The latest stage of our tour took us on a long journey to Iguazu Falls, one of the natural wonders of South America, straddling the borders of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. Long-distance bus travel is a common way of getting round Brazil, and there is a network of overnight 'sleeper' buses with luxurious, horizontal seats and blacked out windows that shuttle between the major urban hubs. All over the country you can spot these air-conditioned super cruisers transporting their lucky passengers as if on magic carpets - indeed, we spotted several of them through the grimy windows of the battered old portable toilet that we were somehow booked on for our 16 hour journey to the Falls, a night that will live long in the memory, but one we are trying hard to forget.
The Falls, however, were worth the journey. You can visit them from the Brazilian or Argentinian side of the border (we did both), and each gives a different perspective of the falls. A feature of the Argentinian side is the wooden walkway into the horseshoe-shaped mouth of the falls (the 'Devil's Throat'), an amazing experience that photographs can never do justice to. The wildlife was great too, with lots of coatis (raccoon-like creatures) and agoutis (think giant mice) running about the surrounding jungle. The authorities at Iguazu seem keen to promote the falls and encourage all visitors to help push the falls up the league table (in case you though those days were gone) of natural wonders. We didn't bother, but feel free to do so on our behalf.
Next were the Pantanal wetlands, a vast area home to much of Brazil's amazingly diverse wildlife. The birdlife is some of the richest in Brazil, and the region also hosts hundreds of different types of fish, anacondas, giant otters, caimans, capybara and tapirs, along with elusive jaguars. We worried it would not live up to expectations, but our fears were laid to rest when we spotted a toucan in the trees just as we arrived and a family of capybaras cavorting by the walkway just outside our chalet. Neither of us has a good record at spotting wildlife, and true to form we spent about five minutes excitedly trying to locate the source of a low humming sound, only to find it coming from an electricity generator. Despite our best efforts, along with our expert guide Paulo, we managed to see some spectacular birds in our three days (herons, falcons, macaws, caracara, kingfishers, kites, cormorants and Rhea to name a few). Howler monkeys, a herd of peccary and buffalo were among the animal highlights. You know somewhere is good when you no longer reach for a camera when a caiman is within five feet. Along with walking tours, day and night boat safaris and horse-riding, Julian also tried his hand at piranha fishing - basically putting a hook in the water, waiting 2-3 seconds and then hauling up the catch for a tasty dinner. Expect the photos to appear on the blog soon (technical issues notwithstanding) and don’t be surprised if a guest slot on Attenborough’s latest televisual venture beckons us to the small screen.
With the sound of the parakeets still ringing in our ears, we left the Pantanal for Bonito, home of crystal clear waters and river snorkelling. A wrong number printed in the Lonely Planet led to something of a mix-up with our hotel booking when we got here and we demanded our bewildered taxi driver take us to a different hotel to the one that had booked and paid for his services where we had reserved a room. Our complete lack of Portuguese did not help, but some frantic hand waving seem to smooth things over and we were promptly taken to the right hotel where we are now residing - reading, blogging and waiting for the rain to clear so we can go for a swim.
Highlights: Horse riding through the Pantanal and getting off the Sao Paulo – Iguazu bus.
Lowlights: Getting on the Sao Paulo – Iguazu bus, and Julian finally giving up on the most ill-advised attempt at growing a beard since Gary Neville.
Caipirinha count: 23 (after a resurgence in form over the last few days, we have brought the average up to just over one a day between us).
Monkey count: whose idea was it to count monkeys? They don’t like being counted. We have seen more howler monkeys than you can shake a stick at, so let’s leave it there. We may count something less mobile and easier to spot next time.
The Falls, however, were worth the journey. You can visit them from the Brazilian or Argentinian side of the border (we did both), and each gives a different perspective of the falls. A feature of the Argentinian side is the wooden walkway into the horseshoe-shaped mouth of the falls (the 'Devil's Throat'), an amazing experience that photographs can never do justice to. The wildlife was great too, with lots of coatis (raccoon-like creatures) and agoutis (think giant mice) running about the surrounding jungle. The authorities at Iguazu seem keen to promote the falls and encourage all visitors to help push the falls up the league table (in case you though those days were gone) of natural wonders. We didn't bother, but feel free to do so on our behalf.
Next were the Pantanal wetlands, a vast area home to much of Brazil's amazingly diverse wildlife. The birdlife is some of the richest in Brazil, and the region also hosts hundreds of different types of fish, anacondas, giant otters, caimans, capybara and tapirs, along with elusive jaguars. We worried it would not live up to expectations, but our fears were laid to rest when we spotted a toucan in the trees just as we arrived and a family of capybaras cavorting by the walkway just outside our chalet. Neither of us has a good record at spotting wildlife, and true to form we spent about five minutes excitedly trying to locate the source of a low humming sound, only to find it coming from an electricity generator. Despite our best efforts, along with our expert guide Paulo, we managed to see some spectacular birds in our three days (herons, falcons, macaws, caracara, kingfishers, kites, cormorants and Rhea to name a few). Howler monkeys, a herd of peccary and buffalo were among the animal highlights. You know somewhere is good when you no longer reach for a camera when a caiman is within five feet. Along with walking tours, day and night boat safaris and horse-riding, Julian also tried his hand at piranha fishing - basically putting a hook in the water, waiting 2-3 seconds and then hauling up the catch for a tasty dinner. Expect the photos to appear on the blog soon (technical issues notwithstanding) and don’t be surprised if a guest slot on Attenborough’s latest televisual venture beckons us to the small screen.
With the sound of the parakeets still ringing in our ears, we left the Pantanal for Bonito, home of crystal clear waters and river snorkelling. A wrong number printed in the Lonely Planet led to something of a mix-up with our hotel booking when we got here and we demanded our bewildered taxi driver take us to a different hotel to the one that had booked and paid for his services where we had reserved a room. Our complete lack of Portuguese did not help, but some frantic hand waving seem to smooth things over and we were promptly taken to the right hotel where we are now residing - reading, blogging and waiting for the rain to clear so we can go for a swim.
Highlights: Horse riding through the Pantanal and getting off the Sao Paulo – Iguazu bus.
Lowlights: Getting on the Sao Paulo – Iguazu bus, and Julian finally giving up on the most ill-advised attempt at growing a beard since Gary Neville.
Caipirinha count: 23 (after a resurgence in form over the last few days, we have brought the average up to just over one a day between us).
Monkey count: whose idea was it to count monkeys? They don’t like being counted. We have seen more howler monkeys than you can shake a stick at, so let’s leave it there. We may count something less mobile and easier to spot next time.
Brilliant, I'm envious. Don't fancy the bus though, so make notes and be prepared to advise me on planning a future bicycle tour...
ReplyDeleteCan you differentiate between the monkeys? I'm quite keen on capuchins.
ReplyDeleteSounds fantastic...glad the beard has gone...just like Gary Neville's footbal career
ReplyDelete