Parque Nacional do Iguaçu Off The Beaten Path

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One of the great places to stop in for an afternoon in Foz do Iguaçu is at the Parque das Aves, which literally translates to Bird Park. As a person who enjoys taking photographs, this was a great opportunity to get up and close to the beautiful birds that had been flying around the falls and cities as we travelled throughout the region. In particular, we had the opportunity to see the coveted bird, the Toucan. Maybe it was all of those Fruit Loops commercials when I was younger that had me fascinated with Toucan Sam, but I have always wanted to see one of these animals up close. Well, Sarah and I got our wish here at the Bird Park.

The bird park of course has many other birds here, including flamingos, parrots of many varieties and many others. As of 2007, the cost to enter the park is $12USD, and the park is open from 8:30am through 5:30pm, which works out well if you are adding this before or after a day trip through the Parque Nacional do Iguacu, since it is located less than a mile from each other.

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Although your eye will be continually drawn, while walking through the national parks on both sides of the falls, to the wonderful views of the falls themselves, don’t forget to look around you too. You can see lots of really beautiful butterflies along these paths, and they come really close, sometimes even landing on you – see the 2nd photo, which Chris took when one landed on my hand. The butterflies are attracted by high levels of salt in the soil; we saw huge groups of bright yellow ones on the bank when we went on our boat trip. Apparently my sweaty hands were an adequate source too!

We also spotted a large iguana one day on the Brazilian side, and saw lots of coati on the Argentine. The various tropical plants are also eye-catching, and make a fitting setting for the falls themselves. I think the plant in my 5th photo is a bromeliad - can anyone confirm that for me?

Parque des Aves is just outside the National Park. It houses hundreds of birds, most but not all from South America and most of them in adequate enclosures. It also has an awesome, walk-through butterfly cage.

One of the largest enclosures is that for the blue and gold macaw, one of the largest members of the parrot family.

The hyacinth, arara azul, is the largest of all macaw. (There are about 30 extant members of the macaw family, several endangered.)

The hyacinth cage was the only one I saw at the Parque that was much too small for the birds in it.

The coati is a member of the raccoon family. It's a carnivore and scavenger. Males are usually solitary; groups will be all females and youngsters.

Coati are ubiquitous in Foz do Iguaçu; those around heavily populated areas tend not to be afraid of people. They're cute — but they can be dangerous if scared or provoked. Their teeth are sharp and they can carry rabies.

If you ever fly into Sao Paulo and you know it will be during the day, make sure you're sitting in a window seat. The view over this sprawling mega-city is amazing. They say it's the third largest city in the world and it's really quite a sight to see how far the buildings stretch out all the way to the horizon.

Other than the view from the sky and a tour of the airport, I didn't see any more of Sao Paulo, but it's known for its nightlife and its busy, big-city lifestyle (a stark contrast from the laid back life of the Cariocas ).

Rio de Janeiro is amazing. I don't think I've ever seen a more beautiful physical setting. The long, curving beaches are like beautiful brushstrokes on God's canvassed earth. The mountains jut up from the sea just off shore and the city itself is full of beautiful bodies and exciting rhythms. What's not to like?

Buenos Aires, Argentina. Land of the tango and European-flavored elegance. Well, after spending some time in the jungle that surrounds the waterfalls, you might feel the need to pamper yourself with a little high-class living. BA is less than a two hour flight away and these days, it comes on the cheap! It was only a few years ago that this was the most expensive city in South America, but due to an economic crisis (don't worry, it's safe) and the devaluation of the Argentine peso, Buenos Aires is now really affordable.