The devils throat thundered its presence to me well before I saw it. A light rain is falling, just enough to be annoying, making the metal pathway slippery. Head down, hood up, I negotiate my way past other tourists and their umbrellas. Legend says a deity had planned to marry a beautiful human woman. Unwilling to marry him, she fled along the Iguazu river in a canoe, with her lover. Angry and in a rage, the deity sliced the river into two, creating the waterfalls and condemning the lovers to an eternal fall.

As a result, the largest waterfall system in the world divides the Iguazu river, splitting its presence between Brazil and Argentina. Officially discovered in 1541, the falls are shared by 2 UNESCO World Heritage Sites; Iguazu National Park on the Argentina side and Iguacu National Park on the Brazil side.

Emma and I are keen to start with Garganta del Diablo, the devil's throat, so we head up there early in the day. The noise is thunderous and as if not wet enough from the light rain, the spray from the falls begins to invade our wet weather gear. Barely able to hold our phones out to get photos and video without destroying them, diablo does not disappoint. Even on a grey misty day, it is spectacular. The power of the water astounds us and we are mesmerised by its noise and flow.

We tear ourselves away from this spectacular sight, mainly because we are now soaking, and make our way around the rest of the park. We cannot stop exclaiming 'wow'. Every path we go down, every corner we turn, the view blows our minds. We climb down to the lower trail and view the falls from the bottom up. We climb the higher trails, feeling like we are standing on top of them, the power of the water rushing below us. We are exhausted but completely awe inspired by nature, as we head back to our hotel in Puerto Iguazu.

Imagine if we could see the falls from the inside … Feel the power of all that H2O ….

Jetboating.

An obvious choice for the next best way to experience Iguazu. We head off early the next morning to do just that. The boat speeds along the river stopping in key locations allowing us to take shots from yet another angle. Time to put the cameras away in the solid and serious looking waterproof bags provided; as our guide explains, with a cheeky look on his face, that we are "about to take a shower". After being soaked to the bone from the power of this amazing place, we climb the stairway back up and into the jungle. Our minds blown yet again by the power of nature.

That evening we head up to the river T-intersection where the 3 countries meet; Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. It's incredible how close they all are to each other. Just a stones throw away. Standing on the Argentina river bank, we reflect on our journey so far and try to anticipate what's to come …. Tomorrow night we will be standing on the Brazil river bank, looking back across at where we are now.

It's with great sadness that we cross the border the next day and say goodbye to Argentina. It has definitely been a highlight country for us both; the people, the dances, the food, the wine, the creepy graves, the stories, the art and crafts, the spectacular landscape and especially the rich, and sometimes tragic, history of this country has captured our hearts forever.

Brazil welcomes us with open arms and it's the easiest border crossing ever. Hopefully it's legit … guess we'll find out when we go to leave!

We head to the nearest town of Foz do Iguacu and experience our first taste of the Portuguese language. I don't know what I expected really, except that I thought 6 months in Peru hearing Spanish would have been a help when it comes to Portuguese. Nope. It wasn't.

Up early the next day we head out to the National Park to see the falls from the Brazil side. For anyone planning a trip to Iguazu, don't limit yourself to just one side. It's remarkable from both countries but very different. Brazil provides a panoramic view and there are falls you don't get to see from the Argentina side. As if to appease our sadness at getting to the end of the well laid out trails, rainbows appear in the spray of Garganta del Diablo. What an amazing sight and yet again we find ourselves mesmerised by the waters sound and flow.

A surprising delight we'd not expected was a visit to the Iguassu Falls Parque das Aves (aka 'bird park'). It's a 5 min walk from the falls entrance and is a 12 acre walk through subtropical forest. We were apprehensive about the bird park concept itself however had heard nothing but good things. The design and homeliness of the park is not only amazing but the interactions with the birds is fantastic. Wandering leisurely through large netted off areas as the birds fly above you. They have plenty of space and areas where they can 'escape' the public when they are just not feeling it. There are 2-3 staff on hand in every enclosure, ensuring people don't abuse the privilege of seeing these amazing animals up close.

The scarlet ibis was gorgeous. These birds develop this intense colour from the red shellfish they eat. They mate for life and are one of two national birds of Trinidad and Tobago. The Macaws in particular were a highlight, after seeing them in the Amazon. Loud and chatty, these birds are incredibly funny to watch as they go about their daily lives. Reminding me a lot of times I've sat and watched our very own 'clown of the mountains' … the Kea.

The Toucan was by far the star of the day for us though. What a character. They didn't look real. Appearing more like something out of an animated Disney movie … perfectly coloured. They seemed just as interested in us as we were them, tilting their huge long beaks from side to side so they could look properly at the kiwi girls. Maybe it was our strange accent that intrigued them.

Later that night we are, as predicted, standing on the Brazil side of the T-intersection, looking across the river at Argentina and Paraguay. The Brazilian side has a frontier site that puts on a light and dance show each night, outlining the history of dance in South America. Another feast for the eyes as the dancers spin their bodies to the sexy rhythms of Latin music.

The falls are a great way to exit a fantastic country and enter an exciting new one - which every way around you do it. The natural sights are astounding. The animals are fascinating. The towns on either side are contrasting. The language is interesting. The food is diverse, and the people are charming.

Sao Paulo, Paraty and Rio here we come …. ready or not ….