Northern Argentina: Ibera & Iguazu

     Not much to write about this place.  We arrived via an overnight bus at 4:30am in a town called Mercedes where we were amused to see unbridled horses ambling down the side walks as the sun began its ascent. It was about a 3-hour drive on a dirt road to our lodge, which often becomes impassable if it's raining.  Fortunately for us it wasn't.  Marnie picked the place for animal watching and it provided plenty of that.  During the drive in we were regaled with an unfathomable number of birds of prey perched on fence posts.  Marnie tried to count how many seconds it took between spotting these creatures and never made it past 7 seconds.  Ibera is home to 350 species of birds, as well as pampas and swamp deer, caiman, and howler monkeys.  The latter proved difficult to spot, but their menacing, low-pitched shrieks reverberated in the forest and left us spooked.  Then too, a caiman that launched itself up at us while we were gazing down on it from a boardwalk also made us jump.  Mostly though, the fauna was peaceful and cooperative with our observation efforts. Sam especially appreciated the capybara family that lived on the grounds and the giant toads that joined us for dinner.  The owner of the place had 3 kids around the boys' ages and a swimming pool.  With those items, Finn and Sam were almost guaranteed a good time.

     The Ibera Wetlands are a mix of swamps, bogs, stagnant lakes and lagoons located in the province of Corrientes, Argentina.  It's one of the most important fresh water reservoirs on the continent and the second-largest wetland in the world, with a total area of 15-20,000 square kilometers.
     Part of the wetland is included in a provincial protected area.  Douglas Tompkins, the deceased co-founder of North Face, had also acquired thousands of hectares in the area which will now become government property and along with the provincial protected area become a national park.  Area locals hope that the government will be as good a steward of the land as Tompkins was since tourism is a major source of income.

All that's left is the pictures.
FLORA

DRAGONFLIES

ASSORTED FAUNA

And, of course, BIRDS

Iguazu Falls

     The last stop on the vacation was Iguazu Falls which lies between Ibera and Buenos Aires. Upon seeing Iguazu, Eleanor Roosevelt reportedly exclaimed, "Poor Niagra!" (which, at 50 m or 165 feet, are a third shorter). Often Iguazu is also compared to Victoria Falls in Southern Africa.  Iguazu is wider, but because it is split into approximately 275 discrete falls and large islands, Victoria has the largest curtain of water in the world.  Iguazu is classified as a cataract with the highest drop of 269 feet and a total width of 1.7 miles.
     The Argentine government has done a great job of providing a series of walkways around very impressive falls.  This is another time I wish I were a better photographer since I really haven't done the place justice but I hope you enjoy the following photographs.  The roar of falling water, definitely a big part of the experience, you'll have to add for yourself.

2 Things Argentinians know about food:  Parrilla (grilling) and cold beer.

Marnie and I managed to finish the pile of meat. It was as good as it gets!

I got a chilled glass to start and the bottle was nestled in a container of ice so it stayed nice and cold. How very refreshing at the end of a hot day at the falls.