13. Salta to Iguassu Falls, Argentina

It seems as though there is always somebody on strike in Argentina. When it was time to travel to Salta, Argentina from San Pedro de Atacama in Chile, it was the bus drivers. So we booked with a Chilean company. They were still operating. The bus strike ended the day we arrived in Salta, but there were still some bad feelings. Just before we arrived, someone threw a huge rock at the bus, shattering the window next to the people opposite us. Fortunately nobody was hurt.

Changed the last of our US$ in Salta in a dodgy place. Got 9.3 pesos to the dollar vs the official rate of 5.0. Don't know how the financial structure of this country can be stable.

Our first full day at Iguazu Falls was Saturday, May 11. It was a gorgeous day. Unfortunately we weren't there. The air traffic controllers were on strike, delaying our flight from Salta (first flight in 2 1/2 months) by a day. We made it for Sunday but our exceptional luck with the weather on this trip ran out in a big way. We spent two days at the falls. The first day we ended up soaked to the skin from off and on rain.  The second day the rain held off till later in the afternoon and we had  an excellent day - did every trail on the Argentine side.

Iguazu is almost indescribable. Over 200 ft drop with about 275 separate cataracts over 2.7 km wide, it is the largest waterfall in the world. (Not the highest - Angel Falls in Venezuela, nor the biggest volume - Victoria Falls). It is just astounding. We took dozens of photos, but none come close to capturing the scene, along with the constant roar of the falling water.

The falls are on the border of Argentina and Brazil. On the Argentine side, they have built a series of trails and catwalks that let you get up close and personal (and wet!). They also have a small railway to connect various access points. It is really well done. There is an island just below the falls where a boat will carry you across and you can hike around it to see parts of the falls hidden from the mainland.
It took us all day, but we did every trail in the complex. Taking photos became secondary to just soaking up an experience of a lifetime.

With the rain holding off we saw many more birds and butterflies and the ever-present coatis, who roam in gangs looking for handouts.

Many people also go over to the Brazilian side - further away, but a better panorama of the falls. We needed an expensive and bureaucratic visa to cross, so elected not to - just to get one photo. We stayed in Puerto Iguazu for a couple more days hoping for the weather to break, but no such luck. It appears that the "rain forest" is appropriately named! So we caught a bus to Posadas, about 200km to the southwest.