At the intersection between Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay is a place of superlatives and hyperbole. Iguazu Falls, with its 50-300 discrete waterfalls (seasonally dependent) is one of South America’s most iconic natural features. We considered for a moment not coming, having grown tired of the many heavily tourists areas that we’d come to visit on the trip – Iguazu Falls is, after all, one of he most highly visited attractions in Argentina and Brazil (Paraguay doesn’t quite touch the falls). The Argentine side of the park is, however, very well operated, and we never quite felt swamped with people.

The park itself is easy to navigate: there are 3 main trails that make contact with the falls, each of them weaving along and through the falls on raised metal boardwalks, and each connected to the entrance by a train system. One boardwalk overhangs “the devils throat”, a powerful horseshoe gorge full of mist and thunder. The other two skim upper and lower passages along the wider face of the falls complex. Each passage is incredible, offering unique views that allow you to wander, ponder, wonder and gasp at every dripping drop along the way.

The park is full of wildlife, though it’s questionable just how wild that life is. At every concession stand, and along most of the walkways are the adorably charming beggars, the coatis. A coati is a lot like a raccoon, but has a wiggly a nose with a mind of its own. Unfortunately, people insist on feeding them, despite the signage asking otherwise, and these lovely animals that otherwise enjoy eating grubs out of the lawn brazenly venture up table tops and steal food. One of them almost made off with Lucy’s camera! Still, it’s hard not to be absolutely suckered in by their charm.

And of course, there are the monkeys. Rad little dudes swinging from the trees, walking on hind legs, and looking frighteningly like little people. It’s that uncanny resemblance that had always kept me a little at a distance from appreciation for them, but seeing them up close and “wild”, I found myself quite enchanted. Besides, any friend of Lucy’s…