Iguazu/Iguaçu National Park

Iguazú!

Ultimately, why most people visit Iguazú (Spanish) Iguaçu (Portuguese), is for the falls. Depending on the list you look at either Iguazú or Victoria falls in Africa are part of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World. It’s also a UNESCO World Heritage site… all for good reason. There’s nowhere else in the world like it. When compared against other mega falls like Niagara and Victoria, they are the largest amongst them in width hold the record in annual flow rate. They are simply breathtaking. Niagara can’t come close in their majesty and I have yet to visit Victoria at the time of this writing.

On the Argentinean side, the National Park is more laid back with a feeling of more freedom to do your own thing. You have options to walk the trails to the falls or take tours. I usually don’t opt for tours but in this case it was a lifetime opportunity.

I had purchased our tickets online to take a boat tour to the cataracts as well as the park pass we’d need to enter the park. We had no idea what to expect. I didn’t know if the trip would be a fairly standard boat trip where maybe you get a little wet and simply get to see some great sites or if the trip would be more adventurous than that. The bottom line… do this if you can. Nothing could have prepared us for how fantastic the experience was. The falls along the canyon feel prehistoric. You can feel the power they wield as the specially designed boat takes you up river and through the rapids to ultimately visit Devils Throat. It’s her where you feel how alive the falls are and how insignificant you are. The world becomes bigger at this moment when you realize how fantastic it really is outside of those mundane days spent inside an office performing some task that can never be as big or powerful as that moment right then, right now.

Enjoy it, take it all in. Hope the next person gets out of the experience as much as you will.