The night bus was a pretty brutal journey, and we arrived in Foz de Iguasu (the Brazilian side) in a Zombie like state. We gingerly made our way off the bus and into othe hotel where we dumped our gear. Within a couple of hours I was hovering above one the great geological wonders of the world. My first sight of the waterfalls was from the air. A spectacular 10 minute scenic flight certianly woke me up and gave a stunning perspective of the sheer scale of the compelx. Taking off the flight heads over virgin rainforest and then follows the Iguazu river. A white mist grows thicker and larger as you approach and soon the spray from the main waterfall becomes apparent. The waterfall system consists of 275 falls along 2.7 kilometres (1.67 miles) of the Iguazu River. The Devils Throat, a U-shaped 150-metre-wide and 700-metre-long cliff, is the most impressive focal point of all the falls, and marks the border between Argentina and Brazil. Two thirds of the falls are within Argentine territory and the whole collection marks a border between, Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. The chopper circled the main complex a couple of time giving ample time for photos and videos (to be uploaded), giving a variety of views of different falls. Whilst the Devil`s throat is the most impressive, and on its own would constitute a truly stunning sight , it is the scale and multitude of the surrounding waterfalls that make the place even more spectuacular. After circling a few more times, we returned along the river and back to make a smoothe landing. From the helicopter pad we drove into the National park for a closer look. The part of the park containing the weaterfalls is split over two borders, and each side gives a completely different perspective. We spent the afternoon exploring the Brazilian side, which supposedly gives a greater panorama of some of the smaller falls. There is a long walkway along the canyon which overlooks the seemingly infinite collection of small water cascades. This walkway extends to the lower base of the "Garganta del Diablo" (Devils throat). There is an impressive view looking into and up towards the immense curtain of water. However the Argentine side gets you much closer to the main attraction. The humidity was a slight problem however it didn`t deter from the grandeur of the complex. From the walkway you take a lift to level with the devils throat, however the viewing platform across the boarder seems to call teasingly, as it clearly offers the more privelleged view.

The next day we started early and crossed the boarder back into Argentina. From the boarder we drove into the national park. To access the main attractions on the Argentinian side, one needs to take a short railway ride. The humidity of the previous day had been replaced by a cool front, clolud and light rain, after a heavy thunderstorm the previous evening. The early morning mist added to the viewing experience, as did the heavy rainfall which increased the volume of the falls. A long pathway leads you to the very top of the Devil`s Throat. From hear the magnitude of this waterfall is overpowering. I have never been so close to such a volume of roaring white water, and for the first few minutes I was truly mesmerized watching it tumble into the valley below. When you finally draw your eyes from the devil, you are rewarded with a stunning view back down the canyon and the river.

Finally leaving this stunning formation, we took a trail viewing some of the smaller waterfalls that make up the 275. You are geniunely unable to walk 5 minutes without seeing water cascading off a cliff face. After completing this trail we boarded a large open top truck and were driven for about 20 minutes deep into the rainforest. We followed a trail through native flora and fauna down towards the river and boarded a boat. Everything was put in waterproof bags! The boat hurtled up river dodging rapids and carving fantastic turns. The river canyon became tighter, the walls higher and soon we were consumed on either sides by sheer rock faces and small waterfalls. The driver cut some more sharp turns throwing water onto the boat and tackled some rapids, forcing the boat up rocks that seemed imossible. The devils throat creates far too much power, mist and spray to get up close safely. So we could only get to within 700metres from it. Still looking up at this vast curtain of water from river level was a stunning perspective, completely different to the helicopter ride, but equally enthralling. The boat swung round and before returning went straight under some of the smaller but still extremely powerfull waterfalls. The sheer force of the water makes it impossible to move ones head, open your eyes or even breath for the breath second you are directly beneath. The power that even these small falls could create emphasised the amazing force of the larger cascades.

Returning soaking wet, and exhausted from three exteremely intensive days of travel and exploration we called it an early night. The next day we had the choice to go to paraguay for some duty free shopping, but given that it was only a large market inside the boarder, and we wouldn`t even get a passport stamp we passed this up, slept in, chilled out, watched Chelsea somehow snatch victory from the hands of a far superior liverpool side before boarding yet another night bus to Bonito.