- Visit Iguaçu Falls from the Brazilian side
- Walk along the Cataratas Trail and enjoy the view
- Watch coatis, monitor lizards and butterflies
The night in a real bed was really good. After the hostel's rather measly breakfast buffet, we set off in the heat towards the main street. We take the bus via the airport to the entrance gate of the Iguaçu National Park and the Brazilian side of perhaps the world's most impressive waterfalls. After buying an entry ticket for foreigners worth around 20 CHF, we can visit one of the extremely rare remaining areas of the so-called Mata Atlântica to enter. The lush and extremely species-rich Atlantic rainforest is up today 93 percent of its original area has disappeared.
We drive deeper into the national park by double-decker tourist bus. Then we start to Cataratas Trail down to the absolutely magnificent waterfalls. Fall on a 2.7-kilometer-long edge 20 larger and 255 smaller falls up to 82 meters in depth. The falls, which are one of the world's richest in water, are surrounded by the wonderful rainforest and are rightly under the protection of the UNESCO as a world natural heritage. The water also attracts a variety of colorful butterflies. Unfortunately, the place has become extremely touristy and every tourist wants their selfie.
After several viewpoints over to the Argentine side, where most of the waterfalls are, we come to the sidewalk out to the falls. The Spray from the Garganta del Diablo - the Devil's Throat - soaks every visitor completely. In contrast, the Niagara Falls seem downright small! But after all, the place is not called Iguazú for nothing, which in the language of the local Guaraní Indians means something like large water.
By elevator you can then go up to another lookout point. There is also no lack of souvenir shops and restaurants. More are drifting here Monitor lizards and coatis rum. We actually want to do a hike in the jungle, but what we do here on the Brazilian side only possible to a very limited extent is and unfortunately this too only led. In addition, the park will be completely closed at 6 a.m. So, unfortunately, the idea of watching the sunset over the falls doesn't work out either. We march back again along the trail and let the spray refresh us.
Towards the end of the day we get more Cuatis to see the rubbish bins looted. For us it is incomprehensible why these are not safe for animals, but somehow Brazilians seem to have a slightly different view of the national park than we know.
