Iguazu Falls pt2: Brazil

Today is the second day of our Iguazu trip and we start the day slightly later, with a big breakfast at our hotel in Foz De Iguazu.

I book our tickets online, on the official website, they cost almost half the price of what we paid yesterday in Argentina. In Brazillian Real, the fee is 117 per person, which is around €19, while yesterday I paid 45,000 Argentine Pesos, which comes close to €40.

One of the guests at the hotel told us about his adventure on what he called a safari boat, so I’m determined to go on that boat trip. It sounds really amazing and I did see a few of those yesterday. They take you all the way inside one of the falls and I’m very keen on it. Nik seems a little hesitant, but I insist that he stops acting like an old man, we have at least another decade ahead of us before we start worrying about our bones.

We move slowly today, so by 10am we decide to call an Uber because we don’t have time to travel by bus. Uber takes us there in about 20 minutes and we enter the national park without queueing. Upon entry we board a bus and that takes us quite deep into the park, not like the Argentinian side, where we walked just a few minutes. Here everything is organised differently and the whole place is built very differently. Somewhat better if I may say. The bus takes us to the first station where we decide to offboard and go explore a hike into the woods in the hope we find some exotic animals. We find a lizard and a bunch of butterflies, but nothing bigger. Kinda underwhelming.

We soon lose interest and make our way to the platform for the boat trip. It’s called Makuko Safari and there are several add-ons that we didn’t purchase. We decided to do the main experience, which is a boat ride that goes under the tallest cascade.

We are first having a tour through the forest in an open car and soon we arrive to the port for the boat. Many of the people around us came prepared, there are lockers where you can leave your stuff and change into swimwear, if you were clever enough to bring any. We weren’t. I just take off my top and stay in my shorts, but luckily I choose to leave my trainers in the locker and this is a wise move. I will be returning completely drenched head to toe, that’s for sure.

We get on the boat and to our luck, we get frontal seats. I guess not many people wanted to be at the front for some reason, which played out to our advantage. For my videos it’s the best place to be. I’m armed with my iPhone wrapped in a plastic case that is waterproof for underwater filming. I left the DJI Osmo in the locker for this one because I know it won’t survive the downpour that’s coming.
The ride starts and we are immediately on a high. The captain makes a few sharp turns and drills into the waves that make everyone scream. Several times I feel like I will fly off my seat, but I manage to hold tight with one hand, while filming the experience with the other. We bounce left, right, left, right, up and down. I’m holding tight, but it feels like I’ll fly any moment now.

After a few minutes we stop for pictures in the middle of the most scenic part of the falls. It’s peaceful here, but I know it won’t be for too long, so I get ready for the next challenge – entering the mighty blast of water. We get a few pictures and the boat starts speeding toward the Makuko Cascade – it’s the one on the right side, seemingly the tallest one. We go toward it with full speed, everyone’s screaming again. It’s exciting, frightening, exhilarating, and thrilling all the same time. It’s also impossible to keep your eyes open once the steam hits you. We enter the downpour. It feels heavy. Tons of water are pouring over us in full blast. The whole thing lasts just a few seconds but holding your breath for any longer than that isn’t even possible, so thankfully, we make a turn, and for a few seconds, we face away from the cascade. It’s just enough time to catch our breath, take a quick look around, and then we’re heading straight back in. Full speed into the thunderous shower of warm water, hitting us with the force of a fire hose on overdrive. It’s wild! Water crashes down all around me, and on top of my head, hitting me with mighty blows and blinding me, suffocating my screams in its mighty roar. I’m holding on tight as the boat rocks with the waves. It’s impossible to open my eyes as I get completely drenched again and again. It’s chaotic, invigorating, and absolutely unforgettable—a massive adrenaline rush overpowers me. I’m in one of the most epic places on Earth. We scream. Well, they scream, I film.
Don’t ask me how I managed not to drop my phone, I guess it’s the determination to get every second of it for my archive. And I managed.
We rinse and repeat. 3 or 4 times. And then… it’s all so quiet.
It’s all over.
Everyone’s calm again, albeit with a much accelerated heartbeat for sure. But nobody’s screaming anymore. It’s like we’re all gone tougher in a matter of just seconds. The boat makes a few more drills in the waves but it feels like a kids’ play this time around.

It’s really quite an experience and Nik is beyond amazed, smiling ear to ear. When I remind him I had to force him into it, his response is : “Force me! Please!” He feels completely overwhelmed with joy for taking the challenge and for… surviving, I guess!?

We get off the boat and rush to get our videos and photos that were recorded on the boat Go Pro since this will add even more special moments for the memories from this unique experience. I strongly recommend getting these videos.
We then make our way to the bus and head over the next station. We spend the rest of the afternoon walking around the park, taking another thousand pictures and videos of the falls from every corner as we walk a similar pathway to the one we did yesterday on the Argentinian side. Some of the views from here are even more impressive than yesterday’s and I conclude that the Brazilian side is more picturesque, more enchanting somehow. The only thing that’s missing here is the Devil’s Throat. This remains the most impressive and unbeatable sight – still firmly stamped into my mind as if I am watching it right now. So vividly stored in my memory, like nothing else so far. Unbeatable.

However, the vistas from where we are right now are really stunning too and we walk along a narrow pathway, just as scenic and memorable as the “Lower Circuit” pathway yesterday. I buy a coconut at some point, its water is sweet and refreshing. It comes with its own stamp of Iguazu, which makes for a great photo souvenir. As I leave it for a moment and take a few shots, a thieving capybara jumps our nowhere and charges for the coconut. It quickly turns into an attraction as the little creature tries to steal the coconut. Everyone around me is taking shots as the little bugger rolls the nut hoping to get it cracked open. He fails and loses interest soon, crawling into the bushes and out of sight. Several others are drinking water that is being spilled from someone’s bottle, giving us more photo opportunities along the way.

Soon we reach the top of one of the waterfalls, with metal structures built across it, so we walk right above it and take selfies and I capture a rainbow right in the middle of it. At last. Two days of water and sun, and only one rainbow. About bloody time.

It’s close to 6pm as we reach the last viewpoint – we are right next to another massive waterfall, almost close enough to touch it. We climb some stairs and we are on its level overlooking the massive valley of cascades spilling away in the distance.

As the day comes to an end we get taken by bus to the entry point. It’s quite a drive, making it seem like this area is bigger than the Argentinian side, when it’s in fact the opposite. 80% of the falls are on the Argentinian side, and yet, somehow the Brazilian side seems like it has more to offer. Weird that.

Back at the hotel, it’s time to have a swim and an early dinner. Tomorrow we fly off to Rio De Janeiro, where another hundred adventures await.

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