Iguazu Falls - Part 2 - CultureJunkie

Iguazu Falls - Part 2

April 03, 2010

We walked the lower falls on day 2, and saw equally amazing views of the water, along with more wildlife:

Lizards...

Coatis, also known as Brazilian aardvarks (but really a type of raccoon)...

And of course, the majestic falls...

At the bottom, we took a zodiac ride under the falls which was a blast; we got absolutely soaked.

Look closely at this picture - despite the mist, you can see a viewing platform jutting out over the falls on the Brazilian side.

We dried out over a picnic lunch in the grass, and then headed out to hike the Macuco Trail. A bit more off the beaten path, this was a quieter walk through the jungle with less tourists and greater chances of seeing wildlife - including tons of huge spiders in webs that spanned the trail.
We were thrilled to see a family of Capuchin monkeys making their way across the treetops; they're tough to get a shot of, but here's one:
The trail ends at the secluded Arrechea waterfall and natural pool, where we took a quick swim.
We After a very full day, we headed to the Sheraton, the only hotel inside the park, to rest our weary feet. The hotel itself is rather dated, but has a stunning view of the falls:

More importantly, a fellow hiker informed us of a tree on the property where toucans tend to gather in the evenings, and I was determined to see a toucan before leaving this place. So we settled in on their patio and ordered a drink, relaxed from all the walking, and enjoyed the view. And sure enough, within minutes, a toucan flew by. And then another. And another. I ran over to the designated tree, but it was very tall and they are good at hiding in the foliage. If you look closely in this photo, you can see two of them - one in profile and another sitting on a lower branch right in front of him. Over the course of an hour we saw maybe 10 of them fly into this tree.