Waterfalls huge, sizable and small in the Iguassu Falls Area

IGUAÇU / IGUAZU, YGUAZU, YGUASU, IGUASSU

Check here about the different Iguazu spellings

Devil's Throat - Iguassu Falls 

Let me first introduce you to the world of waterfalls in the Iguassu Falls Area. Iguassu Falls is by far the largest.

MOCONÁ

Boat trip at Moconá Falls

About 300 km from Iguassu Falls lies Moconá Falls. It is known as the world's largest longitudinal waterfalls in the Americas. As you know every river has two banks. This longitudinal story only means that the water falls just along one bank. 

The Moconá Falls lies on a border. Like the Iguassu Falls it lies on the Argentina-Brazil border siuth of Iguassu Falls. The water happens to fall from the Aegentinean side. The Brazilian side happens to be dry for nearly 50% of the days of the year. When iit's not dry, it's underwater. Located at the town of El Soberbio, Argentina 

MONDAY

Saltos del Monday - Monday Falls

Monday here has nothing to do with the day of the week. "Monda" means steal and "Y" means water. The idea is that of water have been stolen. This waterfalls on the Monday River is located about 20 kilometers from my house in Foz do Iguaçu and takes around 40 minutes to drive. Located at the city of Presidente Franco, Paraguay  

ÑACUNDAY

Salto Ñacunday (Falls) Trip Advisor's contibutor photo

Ñacunday Falls is small compared to the former three but it is interesting for beeing in a National Park. Its location is about 74 km from CDE and give or take 80 km from my house which translates into a 1 hour 50 minute-drive to the town of Ñacunday, Paraguay

TEMBEY

Yatytay's Tembey Falls

Tembey Falls on the river of the same name is farther than the others at 170 km. It is located at the town of Yatytay, Paraguay 

KARAPÃ

Neporã Paraguay Photo Salto Karapã also written Carapá

Salto Karapã might not in itself be worth the effort of going there, say from Iceland, if not by the fact that is part of a 46.000-hectare Nature Reserve called Reserva Natural Bosque Mbaracayu. This forest reserve has a lodge and a school for women, mostly of pesant famiies whotake technical courses in administration, hotel management, gastronomy and nature guiding. The project is run by well known Moisés Bertoni Foundation

Andes Airlines Flight connects Iguazu to Salta

This is just to let you know that ANDES Airlines has been sucessfully flying out of the Iguazu Falls (Puerto Iguazu) Airport to Salta on the Argentine Northwest (NOA) region. The flight leaves Iguazu at 3:30 pm and ther flight only takes 1h40 minutes. I just been there and back and have fallen in love with the area. I am happy that the flight is here. I will be glad to tell a little more about my tour to Salta and Jujuy!

Who was or is Gauchito Gil?

The picture above is of man named Antonio Mamerto de la Cruz Gil Núñez. Little Gaucho Gil is what Gauchito Gil stands for. Gauchito Gil was killed by the Police of the Province of Corrientes, Argentina, in the last years of the 19th century or sometime in the early years of the 20th century. For police forces of Corrientes and other provinces Gil was a bandit, a normal outlaw, thief, hooligan.

Today, Gil is a seen as a saint, a heroe and as a kind of neotropical Robin Hood who stole from the rich farmers and landowners and gave to the poor. Gil spent years fleeing and miraculously avoidng being caught by authorities. But one day, there was no escape. Gil fell victim of a bullets shot by a police man. As he fell, the legend goes, he looked his killer straighit in the eye and said that the officer's son whom the father had left dying at home, would be at the door to receive him. Then Gil died.


The policeman did his job, carried Gil's body to the police headquarters and went home. The foirst person he saw at the door, was his son that had been waiting for death for a long time. Itn is needless to say that the police officer was the first to believe that Gil was a saint. Today, under the name of Little Gaucho Gil or Gauchito Gil, he is venerated by 200,000 people every year who descend on the city of Mercedes in November to pay for graces received, to search for new graces and above all to thank the Heroe of Corrientes.

But devotion to the Little Gaucho popular saint is not limited to the pilgrimage to Mercedes. Throughout the year travelers along Argentina's national, provincial and country roads will see small and big red shrines, decorated with red flags, honoring the memory of Gauchito Gil. If Puerto Iguazu, by Iguassu Falls, is all you are going to see of Argentina, you can see a little Gauchito Gil shrine on the left side road the leads to the Falls. It is near the ITEC - Iguazu Technical Institute, a school associated with the Canadian Niagara College.