As our ship departed Rio we passed by Sugarloaf mountain, back-lit by the city lights.
Another view shows the first stopping point on the left as you take the gondola up. Goodbye to Rio!
Our first stop of the cruise was an island called Ilha Grande, not too far from Rio. Unfortunately it was lightly raining and very overcast, to the point the clouds were only about a hundred feet above sea level. I had planned a water taxi ride and a short hike to a beach, but we decided against it based on the weather.
The island was closed to visitors for nearly a century as it was used a cholera quarantine for immigrants, as well as a maximum security prison for Brazil’s worst prisoners. The prison was closed in 1994, and the island was never subjected to development as it was declared an important environmental protection area.
We took a walk around the little town of Vila do Abraao, which is filled with little stores selling all kinds of mostly cheap tourist junk. Picture Ensenada and you get the jist. They even had electricians just like they do in Mexico!
There were plenty of flowers along the streets, so maybe a little nicer than Ensenada? This is called a Golden Shrimp Plant! They were everywhere.
Several small streams meander through the little town on their way to the beach.
I’m sure in better weather the beaches are packed. There were plenty of tourists on the island that weren’t from our ship, as this is a very popular spot.
Despite putting a damper on the day, the weather did make for some interesting photos.
This palm tree was absolutely covered with Black Vultures!
Here is one on the ground trying to dry off his wings. Quite the wingspan!
A shot of our ship lying at anchor before we head back onboard.
A short post for a change! Coming up next, we visit Santos, Brazil.
As soon as I started planning this trip I knew I wanted to visit Iguazu Falls. We have seen the falls in photos and on various TV shows, including The Amazing Race, who I think were there twice! The falls are considered one of the “New” 7 Wonders of the Natural World based on a global poll taken between 2007 and 2011 that attracted more than 100 million votes. Iguazu is the local native word for “big water”.
Tony and Julie were all in, so we made the 2 hour flight together from Rio to Foz de Iguazu. During the flight I saw this developing thunderhead! Always cool to see weather like this. Didn’t impact us at Iguazu thankfully!
The ride from the airport to our accommodation, Hotel Das Cataratas, takes about a half hour. It’s not very far away, but the hotel is actually in the National Park, and once you enter the park you can’t drive faster than 25 MPH, and it is strictly regulated to the point our driver had to carry a park-issued GPS with him. It’s a heavy fine if you speed. These Brazilians are serious about protecting the local wildlife!
This 5-Star hotel was built in the 1950’s, and is definitely the best place to stay if you come to Iguazu Falls! The waterfalls are literally right across the street. Here is the view from our room. You can’t beat that!
Since it was late in the afternoon the crowds had dissipated, as the park closes to everybody not staying at the hotel at 5:00. We took a short walk along the path next to the waterfalls before dinner. Little did we know what spectacular falls awaited us the next day!
On the side of the trail was this Tegu Lizard, which we didn’t see the rest of the trip, likely because they don’t care for the crowds. I must have been a Tegu Lizard in a past life!
One more look at the gorgeous Hotel Des Cataratas!
The next morning we had a guided tour of the Argentina side of the falls with super guide Marcello. He knew every in and out of the park! The Iguazu River running down the middle of the falls is the dividing line between Brazil and Argentina. Fortunately, by using a licensed guide you skip the line at the border, which was at least an hour long if not more! Once inside the Argentina side of the falls, our guide got us on an earlier train to the path to the “Devil’s Throat”, the most impressive part of Iguazu Falls!
Devil’s Throat is 492′ wide and drops 269′, but good luck seeing the bottom amongst all of that mist!
It’s so amazing it deserves another video!!
This is a must do photo spot!!
Sometimes a photo shows the waters massive impact more than a video. Standing here at the edge of such massive water flow is a special feeling!
Walking back along the metal boardwalk that led to the Devil’s Throat, you can see how different it looks just 50 meters from the edge. I’d hate to see that from a kayaker’s perspective!
This is a shot of the metal walkway. Note the Argentina flag. Let’s just say the Argentinian’s know they have the best side of the falls!!
This turtle was sitting on a rock just off the pathway, and let’s just say he was causing quite the traffic jam of people trying to get his photo! I think he knew what he was doing.
This bird got quite close to us after we got off the train from Devil’s Throat, likely looking for food. This gorgeous guy is a Plush-Crested Jay. Such intense colors! I would say it was AI if I wasn’t looking right at it!
We took a short walk along the “Inferior Circuit”, so called because it’s lower than the Superior. More beautiful waterfalls and incredible forest beauty awaited!!
Thus requiring another video!
The final experience of the day was a boat ride up the Iguazu River to the falls. Interestingly enough, our first boat hit a rock on the way up and subsequently broke down, so we had to do an in-river transfer to another boat. Tony was geeking out, as he does with most things “boat”.
After getting into a new boat, we headed back up towards the falls. This trip required several videos!
Yes, we got soaked on this tour!!
I highly recommend it! As info, there are changing rooms on the walk down to the boat dock, so bring a swimsuit and flip flops and you won’t care about getting soaked! They even give you a dry bag to keep your stuff in.
Selfie time before we got soaked!
Our final day in Iguazu was a casual day, as there isn’t nearly as much to see on the Brazil side as there is on the Argentina side. Still, it’s incredibly gorgeous!
These Coatis (pronounced koh ah tees) were all over the trail, looking for handouts. We even watched one steal a banana from a guys bag….it was quite aggressive once it saw his bag was open! Wish we had gotten a video.
If you look closely you can see some boats below getting ready to head into the falls. If you do the boat ride on the Brazil side you approach fewer falls, so do it on the Argentina side!
This huge Monitor Lizard was relaxing next to the trail.
I loved this two tiered waterfall!
You can see the boats approaching the waterfalls from the Brazil side.
You can get pretty close to this waterfall on the Brazil trail.
There is an elevator you can take up from here back to where the shuttle busses run, but the line was so long we walked up. Here is the view of the same waterfall from higher up.
Here is a view of the Devil’s Throat platform we did the day prior (note the Argentina flag). Look at how packed it is at 3:30 in the afternoon!!
On the Brazil side there is a platform you can walk out onto to get into the mist of the falls, but we were there at the peak of the tourist rush, so we decided to skip it and come back later after the park closed. Here is the crowd in the early afternoon! I think the wait to make it to the outer most point must have been a half hour.
When we came back at 5:30 there were maybe 10 people on the entire platform, and a guard was checking room keys to make sure you were staying in the hotel before you could walk out. Excellent views, but difficult to keep your camera lens dry! We got pretty soaked.
There are waterfalls in every direction!
I can’t imagine how that grass in the waterfall has a chance to grow??
This perfect rainbow was created along the path! No, we did not add that in!
To bring it all together, this aerial view shows Devil’s Throat with the Argentina viewing platform on the upper right and the Brazil platform on the lower left. Bear in mind that there are many other waterfalls that extend below this photo.
That night as we walked to dinner the hotel was overwhelmed with Coatis! I had to shoot a video. Loved the little guys playing with each other!
The next morning we were off to the airport and headed back to Rio for our cruise. Unfortunately it was raining and overcast in Rio, so I’m glad we did our sightseeing there when we did!! Coming up next, we start our 24-day cruise of South America!
