From jungles to glaciers an expansive Argentina has a great diversity of topography and climate. Noticeably different than the rest of the country is the Northeastern border with its neighboring countries Brazil and Paraguay. Over the course of an 18 hour bus ride the land turned from flat and desolate to hilly and subtropical, and once you reach the furthest point lies one of nature’s most impressive wonders: Iguazu Falls. Mythically thought to have been created by the gods to stop a native warrior from escaping down the Iguazu River with a young woman of whom they adored, they created a break in the river causing the lovers to fall to their deaths (cute eh?). Well the God’s weren’t messing around that day; they created a mile long wall of waterfalls with the most impressive of them all being La Garganta del Diablo (the devil’s throat), where the water plunges the entire 240ft off the basalt flow into the cauldron below. Intricate pathways and bridges allow on-lookers to get up and close to the falls admiring their power.
Almost as impressive as the waterfalls is the exotic wildlife that inhabits the area: Insects of all shapes and sizes, colorful birds with songs just as colorful, plants with leaves as tall as me (albeit that’s not ALL that tall), and giant rodents and lizards running along the trails. Although famous for the presence of Jaguars, I was not fortunate enough to witness a wild jungle cat. Which is probably for the better, because I would be torn between wetting myself, taking a picture, or running for my life if I did. Being a full moon, we were able to enter the park in the evening and really listen to the “night-life” that takes over when the visitors leave, which ended up being more exciting than the giant moon hovering over the falls.
