We arrived in the town of Puerto Iguazu on Monday morning and spent the day walking around the touristy town and planning our trip to the national park for the following day. Up early the next morning, we caught the local bus to the falls and spent the day admiring the many different waterfalls that make up the park. We were amazed at how beautiful but also how menacing they can appear. The presence of rainbows spanning across each waterfall made the sights more stunning. The highlights were the Dos Hermanos (Two Sisters) waterfall for obvious reasons and the Gargantua De Diablo or Devils Throat as it is more commonly known. We were able to get close enough to see the power of the water as it fell to the bottom, creating a cloud of mist all around. We were hoping to see the panoramic view of the falls from the Brazilian side, but bad time planning left us stranded at the boarder bus stop and short of time. Instead we spent the afternoon in Foz De Iguaçu before boarding another night bus to Campo Grande, Brazil. An hour into our trip we realised the service on Brazilian buses was nothing compared to Argentina - no blankets, pillows, food or English TV! Stepping off the bus in Campo Grande half asleep, we were pounced on by several tour operators offering us trips to the Pantanal. We were attracted to the offer of free breakfast and shower so followed `Gil´ to hear his sales pitch. We soon realised we were being fed a load of rubbish and was told anything in order to get our business, so we decided to suss out the competition. It was the same story with the second guy `Al´ but a free ride to HSBC and a hundred Riel cheaper saw us signing up with him. A free omelette and cold shower later we were on our way to the Wetlands for a 3 day wildlife experience.

We were dropped at the Pantanal entrance and then taken by truck to our `Poussada´ passing many alligators and birds along the way. We were greeted by friendly staff and a basic room on the banks of the river. We spent our first evening getting to know our tour group, a Kiwi couple, 2 Aussies and some Brummy Brits, led by our cute guide Carlos. We were treated to our first free meal, where Leanna was pleased to find a pasta alternative of beans and rice, which she would soon grow sick of by the end of the trip.

We were up early the next morning for a days safari where we spotted several of the 650 bird species that live in the Pantanal, including Blue Macaw, Stalks, Vultures, Hawks and Kingfishers. On a 2 hour trek through the forest we spotted Armadillos and the skeletons of many cows, leftovers from an Anaconda´s or Jaguar´s dinner! We were warned about the White Pigs which may have stampeded us and advised to climb the nearest tree if this happened! We were alarmed when we came to an abrupt stop and Carlos pointed out fresh Anaconda tracks in the sand. Although disappointed not to have seen one we did come across a black python and many more alegators. That evening we were taken on a night walk, scary for us as with both our torches out of action we had to stumble around in the dark. We only saw flyaflys, a crab, a wise old owl and a scary orange alligator eye staring at us from the river.

The next morning we headed down the river on a boat, getting up close and personal with some alligators and having a paddle with the piranhas. Along the way we saw Howler Monkies swinging from the trees and were able to recognise birds from the day before. Next we met our companions for the afternoon, a cross between a horse and a donkey, who would give us a new perspective of the Pantanal. For some reason Leanna was again paired with the feisty one of the bunch and after almost bolting off with her, she swapped horses with Carlos. We had a fun few hours walking and trotting through forest and swamps, occasionally being steered into the thorn bushes. We ended our journey with a gallop as Carlos whipped our horses on the bum. That night we enjoyed a few beers and a game of a*******, a new card game to teach you all at home! Nikki woke up for a sunrise walk and although cloudy she still got to see a beautiful view and experienced the sound of the birds waking up. After breakfast we went Piranha fishing in the river with a bamboo rod and a piece of steak. Leanna had mixed feelings about the whole thing and was most pleased when she managed to catch a veggie alternative - a pile of weeds! Nikki caught 3 but declined the offer to have them for lunch and threw them back into the river. To Leanna´s surprise and disappointment, her final cast off saw her catching a Pirhana and after a very tearful photo she was pleased to see it swim away. During a final walk around, we saw a family of monkies crossing the road in front of us, this topped of the amazing sites we´ve seen during our stay and a brilliant outdoor experience. A mission to Salvador is on the cards next, a potential 48 hour bus journey!