Iguazu!
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This past weekend, my program organized a trip for us to go to Iguazu Falls, located in north Argentina. Iguazu Falls are these gorgeous, massive waterfalls surrounded by a beautiful jungle-esque landscape, and they are considered one of the seven Natural Wonders of the World. Naturally, we were super excited to see them and would gladly endure the 13-hour bus ride to these magnificent falls.
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The bus ride actually went quite smoothly, and before we knew it we were at our first destination for the weekend: a city called Misiones, just a few hours from Iguazu. We explored a few Jesuit ruins from the 1600s and bought a few souvenirs, but – and I hate to say it – after you’ve seen one Jesuit ruin, you’ve pretty much seen them all. So, we boarded the bus and jetted to our next stop: una estancia! Estancia is Spanish for ranch, and there are a bunch all over Argentina, usually located just outside the cities. This one was grassy and spacious and had a panoramic view of hills and mountains in the background. Even better, the owners of the estancia made an asado (a type of Argentine barbecue) special for us, and the food was de?li?cious. I didn’t sample any of the meat that was served, but I still salivate when I think about the fresh, crisp salad, roasted squash and the fried empanadas. Mmmmm. After lunch, we lounged poolside for a couple hours until it was time to board the bus once again for our final stop: Iguazu!
We made it to Iguazu by nightfall, and I could not have been happier to climb into a hotel bed. Our program actually put us up in quite the fancy hotel, and we definitely took advantage. We helped ourselves to the massive dinner buffet (the pasta was unreal), rented Harry Potterand took long(ish) baths for some extra pampering. By the time we woke up the next morning, we were uber-refreshed and ready to spend the entire day admiring Iguazu Falls.
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We had a tour guide take us all over the National Park, and she led us through some of the most stunning, dreamlike trails I’ve ever seen. Loads of tropical trees and flowers gave way to several breathtaking waterfalls; you could see a different angle of the falls at each trail, and each angle was new and exciting – and equally as amazing as the first. I felt like I was walking through a screensaver the entire time – it was that out of this world. The butterflies and permanent rainbows that were present added to the feeling, and the 200-something pictures I took don’t even do the site justice. In fact, if there is ONE place to see in South America, I’d probably say it’s Iguazu Falls.
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My friends and I took our love for the falls one step further, and decided to go on a boat that took you right under the falls. (It looked a little dangerous to me, and I was secretly super-scared, but I remained calm and carried on. Kinda.) We had to climb down the side of a mountain to board the boat, and we wore these big, ugly orange lifejackets – but hey, safety first. This is a tad embarrassing to admit, but from the moment I stepped on the boat until the moment we disembarked, I screamed like a 4-year-old child in the middle of a hissy fit. The boat literally took us under the falls – forwards and backwards – and we were completely and utterly soaking wet. I could barely open my eyes for fear that my contacts were going to fall out, but I screamed anyway. The boat ride was beyond thrilling and a huge adrenaline rush, and one of my favorite parts of the whole trip.
All in all, my Iguazu trip was phenomenal, and I couldn’t have asked for a better getaway. I would definitely encourage everyone to head down there and experience it for themselves!