Coati are small mammals that look like a raccoon with the nose of an anteater. We managed to see a few in the underbrush as we were hiking around the falls.
These smart little guys discovered, however, that the best place to hang out was near the picnic areas. Some were even brazen enough to jump up on chairs and eat off of trays people had put down on the tables.
There was some interesting fungi growing on the trees near the falls.
There are many interesting birds that live around the falls. We saw plush-crested jays, rufous-bellied thrushes, southern lapwings, and a red-rumped cacique.
We hiked down to a boat launch, put our camera and shoes into a waterproof bag, donned our ponchos and life vests, and boarded the boat. The boat got very close to the falls, we got drenched, and a good time was had by all.
As we climbed back to the top to meet our guide, it began to rain pretty hard. It didn't really matter because we were already very wet from the boat ride. Fortunately, we were ready to stop for lunch so we opted to have lunch back at the hotel after changing into dry clothes.
On the Brazilian side of the falls, we hiked along the trails and catwalks and again we were rewarded with one spectacular view after another. We could see more of the falls at once from the Brazilian side, but the photos don't do justice to the enormous nature of the falls as a whole.
Amazing views.
Some interesting views of us by the falls.
Barbeque is very popular in Brazil. We had lunch in a restaurant that carved your meats to order.
The Iguazu Falls Bird Park consisted of a number of large aviaries spread out over 12 acres. The birds could roam free within the habitat of each aviary, so we could watch them interact and hang out. There was a beautiful koi pond at the entrance. We saw scarlet ibis, a demoiselle crane, and a black crowned crane.
