Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Answer: Iguazu Falls
Consisting of 275 individual falls (actually, the number varies depending on the water level), stretching across 2.7 kilometers and at a maximum height of 82 meters, Iguazu Falls is one of the largest and most impressive waterfalls in the world. In fact, it is so impressive that last year, it was voted as one of the "New 7 Wonders of Nature" (click the link to see the complete list: http://nature.n7w.com/).
Like the more well-known Niagara, Iguazu is located at the border of two countries - in this case, Brazil and Argentina. And also like Niagara, it is possible to view the Falls from either side of the border, although that'll mean having to pay two entry fees, each about USD28 / RM84. But if you're short of time (or money) and absolutely have to choose just one, do Argentina simply because you'll get to see more of the Falls (although it does not mean the view from Brazil is any less spectacular).
As we were already in Argentina, it made sense for us to visit the Argentinean side of the Falls first. However, getting there from Puerto Madryn was a bit of a nightmare - the 2500 km journey took us just under 48 hours, no thanks to a flight cancellation by Aerolineas Argentinas. Following an 18-hour bus ride from Puerto Madryn to Buenos Aires, we were supposed to catch a short, 1.5 hour flight to Iguazu. Up till this point, we had been counting our blessings as we had managed to avoid two of the most common traveling hiccups - food poisoning and travel delays. But like all good things, that streak was about to come to an end. At least on the travel delay part. After repeated delay announcements on our flight, it was eventually cancelled, citing technical difficulties. We were then faced with the challenge of trying to find out what the heck was going on using a combination of our limited command of Spanish and sign language (mostly the latter). To cut a long story short, we eventually bought another flight (with a different airline) for the next morning and bunked in a USD25-per-night motel (highly un-recommended) for the night.
Despite the one day delay though, we were left with just enough time to see the Falls from both sides. Exploring the national park on the Argentinian side took a full day. From the entrance, it was a short 600 meter hike into the park before we got our first glimpse of the Falls. We were dumbfounded. Set against a backdrop of primary jungle were what seemed like countless waterfalls of varying sizes and heights cascading down from the Iguazu River above. It brought back memories of our visit to Niagara a few years back, except with infinitely more beauty and less tourists - two very important factors contributing towards an overall memorable experience. And this was before we even saw Garganta del Diablo, or "Devil's Throat", the largest of Iguazu's 275 falls.
No visit to a major waterfall like this is complete without getting on to a boat and getting "baptized" by its waters. Having experienced Niagara, we went prepared - with ponchos and a waterproof bag (which saved our camera from certain destruction). We expected to get close - enough to get a little wet perhaps, but we didn't expect to get THAT close. I'm not entirely sure (as I had to shield my eyes from water falling all around me) but I think we actually went through one of the smaller falls that got us absolutely drenched. Best 10 minutes of our visit to the Falls.
Now, the Devil's Throat. From the name alone, we expected to see a mean-looking, incredibly powerful sheet of water falling from a great height - one where if you have the misfortune of falling into, there's certain end. And it turned out to be every bit as nasty as we had thought, except for the presence of multiple rainbows - a result of the sunshine being dispersed by the water droplets. As a comparison, the largest of Niagara's three falls, Horseshoe Falls, is about the same width (700 meters) but only two thirds the height. Even from a considerable distance (where the viewing platform was), it felt like rain whenever a gust of wind blows its mist in our direction. And the roar of the water pretty much renders any attempts at conversations pointless. Which was fine by us - it was an amazing feeling just standing there soaking up (quite literally) the atmosphere.
It was more of the same from the Brazilian side the next day - viewed from a different angle but just as spectacular. Some travel blogs / websites mention that the view from Brazil is actually more impressive but I think that's mere tourism propaganda. Iguazu Falls is stupendous no matter which side of the border you're standing on.
I can see now why when First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt saw the Falls, she exclaimed "Poor Niagara!".
- comments