Rising high above the jungle, far in the distance, rises a swirling mist that at first looks like smoke. Unlike smoke, it dissapates as it rises above the trees. As you walk through the jungle, sounds of a thousand birds give way to its wild roar. It is Garganta del Diablo (the devil«s throat), a MASSIVE waterfall formed along semicircular ridge. Its roar is accompanied by a choir of waterfalls strung side by side and into one another along a mile-long ridge. New York«s Niagra spews a greater volume per second. Victoria Falls in Africa is much more elegant and five times the height. Yet, Iguazu beats them both in splendor, sound and power. No trip to Argentina is complete without staring down the Devil«s Throat.

The falls can be seen from both the Argentine and the Brazilian side of the Parana River. But only on the Argentine side can you walk along a system of catwalks that take you over the tributary rivers right up to the edge of the falls. You can peer over and watch the torrent plunge into the misty abyss then emerge to pound against San Martin Island below. The sound is incredible«and indescribable. No manmade sounds come close to helping you imagine what it is like. The catwalks also descend to the mid-point of some of the mid-sized falls (still gargantuan) and small boats will take you right up to smaller falls to be completely dowsed. La Garganta del Diablo allows none such nonsense. A lonely catwalk approaches only one edge and the spewing mist prevents you from seeing the hellish churning inside.

The falls are part of a National Park and they draw thousand of visitors each day. They are so immense, however, that it is never crowded on the narrow catwalks that snake their way above the rushing waters. It is amazing to see the calm river flowing rather gently on one the right of the catwalk and just to your left seeing the immediate drop akin to the edge of the earth. Superlatives fall short of the experience. Luckily, digital cameras these days take small movies and we have a few that we will post along with our pictures. You absolutely must come back to see them. These falls are both stunning and frightening. They mimic both the elegance of heaven and the terror of hell and they are absolutely not to be missed.

We had hoped for a sunny day, like our first day in Puerto Iguazu. The day turned out to be overcast and cool. At first we were disappointed, but the weather only added to the mystique and it was an absolutely fabulous day. Even better, just as we returned to the hotel, a thunderstorm arose and even now the thunder continues the roar of Garganta del Diablo.

Tomorrow is a travel day. We will fly to Salta in the northwest of Argentina. This is where we«ll try to jump off the usual tourist trail.