Monday 19 May 2008

Indiana Jones in Iguazu

Devil's throat from the Brazilian side.Image via Wikipedia

I saw a trailer for the new Indiana Jones movie this afternoon and noticed that they're including scenes from the Iguazu Falls.

The Iguazu Falls are at the point where Argentina meets Brazil and Paraguay. They are much larger than Niagra Falls - when Eleanor Roosevelt saw them she reported said "Poor Niagra!" - and are apparently rivalled only by Victoria Falls at the Zimbabwe / Zambia border. But having been to both, I can honestly say that nothing quite compares to Iguazu.

The falls are split between the Brazilian and Argentines sides - possibly more impressive on the latter but better viewed from the former. I splashed out after three frugal weeks in Argentina and stayed at the Sheraton Iguazu - deep in the jungle of the national park in Argentina and with fantastic views of the falls. At night you have the sound of the jungle to one side and the echoing sound of the falls on the other.

The Brazilian side gives you the best view of the whole falls and the Argentine the best for exploring. Go across the border first thing to take in the views then come back to spend the rest of the day (and maybe the next day) exploring the Argentine national park.

What marks the Iguazu Falls out as more remarkable than Victoria Falls is quite how close you can get to the water. You can walk under, along, over and through the falls. At one point you can get a boat across the base of a falls to an island at the bottom of the cataract. At another point you can follow walkways across the rivers at the top of the falls to stand right at the edge in the middle of the gushing water.

Really impressive stuff.

Some more reading

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