Brazil and Argentina

This picture gives me an idea of what it must have been like for Cabeza de Vaca when, in 1541, he became the first European to gasp at this astounding vista. It has a wild, elemental feel to it that allows one to recapture some of the awe and fear of that bygone age, tempered by the contemporary pontoon boat, of course. The Iguazu River runs for 745 miles along a plateau, then reaches a series of faults that turn it into this semicircular thundering wall of water and mist. Iguazu Falls ranks among the world's monumental sites to see, along with such superstars as Grand Canyon, Machu Picchu, and Angkor.

There are three great waterfall systems in the world: 1) Iguazu in South America, 2) Victoria Falls on the Zambezi River of Africa, and 3) Niagara Falls of North America. Some would include Angel Falls of Venezuela since it drops an astounding 3000 feet, though its volume is a trickle compared to the other three.

After three weeks of wetlands adventure in Brazil's southwest region of Pantanal, I took the short flight over to Foz de Iguazu, near the border of Argentina and Paraguay. This is the scene that awaited me, worth the extra effort to get there, even though I lost my favorite hat under the falls.

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This picture gives me an idea of what it must have been like for Cabeza de Vaca when, in 1541, he became the first European to gasp at this astounding vista. It has a wild, elemental feel to it that allows one to recapture some of the awe and fear of that bygone age, tempered by the contemporary pontoon boat, of course. The Iguazu River runs for 745 miles along a plateau, then reaches a series of faults that turn it into this semicircular thundering wall of water and mist. Iguazu Falls ranks among the world's monumental sites to see, along with such superstars as Grand Canyon, Machu Picchu, and Angkor. There are three great waterfall systems in the world: 1) Iguazu in South America, 2) Victoria Falls on the Zambezi River of Africa, and 3) Niagara Falls of North America. Some would include Angel Falls of Venezuela since it drops an astounding 3000 feet, though its volume is a trickle compared to the other three. After three weeks of wetlands adventure in Brazil's southwest region of Pantanal, I took the short flight over to Foz de Iguazu, near the border of Argentina and Paraguay. This is the scene that awaited me, worth the extra effort to get there, even though I lost my favorite hat under the falls. © Danny Kimberlin 2015