As we flew over Misiones state to reach Puerto Iguazú, it felt like we were about to land in a new continent. Acres and acres of lush green forest lay beneath us, and only at the last minute did the trees open up to reveal the runway. Technically this was still Argentina, but the scenery felt closer to Borneo than to the megalopolis of Buenos Aires we'd left only a few hours before.......

This sense of being Somewhere Else only increased once we reached Puerto Iguazú proper (which I suspect would be a rather nondescript border town, were it not for its close proximity to the Iguazú Falls). The roads and pavements were covered in the same fine red dust which coated our clothes and faces in Phu Quoc. Most of the restaurants offered patrons plastic garden chairs to sit on, just like in Vietnam. And the oppressive heat and humidity, which left us instantly damp with sweat, took us right back to our early summer in South East Asia.

I guess this dramatic change shouldn't have come as so much of a surprise: you can see both Brazil and Paraguay from Iguazú's waterfront. So it's only natural the place should be a bit of a melting pot. One really positive consequence of this (from our perspective) was that the cuisine on offer here was a little more varied, and our first lunch consisted of a Paraguayan specialty for me, and a Brazilian one for James. Neither slice of ham nor piece of cheese in sight.

The main purpose of our visit was of course a trip to the Iguazú Falls. The Falls consist of some 275 individual waterfalls, stretching on for more than 2km, which crash at several thousand cubic metres a second into the Iguazú River some 80m below. They were first seen (by Europeans) in 1542 when Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca and his crew came exploring. Now of course, they're a little busier.

The Falls lie across the border between Argentina and Brazil, which means you need to visit both countries in order to see them properly. Although our next stop will be Sao Paulo, we decided to base ourselves in Argentina and just do a day trip to Brazil – having heard horror stories about how expensive Brazil is, we are keen to keep our days there to a minimum!

The morning after we arrived dawned bright and sunny, and so we got one of the first buses of the day to the Argentinian National Park. The build up was pretty impressive: first the bus takes you the 15km to the park through lush green rainforest similar to the tropical Amazonian jungles further north. First impressions: it's a lot like Jurassic Park here. Next, you get to wander through part of the forest along a narrow winding path, on the look out for toucans and other exotic birds. And then you enter the Park proper. Just like at the Perito Moreno Glacier, the National Park Authority has created a series of walkways to enable you to get close to the Falls, and see them from several different perspectives. They have clearly designed the walkways to keep you in suspense for the longest time, keeping the falls hidden until the very last moment But even from the start of the trail, the noise of the water gushing is huge – it sounds like a busy road in the middle of the national park! We interrupted a coati, a cousin to the raccoon with an incredibly long and flexible snout (think Cyril and Cedric Sneer from The Raccoons, though brown not pink), prowling around on an early morning stroll. And then finally, we turned a corner, and there they were.....

The Falls were absolutely spectacular – I've never seen waterfalls on anywhere near the same scale before. Some of the waterfalls we specifically drove to see in New Zealand were mere trickles by comparison. There are individual falls as far as the eye can see, ranging from small trickles to absolute monsters. The water is a dirty muddy colour, apparently the result of significant deforestation in the region – 40 years ago, the water ran clear. This seems a real shame, although it does add to the other-worldly feel of the place. Butterflies in almost every colour, from orange, to yellow, to blue, to purple, flitted around, and we even saw some condors soaring overhead. Wow. It's really difficult to do the Falls justice in words, so perhaps this will help:



We wandered around the walkways for a couple of hours to get our fill of the Falls, one of which you're able to walk almost right up to. James and I stowed our bags and then walked towards it hand in hand, getting absolutely soaked in the process. Fortunately it was such a sunny day it was pretty refreshing! We finished our day at the Garganto del Diablo, or Devil's Throat, a concentrated torrent of water. The viewing platform is perched right at the top of the falls, so you can watch the water disappear over a ledge into the abyss, occasional plumes of spray bouncing upwards to obscure your view completely.

The following day, we were less lucky with the weather – there had been an enormous electrical storm the night before, and the rain continued well into the afternoon. Not to be discouraged (and having already bought our bus tickets for the 8.10 journey to Brazil) we donned our rain coats and decided to make the best of it.

But actually, seeing the Falls in both sunny and wet conditions made for a good contrast – and being on the Brazilian side mostly involves getting absolutely soaked at every opportunity anyway. If anything, this second day was my favourite: seeing just how many falls there are in the area really takes your breath away. Jostling for room amidst the visiting Brazilians and snap-happy Japanese tourists, we managed to take a few pictures ourselves.

The Brazilian walkways generally give you the more panoramic view, but again, at one point you can walk right into the heart of the falls – surrounded by water on every side. Looking over the viewing platform at the edge of one of the Falls, you realise there is no way you'd survive being swept away. Luckily, James kept a tight hold on me and I didn't blow away in the gusting winds.