You’ll get wet walking out here! The end of the Brazilian side of the trail, the Devil’s Throat, Iguazu Falls.

One of the perils of my travel writing life is that I can become a little blasé about beautiful sites and exotic locales. However, there are a few which bring tears to my eyes — Machu Picchu and Angkor Wat, for example.

Iguazu Falls is another of those places that you simply can’t believe exists.

A small portion of Iguazu Falls, seen from the Brazil side.

The Falls are on the border between Brazil and Argentina (with the Paraguay border right near by). Ideally you need two days to see both the Brazil side and the Argentine side (though that requires both a Brazilian visa and an Argentine reciprocity fee for most North Americans and Europeans).

It is impossible to capture the extent of the Falls in a photograph. Standing on the Brazilian side, you look to about 2:00 and pan all the way left to 9:00 and see countless waterfalls.  Some are tiered, some are skinny, some are thick, some send out clouds of mist and some can get you very wet, depending on how the wind is blowing.

Check out this video for a hint of how amazing these falls are:

My first article about Iguazu, about a charming B&B&B (no, that’s not a typo!) was published yesterday: Secret Garden Iguazu. If you’re planning to visit Iguazu, this is an ideal place to stay for the charm and stories of host John Fernandes and the company of interesting guests over excellent caipirinhas.

More to come, including travel practicalities and what you need to know to see the Falls.

A stretch of Iguazu Falls, from the Argentine side