It was clear black night, a clear white moon, Dad and I were on the path, trying to consume (some waterfalls).
Wait, let’s step back a second… Regulating like Nate Dogg and Warren G, Dad and I touched down in Iguazu Falls from a quick exhale in Buenos Aires after our Mendoza & Chile excursion.
The Iguazu airport was quiet, small and clean and the drive to our hotel was straight out of jungle book. We checked into our phat pad at the Sheraton Hotel, changed gear quick and headed to the Iguazu Falls park entrance to meet up with the other peeps.
Although we weren’t regulating any skirts that night we did get lucky in the fact that we landed in Iguazu on the last day of the Moon Walk Tour for the month. Now, I know what you’re thinking, “why would there be a Michael Jackson tribute tour in the middle of the jungles of Argentina?” Good question (my dad got a lot of mileage out of the same joke) but, it was actually a night hike to the top of Iguazu Falls on the Argentina side guided by the light of the full moon.
After a pep-talk from the park ranger, myself, Dad and about 40 other “exclusive” travelers jumped on a old wooden train into the jungle towards the Garganta del Diablo (The Devil’s Throat), mwuahaha. About 15 minutes in we stopped at the entrance to a series of bridges that weaved through the jungle and over the Iguazu River. The walk itself was both beautiful and eerie. You could here the rumble of the falls in the distance as the water rushed under your feet. The slippery bridges let your mind wonder “What if” while the moon illuminating off the river and jungle kept you at peace.
Like walking into Comiskey Park for the first time, it was a surreal experience standing there over the Iguazu Falls. I’ve seen a million pictures and heard tons of stories, but it wasn’t until that moment, with the cold mist smacking me in the face that I could appreciate its magnitude. The bottom of the falls is out of visibility from the low light and constant mist so it looks like the water is dropping off the earth. Standing right above it reminded me of waiting in line at those really steep water slides as a kid, where all you could see was the water dropping off the edge.
We stood in silence for 20 minutes just watching and admiring the glorious hole as people scampered around the deck trying to capture the perfect photo. As I walked around looking over everyone else’s shoulders to see if they got a good shot, I realized that a photo or video just couldn’t really explain how incredible this was. That or maybe I was just jealous my camera wouldn’t pick up anything but the railing in front of me.
Either way, the Iguazu Falls are a far cry from the Niagara Falls at night. There was no laser light shows, haunted houses or casino calling your name. It was just the moon, the jungle and the water.
Tomorrow we’ll take on the falls and jungle by day, hopefully without all this 90s hip-hop playing in my head.
Argentina – Iguazu Falls Full Moon Tour Dates
