Iguazu Falls

Truly one of the most amazing wonders in the world!

I arrived by overnight bus from Sao Paulo to Foz do Iguazu in Brazil. Jeff caught a flight back to Australia on Tuesday and I headed directly to the bus station.


The falls can be observed from 2 countries, Brazil and Argentina - I visited the falls on the Brazilian side. I dropped off my luggage at the hostel and headed straight for the falls just in time for the Park’s opening. I was told to allow 2-3 hours. I was addicted and stayed the entire day!


It really is every bit as stunning as the reports suggest. There is no feeling like standing on that platform knowing you are in the middle 1.3 million litres of water cascading around you every second, it was so powerful. If you dared venture out you inevitably got soaked through – it was loud with such intense mist yet so gentle it was soooo invigorating!!! I let out a teeny squeal once or twice without even meaning to – pure delight. I felt so alive it was fantastic.


It’s cruel once you’ve seen the beauty first hand, how disappointing you feel the photos have reflected your experience. It’s a cliché but I am not sure any picture I have ever seen has done the magnificence of the falls justice.


I had planned to also visit the Argentina side of the falls (75% of the falls are there) as I heard they were more beautiful. But I was happy with what I had experienced in Brazil and didn’t see the need so decided to explore Paraguay for the day instead. It was a short 30 min drive to the border and they didn’t’ even check passports. It was a cool day just wandering through the streets and watching the locals. I wasn’t’ sure how safe it was so I didn’t risk taking my camera.


I left Brazil knowing that I will return one day. It was a month of holiday and relaxation, although I did do some research on impoverishment and met a couple of people involved in charity work that I would love to come back and visit in that capacity. I was shocked to learn the level of hardship in Rio and that Brazil has the second highest level of Leprosy to India in the world.


Walking through the favela’s (slums) in Rio was a stark contrast to the rest of the city now known as one of the most expensive city in the world to live in. A whopping 16 million people in Brazil live in extreme poverty – most of it being in the North East, just above where I travelled. I will visit them one day.