With only two days in Iguazu, we had to make them count. On our first day we decided to plan two activities, the Bird Park and Iguazu Falls.

The bird park was wonderful. It is comprised of birds from all over the world. Over fifty percent of the birds on display were rescued from animal trafficking, poor ownership, and other inappropriate scenarios. The other forty-three percent were hatched on site. Reproduction in captivity is a great sign of success, so this bird park must be doing things right!

As we wandered through the jungle trails we enjoyed the calls and colors of thousands of birds. The displays were mostly large flight cages that were immaculately maintained. Having a minor in captive wild animal management, I always have a judgmental eye for animal care and I was very impressed with this bird park.

There were several large flight cages that visitors were allowed to walk through. This was great because we were able to get up close and personal with toucans, macaws, and dozens of other species. The most impressive flight cage was the macaw flight cage. It contained around 20 species of large parrots that comprised nearly 100 individuals in the half football field sized cage.

At the end of the visit, we were even allowed to hold a macaw. Unlike most animal interactions that are at the animal’s expense or annoyance, this interaction had around 10 birds and each bird received a break after being held by only two visitors.

Following the bird park, we hopped across the street to the most famous attraction in Iguazu- IGUAZU FALLS!

Iguazu Falls is one of the largest waterfalls in the world and is comprised of 275 smaller cascades spanning twice as wide as Niagara Falls. Sitting on the border of Brazil and Argentina, Iguazu Falls has many awe inspiring viewpoints from both countries. We only were able to view the falls from the Brazilian side due to the reciprocity fee we would be forced to pay upon entering Argentina.

As we hiked along the trial closer to the devils throat, the views became even more jaw dropping. We walked out on the elevated pathway at the end of the foot path as a cool mist danced on our skin and white haze consumed the valley below the falls. As if one rainbow wasn’t impressive enough, we were lucky enough to see two in the misty confluence of several colossal cascades.

On our way out of the park, there was a food court overrun by coatimundis! After seeing an elderly couple become swarmed by them over a bag of chips, I had to get a bag of cookies to see how many I could get to follow me. Within a minute I had over a dozen following me like I was a mother duck.

During our second and last day in Iguazu Falls, Marge and I visited the Itaipu Dam. Itaipu is a hydroelectric dam that is the second largest in terms of electrical output in the world. The impressive structure supplies nearby Paraguay with 75% of the country’s electrical needs and 17% of Brazils.

The sheer magnitude of the 20 billion dollar dam was hard to fathom. It took 19 years to construct and still provides thousands of jobs for the surrounding towns.

Our time in Brazil was short, but it’s time to catch yet another flight…to BOLIVIA!