Wednesday, February 14, 2018- Cruise Day 22; Iguazu Falls Argentina Side

Wednesday, February 14, 2018- Cruise Day 22; Iguazu Falls Argentina Side

We awoke to beautiful blue skies peppered with a few puffy white clouds and 74 degrees outside.  We saw some tucans in the treetops from our balcony this morning, playing in the tree tops.  

The breakfast buffet this morning included tenderloin minute steaks that were fantastic.  After breakfast, we did a walking tour of the Argentina side of the falls. Staying in this hotel has an advantage in that we can access the park as soon as it opens at 8:30AM.  Hoards of tour buses and tourists from outside the park arrive at the main gate at 8:30AM, and all board the first train to the Devils’ Throat observation platform, so that train is at capacity right from the get go, but the upper trail access is a little ways from the park entrance.  We pretty much had the upper trail to ourselves for much of the morning.  The upper trail on the Argentina side walks along the top of the falls, giving a different perspective and view from the Brazilian side.  The end of the upper trail gives a nice view of the long series of waterfalls that make up Iguazu Falls.  

From the end of the upper trail, we joined the throngs of other tourists to get the train to the Devil’s Throat observation platform, which takes you to the top and forward edge of the Devil’s Throat.  There is a long elevated walkway leading to the observation platform, which was marginally less jam packed than the Devil’s Throat observation platform below on the Brazilian side, but it is impossible not to be impressed by the sheer power and volume of water plunging off the top of the falls next to the platform.  It is like the view of Niagra falls from above, only much, much bigger and you get drenched with warm, not cold water spray and mist.  As the afternoon approached, the temperature got into the lower 90’s so the cooling spray and mist were welcome.  They did, however pose a challenge to taking photographs and video when the spray and mist would cover a lens in fractions of a second.  

There is also an abundance of wildlife in the park.  As we walked to the upper trail we saw more than a half dozen different bird species, and dozens if not hundreds of different kinds of butterflies everywhere, of every imaginable shape, size and color.  It was like being in a zoo’s butterfly house, only bigger and with more butterflies everywhere.  One hitchhiked a ride on the top of Janet’s hat as we walked out towards the Devil’s Throat lookout for nearly a half kilometer.  On the walk back, one landed on Janet’s hand and stayed there for several hundreds of meters as we walked back from the lookout.  We also saw large plecostomus fish working their way up rocks on the river bed below the walkway, huge black catfish, and some turtles.  We even saw a large caiman, which I would swear was a crocodile because it was at least 8’ long.  

We had lunch included with the tour in a buffet inside the National Park, which included a bar-b-que grill serving up beef, chicken and pork sausages.  Boy, those Argentinians know their beef.  By the time we finished lunch, the sun was blazing outside and the temperature was in the mid 90’s, so we walked back to the hotel and took cooling showers and a nap.  

Our tour guides from Shore Excursions gave us an option to do a dinner and dance show in Brazil tonight, and everyone decided to go.  It was $90 per person for the transportation, show and meal.  There was a complete buffet and meat grill featuring pork, beef and chicken cooked on skewers over open flames gaucho style.  The food was good and plentiful.  The show brags that it holds the Guinness Book of World Records for the number of national dances in one show, and it was interesting to see dances from Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, Columbia, Mexico and Argentina.  They had a live band that switched off on instruments for each country, and a troupe of dancers who did the dances. It didn't take long for some of the dances to start to blur into the others with whirling skirts and stomping boots, but we did get to see some artful Tango, and plenty of colorful costumes.  The dancers were all quite energetic and good.  They succeeded in keeping us entertained for another evening.  We got back to the hotel just before 11:00PM.

Tomorrow is a free day.  We intend to walk the lower trail and spend some time relaxing by the pool before we have to rejoin the Island Princess on Friday.