Iguazu Falls
I’m sitting in this little airplane with just enough space for 4 people sitting on the ground behind the pilot. The door has been open since take off and I’m strapped to Rodrigo. My life lies in his hands now and I trust him completely when he tells me to take place on the edge of the plane while he takes place right behind me. I pull my legs to the belly of the plane, just like he told me, and only a second later he pulls my head to his chest and leans forward.... Oooohhhhh yeeeaaahh here we go!!
Skydiving: check!!
Just before take off, ready to jump out of this plane
Skydiving; just after opening the parachute
What a way to start off our visit to the Iguazu falls. We just got here and I already jumped out of a plane.
The weather forecast for the next day wasn’t very good so we decided to go on a daytrip to Paraguay. We ordered some Ubers and gathered at the Brazilian side of the border. Once everyone was there we started walking across the border and without any check or stop we walked into Paraguay. The city we walked into was Ciudad del Este, a very chaotic city. It has little shops on the streets and loads of big tax free shopping centers. We wandered around for some time and walked back to Brazil to visit the Brazil side of Marco Das Três Fonteiras; the Three Borders Landmark where Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay meet.
Marco Das Três Fonteiras
The next day the weather was perfect so time for some more excitement; a helicopter flight above the Iguazu Falls. What a view! I got even more excited to see the falls from up close so after the heli-flight we walked to the entrance of the national park of the Brazilian side of the Iguazu falls. The views in the park are beautiful and it’s amazing how close you can get to the waterfalls. At some parts you get so wet because you are so close to the splash of the waterfall. Ofcourse I couldn't resist to take the drone out for some nice photos and videos.
My shortvideo about the Iguazu Falls
A drone point of view from the Brazil (right) and Argentina (left) side of the falls
Funfact: There is a scenic rainbow formed on the waterfalls caused by the refraction of light against the mist caused by thundering waters
Funfact: The actual number of waterfalls fluctuates depending on the water level and how much water is flowing. The number ranges from 150 to 300 falls at any given time.
Funfact: The rainy season of November through March sees a surge in the waterfalls water that can go to as high as 450,000 cubic feet per second.
Funfact: With more than 275 falls, the Iguazu are the most majestic of water falls. The most scenic one is the curved cataract christened the 'devils throat' that has 14 falls that drop to a height of 350 feet.
Funfact: Iguazu Falls are the result of a volcanic eruption which left a large crack in the earth. Legend says that a god wanted to marry a beautiful girl named Naipi against her will. She tried to escape with her mortal lover Taroba in a hand carved canoe on the river. When the god found out he was so outraged that he split the river into two so that the two lovers would be condemned to an eternal fall and thus Iguazu Falls were created.
Funfact: The rainforest delta surrounding the falls boasts a whopping 2,000 species of plants.
Funfact: Iguazu is wider than Lake Victoria on the Zambian/Zimbabwean border. However due to the outcrops that interrupts its water falls, it is considered smaller.
Our last visit to the falls was on the Argentina side. We got picked up at our hostel by a guide who took our passports to get us across the border from Brazil to Argentina. After some time he came back with stamps in our passport and we were allowed to cross the border. The Argentina side of the falls was very impressive. When we got on the boat to the splash of the waterfalls, the rangers gave us drybags for our belongings and wished us a nice shower. Once we got closer to the falls we experienced why they call it a shower. You get totally soaked by the splash of the waterfalls. Looking up and seeing all that water come down was really impressive. It took some time to get dry again, but it was all completely worth it!
You can get really close at the Argentina side of the falls.
The Argentina side of the falls has a lot of viewpoints on top of the waterfalls.
Looking to the Brazil side of the falls from the Argentina side.
Visiting the Iguazu Falls was one of the highlights of the trip I was really excited for; seeing the falls in real life was definitely on my bucket list and so was skydiving. Brazil has treated me very well, let’s see what Argentina has to offer.