Trek through Iguazu

We woke yesterday morning ready and excited to embark on our last adventure in Argentina. We had the pleasure of exploring the Iguazu National Park in Puerto Iguazu. We had been told of the breathtaking views and natural beauty that the park had to offer; however, neither words nor pictures can fully capture what we were able to experience.

After another satisfying Argentine breakfast, we loaded the buses and traveled 30 minutes to the park. We met with our tour guides for the day, Laura and Analia, who became our source of information and guidance.

A trolley took our group from the Visitors’ Center at the front of the park to the trail leading to the upper falls. After weaving through the forest and over many sections of the river, our path led us to the largest waterfall in the park. The falls at Devil’s Throat were so powerful and immense that they appeared bottomless as the mist clouded our view. From this point, we were also able to see across the falls to where Brazil and Paraguay meet Argentina.

Following the trail back to the trolley, we ventured on to our next destination point in the park. Our next path led us to several different points in Iguazu consisting of lower, scenic views of the falls and jungle life. As you can imagine, many pictures were taken even as we were all aware that no picture would serve justice to moments shared there. Our lunches were purchased from a central plaza of restaurants in the park, which were able to fuel us for the final part of our tour.

After quickly consuming our meals, we prepared ourselves for the journey down the lower trail leading to the most anticipated portion of our day’s events. For the bravest and most daring, the park offers rides on a large boat below the falls. Those who choose to take on this exciting opportunity will find themselves anything but dry. Our boats were loaded with all 70 ILSSO attendees and we motored through the swift currents and rapids to see the falls up close and personal. Needless to say, the gallons of water that showered over us relieved all former feelings of heat exhaustion. After disembarking our drenched boats, we tracked up the hill to board two safari trucks for a final, informative tour of the jungle. Unfortunately, no jaguars were sighted. Even so, we left the Iguazu National Park with learned knowledge, full camera memory cards, unforgettable memories and purchased souvenirs. We traveled back to the hotel to end our day with naps, local shopping, and pool time.

Tomorrow, we travel back to Buenos Aires; the first leg in our journey home!

Triple T’s (Tenacious Tango-ing Tortillas)

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