NATURAL WONDERS Force of life
Visitors to Iguazú Falls often overlook the wild Misiones region surrounding it — but one lodge working with the area’s Indigenous Guarani people is hoping to change that. Words: Sarah Marshall
Thumping with a million mini heartbeats, the jungle never sleeps. Insects hum, monkeys squeal and birds trill to create a rapturous symphony. But in the humid equatorial rainforests, almost everyone needs a rest by midday.
Drifting silently along the terracotta waters of the Yacu-I River, I allow the current to carry me downstream. It’s one of hundreds of rivers, streams and creeks eventually making their way to the mighty Iguazú Falls, just over 60 miles away from where I’m kayaking. In 2022, almost three million people visited the falls — a UNESCO World Heritage site that straddles a border with Brazil at the northeastern tip of Argentina and is divided between both countries. Many tourists fly in as part of a broader South America circuit and stay here for only a few days, missing out on the beauty of the Misiones province that lies beyond it on the Argentinian side.
This story is from the January/February 2024 edition of National Geographic Traveller (UK).
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This story is from the January/February 2024 edition of National Geographic Traveller (UK).
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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