Iguazú

Amazing, incredible, paradise - that pretty much sums up my visit to Iguazu falls. Iguazu has been on my travel to-do list for a while now, so I was excited to finally get the chance to go as part of my trip to Argentina over New Years. Nestled in the middle of the rainforest on the border between Argentina and Brazil, Iguazu was a garden of Eden-esque wonder of waterfall after waterfall after waterfall, enveloped by the verdant green of the jungle.

The single biggest fall at Iguazu is called the garganta del diablo (devil's throat), a thunderingly loud, U-shaped cascade of churning water. To reach the garganta, you traverse a long catwalk that seems to cross eight different rivers (but really it's all one big one), and as you approach you can see the mist rising from the falls.

At the end, you reach a balcony that sits literally on the edge of the garganta, allowing for awesome views straight down into the falls. Being so close, you get pretty much soaked just from the mist blowing off the falls, but it's a welcome respite from the jungle heat.

Aside from the trail out to the garganta, the Iguazu park has a number of other paths cut through the jungle to allow visitors to see the many waterfalls from all angles. On the trails we encountered lots of rainforest friends, including lizards, toucans, wild birds, catfish, turtles, monkeys, bright-colored butterflies, and the overly curious coatíes, raccoon-like creatures who won't hesitate to come up and steal your lunch.

The system of trails is awesome, putting you first right above all the waterfalls, then further away for sweeping views, then right underneath the rushing water. Iguazu is definitely one of the coolest and most uniquely beautiful places I've ever been, and I 100% recommend the trip to anyone who has the chance to visit!