Finally, we are off the bus and in Foz do Iguaçu, after a marathon bus journey from Paraty, 6 hours to Sao Paulo and then a 15 hour night bus to Foz. The lesson learnt on this leg of the journey was to not sleep for the 6 hour day bus, now I know for next time!
Foz is home to the Brazilian side of the Iguaçu falls (with a flow capacity equal to three Niagara falls) and the Itaipu dam (the second largest generator of hydro-electric power in the world) both of which we visited, as well as some amazing birds, butterflies and reptiles. It is also our final destination on our speedy run through a very small part of Brazil before heading across the border for Argentina.
The Brazilian side of the waterfalls allows for a breathtaking panoramic view while being able to walk with the lizards and be surrounded by butterflies. It is hard to capture the grand scale of the waterfalls in a photo but we have attached some so you can get some kind of an idea.
We also visited the Itaipu Dam the reason that arrived to Rio in darkness. It is BIG, the total length of the dam is 7235 m, it is 196 metres high, equivalent to a 65-story building and the reservoir behind the dam has an area of 1350 square kilometres. We were not organised enough to book a visit inside the dam so we had to settle with a bus trip around the outside of the dam.
Next stop Argentina.