. Truly a spectacular example of pictures saying more than a thousand words ever could.
We saw toucans! On the first day we hiked up to the Devil’s Throat. I heard a strange noise in the bush and stopped, looked around in the trees, and there was a toucan. They are such extraordinary creatures. We’d seen pictures of course, and probably a real one in a zoo or bird sanctuary somewhere sometime, and I believe there are plenty to be seen in the bird sanctuary at Foz do Iguaçu on the Brazil side, but to see one in the wild! They are such magical creatures, almost mythical. It’s hard to believe such a thing exists. The next day we came down from the Devil’s Throat by boat in the quiet waters off to the side of the falls, through thick jungle, and saw another. We were told it was very rare to see them in the heat of the day and we’d been lucky enough to see one two days in a row. I think they are the only bird with a beak almost as big as it’s body. So comical. Don said that it’s so odd looking that if it hadn’t flown away he would have thought it was stuffed.
Of course we saw many other birds. I couldn’t find the name of the yellow one above, but I did find the name of the ubiquitous plush crested jays seen below.
The branches of this palm tree were just about pulled vertical by the weight of the many many nests in each branch. They must be very communal birds as all the nests seemed to be in one tree. Red rumped caciques. Unfortunately their red rumps are only visible during flight.
And we saw cormorants everywhere, sunning themselves and drying their wings.
Wildlife abounds. We saw monkeys, many lizards of all sizes up to about two feet long, a tortoise, an alligator, and the ubiquitous coatis. There is a large forest and park right next to downtown Vancouver called Stanley Park. The forest is full of raccoons. They have learned that if they hang around the food stands and restaurants they will get easy food. They are known as masked bandits, and although they sure look cute you don’t want to mess with those claws. The coatis? Just the same. Which is not surprising since they too are members of the racoon family. According to wiki they are also known as . . . . wait for it . . . . . Brazilian aardvarks, Mexican tejón or moncún, hog-nosed coons, pizotes, Panamanian gatosolos, crackoons, and snookum bears!
This man has dinner.
I never knew tortoises had fangs!
Wild orchids.
Oh, and butterflies. Did I mention butterflies? Everywhere!
See that boat there? The one in the middle right of the picture. We sat in that boat right up the front and headed straight into that huge wall of spray from the falls. Holy Mary Mother-of-God what an experience! We knew we’d get wet, and were wearing only swimsuits, but wet is not the word. Drenched! Saturated! Soaked! Deluged! We went into it twice. It was like heading into a torrent. More than a torrent. So much water coming at me I couldn’t breathe, and had to turn my face away, and for a second thought “I could drown here”. All of us screaming with excitement. And me laughing so hard I thought I’d choke. It was a laugh that came from the gut, from the very core, and filled the entire body before escaping through the mouth as a roar, a veritable volcano of a laugh that went on and on. In a good way. In the best way. A laugh of the Universe. What was so funny? The sheer ridiculous absurdity of what we were doing! – sitting in an open boat in our swimsuits heading straight into a waterfall. And the fact that we chose to do it.
I’ll end this post with some of the beautiful vistas of the falls taken during our days of wandering the many pathways along the side of the canyon, some going so close to the water you could get drenched all over again if you wanted to.
The cloud on the horizon on the left side of the picture above is the spray from the Devil’s Throat. We could see it from the air, as our plane came in, long before we could see the river and the falls.
Next post: a short side trip to Piriapolis and Colonia in Uruguay.
All words and images by Alison Louise Armstrong unless otherwise noted.
© Alison Louise Armstrong and Adventures in Wonderland – a pilgrimage of the heart, 2010-2015.
OMG the bird and animal pictures are just astounding. These might be your best yet.
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Thanks so much Fiona. Sometimes I get lucky – especially with the toucan. This one was taken on the first day. All photos of the one we saw on the second day were out of focus. No matter. I got one that was okay and that’s all I need. I think my fave of the coaties is the group of them with their tails in the air following the person with food. Too funny.
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Alison, this is one of those posts of yours that has left me speechless… I have heard so much about Iguazu Falls but your account and the anecdotes are easily the best I’ve seen. And you spotted wild toucans too! Ever since I was a child I’ve been longing to see them. Could have something to do with Froot Loops but then again the wanderlust set in early. I smiled when I read that you and Don are becoming adrenalin junkies – travel has a way of doing that to you. 🙂 If you told me a year ago that I would soon be climbing an Indonesian volcano, I probably wouldn’t have believed it!
Glad that the butterflies are still there, and your second visit was just as memorable as the first… now I really must plan a trip to South America!
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Thank you so much James. Yes! Toucans! We were amazed. I didn’t even really know that there would be toucans in the jungle there. Then suddenly I saw one. It was a very magical moment. Get yourself to Iguazu! And yes I do agree, travel begets adventure, more and more and more. In a few days we are going trekking on a glacier! Never thought we would do that before now 🙂
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got goosebumps. this is just the most incredible place. it was like sensory overload. we went to antarctica with our survival gear and packed for the jungle in Igauzu.
Your posts are wonderful. Bravo to you~
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Thanks Cindy, glad it resonated for you. It is an incredible place, so much to take in. Yes we too have packed for the tropics and not quite antarctic cold, but Ushuaia cold. Somehow it’s manageable.
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Fantastic post. Your paragraph about boating straight into the falls is perfection — the essence of life and travel.
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Thank you so much. Yes the essence of life and travel – experiencing the wonderful miraculous absurdity of it all. Still laughing!
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Wow!
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Thanks 🙂
xox
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Beautiful pictures of Iguazu, Alison! It’s one of world’s true nature wonders that will never fail to impress, even though I haven’t visited it myself. And the fact that there are a lot of wild animals in the area is just incredible. I never knew that fanged tortoises can live side by side with beautiful butterflies!
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Thanks Bama. You must go. Get planning another adventure with James 🙂
It is definitely one of the world’s true nature wonders.
Isn’t that tortoise bizarre? I feel as if somehow my camera picked up some strange anomaly or something, and that I should do a little tortoise research!
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AWESOME! Your amazing pictures and descriptions make me feel like I’m sharing your visit. Great post!
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Thanks so much Anita (or is it Richard?) – I love it when people can feel the adventure with us. You must be sure to go there when you get down this way.
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And while ALL of the photographs are brilliant(!), the initial video clip was eye-popping!
And I would NEVER in a million years have guessed that a tortoise has FANGS!
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Thanks Laurie. Isn’t Don’s video amazing?! Isn’t Iguazu amazing?! It’s all in all a pretty eye-popping place.
Yeah, the tortoise’s fangs, like I said to Bama, I think I need to do a little research. If they weren’t so symmetrical I’d think maybe he was still eating lunch or something.
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Love this post Alison, but I have such a fear of water the part about the waterfall had me holding my breath! Amazing stuff. What a life you are living. 🙂
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Thanks so much. Hope I didn’t scare you too much! That boat trip was a pretty extraordinary experience, but only if you’re okay with being in water 🙂
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A delightful, evocative post. I felt like I was there when reading it!
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Thank you so much John, I’m glad you enjoyed it. And thank you for linking our interview with Nomadic Matt on your website. Your site is terrific and we may well make use of it one day – there’s some amazing opportunities for volunteering available, and your site provides a wealth of information.
Cheers
Alison
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Wowzers! Wow at everything here!
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Thanks Kate. I guess you liked it 🙂
It was a pretty ‘wowzers’ type place!
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Soaking in your pictures and words is one of the best gifts I give myself these days. Namaste, Alison and Don.
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Aww, thanks Kelly. That makes me feel good. I’m so glad you enjoy it.
Hugs and namaste to you
Alison
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I think everyone has already said it all. Amazing, great photos and video, incredible experiences. Thanks so much for sharing.
By the way, as you suggested, I have a “follow my blog” widget installed now.
i am loving WordPress and all its offerings.
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Thanks Joanne, glad you enjoyed it. It is a pretty amazing place.
WP is also a pretty amazing place too as you’re discovering.
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Wow. Just – wow. I think this is my favorite post in the last few weeks. I love the pictures, especially the butterflies. They are one of my favorite creatures!
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Thanks Felicity. I love butterflies too – magical little beings, and at Iguazu there is such a variety and abundance it’s quite breathtaking. It always puzzles me that in the research we did for Iguazu no-one mentions the butterflies. For me they’re one of the special things about the area.
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Your description of the adrenaline-laced experience at the falls brought me to tears. And the laughing! We so need to do that more!
Did you make a butterfly fly from your mouth for Don?
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In tears! Oh my goodness. I hope in a good way! It was a breathtaking experience. Literally lol. And I so agree that we all need that kind of deep belly laugh on a regular basis.
No, no butterfly from my mouth. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it!
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Absolutely in a good way!
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Vampire tortoise? There’s a twist for the ‘Twilight’ movies
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Yeah, that tortoise really bothers me. It was just a quick snapshot as we went by in a boat. I really don’t know what I’ve photographed. Perhaps he’s eating lunch 🙂
Can’t find anything on the net about tortoises or turtles with fangs lol.
I think you’re right – it’s a vampire tortoise 🙂
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You saw a Toucan!!! My biggest disappointment of our trip in 2010 was that we never got to see one in the wild. I remember those almost tame butterflies. The yellow chested bird is a three striped flycatcher (Benteveo Chico) if I am not mistaken. Fabulous account Alison 🙂
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Thanks Madhu. I was so excited to see the toucan! I hadn’t even thought about them, but I heard a strange noise so stopped to look all around me. I was astonished! A toucan! And then to see one again the next day – so lucky.
That’s all it is really. And sometimes I think the things we want most are the ones that stay away – I spent 2 days on safari in Ranthambhore National Park and so wanted to see a tiger, but didn’t.
Thanks for naming the flycatcher. I tried to find out on google but wasn’t successful.
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Alison, I absolutely love your description of getting drenched by the Falls and your reaction – priceless! Your photos are stunning, as always. ~Terri
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Thanks Terri. It was quite the experience!
Gotta catch up on your posts! We’re in El Calafate Patagonia for a few days – very slow internet in the whole town so can’t read much – I have nearly 50 posts of blogs I follow to read lol
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wow. these photos are stunning! and that rainbow!
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Thanks kz. Thanks for catching up. Now I need to go catch up with you. We’ve been travelling pretty hard in southern Argentina, plus being in some places with painfully slow internet 😦 so I’m all behind.
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So much to love here, but my favorite has to be the “laugh of the Universe.” You are living life in all it’s beauty, joy, and awesomeness, Alison. Thank you so much for the beautiful photos. Too bad blogs and video cameras weren’t around on your first visit to the falls. I would have loved to see your friend have a butterfly come out of his mouth. haha. {{{hugs}}} Kozo
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Thank you so much Kozo. Thank you for taking the time to comment. I know you’re so busy launching your new business and taking care of your family so I appreciate you coming here. Me too – busy sightseeing, and also being in some more remote places where internet was so slow it was painful so couldn’t look at anyone’s posts. I will catch up soon.
Somewhere in our small storage locker in Vancouver, stuffed in a box in the very back, is a large scrapbook I made of that journey through South America. I’m sure there’s pictures of that guy with the butterfly coming out of his mouth – I think we must have made him do it again so we could photograph it lol
Big hugs from me
xoxox
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A virtual feast for the eyes and a whole bag of brain candy. I am totally blown away by where your travels have taken you. LOVE the lime green butterflies, they look like lettuce pushing out of the earth. trek on and be safe Alison. cheers.
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A whole bag of brain candy! Isn’t it just! We were blown away it was all so spectacular. How could you not be in joy in such a place? Butterfly lettuce – I love that 🙂
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Your pics are absolutely beautiful!
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Thanks Kev, glad you liked them. Such a beautiful place. It was quite magical.
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Wonderful photos, Alison! We did NOT go in the boat, but I love hearing about it. We just sat and watched the coatis–they are as bold as brass. The cluster of yellow butterflies is like those we saw in the Amazon in Peru–they eat the soil for vitamins in the minerals, I was told.
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Thanks Naomi. Yeah, that boat ride, that was something else. And we loved the coatis – so brazen, just like their racoon cousins in Stanley Park in Vancouver.
I’m now looking forward to seeing butterflies in the Amazon – we may even be going on the same tour as you, from what I remember of reading your post about it. We fly to Iquitos Feb 13 and travel with Amazonia Expeditions.
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Fantastic! I really hope you get Orlando as your guide and Mario as your driver. If not, please say hello to them for us.
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Wonderful pics that bring back wonderful memories.
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Thanks Peggy. Such a beautiful place!
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