22/01/2020 – Parque Nacional Iguazu, Argentina

We got up reasonably early and had breakfast in bed. We grabbed some snacks, packed our things in plastic bags within our bags, and walked to the bus terminal. We bought our bus tickets and before long were on our way, excited about the day ahead. My memory of going 20 years previously was more of the jaw dropping feeling, rather than the image of the falls themselves, which I think added to my excitement. I think it was a bit different for Josh who didn’t really know what to expect. We bought our entry tickets to the park, and went inside. First stop the visitor centre for a map and a stamp in our passports. Then we went and got a train ticket, to go up to the devils throat, the main attraction of this side of the falls. We had an hour until our train so did one of the shorter trails. We saw coatis and monkeys and lots of spiders, and I think Josh’s excitement increased to match mine. We took in the rainforest, it is so green and lush and there are all sorts of sounds and smells to take in. The national park is 550sq km of subtropical rainforest with more than 2000 insects, 400 bird species and many other animals. It was reasonably busy, this is peak season, but actually not so bad at all, not as busy as Machu Picchu was for us!

At 11:30 we caught the train all the way to the top of the park and walked along the boardwalk to the devils throat. So much water! It really is quite difficult to put into words and even a photo or a video can’t really capture it. We were gobsmacked and joined everyone else in the photo taking and video taking, and tried to soak it all in. The amount of water was just incredible. The water bouncing off the bottom and floating around the air was enough to make you pull your hood down a little tighter, and the moisture felt warm. The water was flowing and falling at such speed! After taking our time at this major part of the park we then caught the train back down to the middle station where we sat in the caged lunch spot (so as to avoid trouble from the coatis and monkeys) and ate leftover pizza from last night. After refreshing, we set off on the lower trail. It was a nice walk, which provided amazing panoramic views of all the fall. We had planned on taking a boat across to the island but it is not operating at the moment. Instead, after this hike, we then did the superior trail, which takes you up and over more falls. At the start of this trail we were surrounded by loads and loads of monkeys, there was a mother piggybacking her new born baby monkey, which was very cute. When Josh opened his rucksack to change his camera battery they started coming even closer, they are so tame and eager for food. Some other visitors hand fed them! Every viewpoint along the way was just breathtaking, and it will definitely be hard to beat! I can see why dad said this is one of his favourite places in the world! Another bucket list must do in my opinion. We walked pretty much all of the park, before catching the bus back home again. We both fell asleep for the journey. We went to the panaderia, and then to some souvenir shops where Josh picked up a couple of fridge magnets. We went home and had fresh pasta for dinner, showered and watched Breaking Bad in bed with the air conditioning on. I am so glad we get to see those falls again in a couple of days, I feel like this diary entry can’t do it any justice at all!