2014 Brazil Foz do Iguaçu 2 (9/9/2014)

Tuesday, September 9, 2014
It is springtime in Brazil, but the temperature has been in the 80s.
We checked out of the hotel, and left our backpacks in storage.

South American bus stop

We walked the 1.5 km/.93 mile to the Parque Nacional do Iguaçu/National Park of Iguassu. The name is the indigenous Tupi-Guarani word for "Great Waters." Iguassu Falls was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984, and in 2011 was named one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.
From the visitors center, we were taken by bus the 11 km/6.8 miles to the falls, and then set off on the 1200 m/.75 mile Trilha das Cataratas/Waterfall Trail. Almost immediately we saw a Dasyprocta azarae/Azara's Agouti. Then we saw the falls.

First view

There are reportedly 275-350 waterfalls along a 3 km/1.8 mile stretch, that drop between 60-82 m/200-270'. What is unique is that there is a double rim, so there are two-levels of waterfalls.

Tamiko (KSS)

Kent

Panorama of the "lower" end of the gorge

Two levels of waterfalls (KSS)

Begonia sp growing wild

You can see the walkways on the Argentine side

Viewpoint (KSS)

Panorama of the middle section

Again, two levels of falls

A view towards Garganta do Diablo/Throat of the Giant
at the "upper" end of the gorge

Impatiens sp growing wild (KSS)

Boardwalk on the Brazilian side

Full rainbow (KSS)

Brazilian side upper falls

Cypseloides senex/Great Dusky Swifts
fly all over the falls, and cling to the cliffs

Brazilian falls second dropoff

Looking down the gorge

Looking towards Garganta do Diablo/Throat of the Giant

Rushing water at our feet

You can barely see the top of the observation elevator

Tamiko next to the falls (KSS)

Kent at the falls

View from the top of the observation elevator

Kent

Broken rainbow and the walkway below

Statue of Frederico Engel, a German immigrant,
who wanted the falls to belong to the public

View at the top of the falls

Time to catch the bus back to the visitors center. We saw employees wrapping up an animal that had a long tail, the Nasua nasua/Ring-tailed Coati. There are signs posted showing a bitten hand with a warning against feeding the coatis.
We caught the local bus towards town, and with information from a friendly off-duty guide, we got off the bus near an intersection and were told the next bus to Argentina would pass across the street. Since the buses were supposed to run every thirty minutes, and we could see the border down the road, we decided to walk.

Vendor selling hammocks and seat hammocks

Kent saw when a branch fell off a smoldering tree, in a puff of smoke with sparks. Strange!
At Brazilian customs, we handed in the exit forms and had our passports stamped. Then we went to wait for the next bus. A bus had passed when we arrived at customs, but fortunately the next bus came in about 15 minutes.
Next: Puerto Iguazú.