Iguazu Falls

As an African, I am very proud that the Victoria Falls cracked the nod as one of the official "7 Wonders of the Natural World" (the only waterfall in the list). But having visited both Iguazu Falls and Victoria Falls, I am certain that there must have been some very serious contention between the judges (whoever they were...) as to which falls made the final list. The stupendous roar of Iguazu's 275 different waterfalls crashing 80 metres into the Rio Iguacu is truly spetacular.

The falls are situated on the border between Brazil and Argentina and we visited them on both sides to see them properly. Brazil gives the grand overview and Argentina the closer look. I had already seen the falls on a business trip to Brazil in 2003 but I was thrilled to get a chance to see them again and show them to Ally.

Some photos of the falls on the Argentinian side...

The falls on the Brazilian side...

The most awesome part ofthe falls is the semi circular Garganta del Diablo (Devil's Throat), a deafening and dampening part of the experience, approached by a series of catwalks across the river. There's no doubt that it's spectacular - there's only one question: Where's the bungi jump?

Despite development pressures, the 55,000 hectare park is a natural wonderland of subtropical rainforests with over 2000 identified plant species, countless insects, 400 bird species and many mammals and reptiles. Here is a collage of some of the critters (some cute, some creepy) I managed to catch on camera.

Ok, so these racoons are officially the cutest furry animals I have ever seen (apart, perhaps, from Sally.) They are very social and gregarious - two racoons will disappear into the tree to shake fruit off the branches for their little friends below. Occasionally, with all the shaking, a large branch will fall down to, as I discovered to my cost while photographing. My poor head still has a bump...

This squirrel was also mighty pretty. Check out that blue right eye! No photoshopping there, I assure you.

I went on a 6 km hike through the forest to a clearing with a waterfall. The water cascaded down onto a shiny rock that looked very much like an inviting chair. I couldn't resist - much to the initial amazement (then amusement) of some other hikers.

Here taking a dip close to a somewhat more powerful cascades. I didn't have the courage to duck my hair under this one.

Iguassu Bird Park

A fun place to see a fascinating variety of captive, colourful birds up close. Of course, I couldn't add any of them to my list of new species. That would be cheating!

This parrot took an instant liking to my hat. It nibbled the little button right off the top. No worries though - With the heat increasing exponentially as we move north, I need all the ventilation I can get.

These hummingbirds proved rather tricky to photograph. They're tiny and only hover for a short while before flittering off in unpredictable directions. I have seen a number of them in the wild recently (much to my delight) but not been able to positively identify any yet (much to my frustration) due to them all looking too similar and moving too fast. Hopefully it will be a bit easier in the Amazon.

What a beautiful lizard. They chill out all day and have such an enlightened, happy and peaceful look in their eyes, you'd think they had discovered the meaning of the universe.

Talking of the universe, I really like this analogy of time (on one of the exhibits at Iguazu.) Condensing the age of the earth into just one year provides an amazing perspective. I developed this thought a bit in a previous blog post.

Here are some videos . The power of the water was awe inspiring.

New birds seen in Iguazu

• Red-rumped Cacique
• Squirrel Cuckoo
• Crested Caracara
• Plush-crested Jay
• Amazon Kingfisher
• Great Kiskadee
• Rufous-collared Sparrow
• Great Dusky Swift
• Rufous-bellied Thrush
• Toco Toucan
• Black Vulture
• Black-throated Mango