Awesome is a word so overused that it has come to lose its meaning. However sometimes one comes across a natural phenomenon that truly merits the description. The Iguazu Falls, Cataratas do Iguaçu to give them their Portuguese name (we are still in Brazil) is one such.

The raw statistics are impressive. Generally considered to be the largest waterfall system in the world consisting of between 250 and 300 separate falls (the exact number depending on the water level), extending over a distance of 2.4 kilometres and varying in height between 60 and 82 metres. The volume of water flowing over the falls varies according to the season but averages 1,746 cubic metres per second. I calculate that is equivalent to about one and a half 25 metre swimming pools (or 17 double decker buses if that is your comparison of choice).

The falls are located on the border between Brazil and Argentina. On the Brazilian side it is possible to walk close enough to be drenched by the spray and to stand just a few metres away from the great thundering torrent is unlike anything else I've experienced. Conveying the power of the falls in a photograph is difficult. If you look closely at the photo for this blog you will see a bird flying into the cascade. This is a Great Dusky Swift and hundreds of them nest behind the falls, presumably because it provides protection from predators. Watching these birds fly in and out of the curtain of water is an incredible sight.

This is our second visit to the Falls. We came to the Argentinian side in 2009 but Kate was taken ill - overcome, literally, by the heat and the power of the water. Something that is apparently common enough for there to be special medical stations throughout the park that surrounds the falls themselves. This time everything was fine and we were just able to to enjoy this tremendous natural spectacle. Awesome indeed.