Iguazu National Park The Natural Wonder Of The World

We had finished our first leg of our visit of Argentina and Brazil. The second and important part of our vacation has been earmarked for the best as it is hailed as a must-do in our itinerary. We were told that this destination in South America is the most popular and marveled among travelers. We formed into two groups to visit the Iguazu National Park to get the benefit of enjoying to the fullest as it covers an area of 550 Sq. Kms. each group planned to go from two different sides; Brazilian side and Argentine side.

But the group in which I belonged was lucky to visit from Argentina side as I got close to the falls and felt the refreshing mist of the 80 meter high water falls. The Brazilian side of Iguazu presents the panoramic view of sweeping landscapes – paradise does not get better than this.

Other prominent vistas that in the park that merits mention is the Devil throat, Garganta del Diablo and San Martin Island from where we could have a complete view of enchanting waterfalls. The torrent created by showers of water is magnificent and the water vapors of spray eternally soak several river inlets. We understand that the rain forests help in keeping the environment humid favorable for dense lush green sub-tropical vegetation.

We undertook this adventure in a 4X4 boat through the narrow Iguazu River covering an 8 km circuit. We were informed before we departed on a full day excursion to take care of our expensive gadgets from getting wet. But we felt that we may not get even at an arm’s length of the water cascades. All of a sudden without any notification the boat picked up rapid speed 2-kms making us completely wet as we passed the largest Devil’s Throat powerful waterfalls. I fail to get an appropriate adjective in appreciation of this magnificent spectacle of nature. We saved our cameras as we approached the water falls. Many of us preferred to remain wet.

These boats are available at specific intervals. We also had a train ride appropriately called Eco Train or Rainforest Ecological Train where we had the chance to access different walkways.

The guide informed us that the Iguazu National Park with its breathtaking sights to behold have around 250 – 300 waterfalls-some plunges down from a height of 72m water foam has been included as the new Seven Natural Wonders encircled by subtropical jungles. Truly the spellbinding environs of the region greet us with the tranquility. This Eco region is set apart with 2,000 species of medicinal plants. In this dense thick forest we came across the Ceibo trees whose flower is also the National flower of Argentina.

In between our trail wandering in the woods, we missed our guide-we did not regret. Ladies in our group without trekking shoes had to face the wrath of leech getting stuck on their feet and legs.

We were awestruck at the unblemished and rare flora and fauna. The unruffled peace pervasive in this region is broken by water gushing down steep slopes or occasionally by the chatter of colorful parrots or chirping of migratory birds. We were excited after being informed that this Eco sensitive thick rainforest is home to some endangered wildlife. We expected to spot wild cats like jaguar, Ocelot – it is like a leopard but short in stature or monkeys that howl. However, our group was not so lucky. We were satisfied by sighting the colorful migratory birds, ant eater and butterflies in a kaleidoscopic pattern. But the other group did boast about spotting the South American Tapir that looks like a pig.

I tried remembering having seen some of the spots on the Discovery Channel or National Geographic Channel. I did not tax my brain further as to where I have seen such picturesque extravagant scenery that started to lure me. I began to enjoy. The engrossing panoramic setting was so awe-inspiring and splendid that shutterbugs were furiously at work. In fact, the recording memory became insufficient even in high definition digital cameras. Many had their batteries drained out in their enthusiasm to generously capture the spectacle of the picturesque Iguazu National Park. Some enterprising tech savvy youths in our group carried an extra set of batteries. They promptly started uploading to their friends on FB and other social sites.

The breath in the freshness of virgin forests streaked with lilting streams and an abundance of wildlife. The sheer size of the Iguazu National Park, only 0.3 % of the total area of the park accounts for visit. We had enough thrills of a lifetime and a perfect end to a perfect vacation.