
Iguazu and Costa do Sauipe, Brazil
Iguazu
There is an ancient legend about the origin of these waterfalls, which tells how one day a god living in these forests wanted to marry a beautiful aboriginal woman. But she escaped with her lover by canoeing down the Iguazu River. In anger, the god cut the river, and its waters with unknown force fell into the abyss, dooming the lovers to death. The girl turned into a rock at the bottom of the abyss, and her chosen one – into a tree growing on the edge of the cliff…
Iguazu Falls (translated from Guarani – “big water”) – a real wonder of the world. The Iguazu River, 4 km wide, falls from two basalt steps 72 m high. 275 waterfalls. More than 700 tons of water are thrown down every minute. The ground hums and trembles slightly from the roar of falling water. For several kilometers, a mist of spray is visible, which is pierced by dozens of rainbows. The most impressive cascade – the Devil’s Throat – breaks off a cliff 700 meters wide and marks the border between Brazil and Argentina.
Iguazu Falls was discovered by the Spanish conquistador Alvaro Nunez in 1541. The Spaniard was so shocked by what he saw that he called this miracle of nature “the jump of St. Mary.”
Below, in the midst of the water, miraculously rose an island covered with trees. On one side of the island, where the water flows calmly, there is a picturesque beach with yellowish sand. Beyond is a huge city. The people here are kind, there is a lot of entertainment, so even if you come here for a week, you will not have time to get bored.
The waterfalls can be viewed from both Brazil and Argentina. Argentina has the best view. On the Argentinean side, you can pay with reals or dollars.
12 km from the city is the Bird Park – PARC DOS AVES. Iguazu National Park covers an area of 170,000 hectares. The park was opened in 1994 and has 150 species of birds. Here you will see thousands of tropical butterflies, colorful parrots, including very rare ones, hummingbirds, tree ferns, bamboo and flowering creepers.
Itaipu Dam is located 10 km from the city. This is the largest dam in Latin America – it is 6 times more powerful than the Aswan dam.
The city of Foz do Iguacu is located 1500 km from Rio de Janeiro, 1065 km from Sao Paulo. You can get to Iguazu by plane from Rio or Sao Paulo (several flights a day).
The airport is located 13 km from the city center of Foz do Iguaçu.
Climate
The climate is continental, cooler in the evenings than during the day.
From January to March, the cascades of the waterfall are at their fullest due to heavy rains; it should be borne in mind that this period is characterized by hot weather and high humidity; in winter (June-September) the air temperature can drop to +10°С; the weather in Iguazu is changeable and often unpredictable.
Costa do Sauipe
The elite resort is located 70 km from Salvador in the north of the province of Bahia in the area of natural reserves. White sandy beaches with dunes, coconut groves, exotic vegetation, small lakes near the ocean, rivers, lagoons and sunny weather all year round… The Costa do Sauipe is located in an ecological zone protected by the state, with a wide variety of exotic flora and fauna.
Costa do Sauipe is a resort complex consisting of 5 first-class five-star hotels of world famous chains and several posadas (small cozy hotels built in traditional Brazilian style). In the resort area, protected by the state as an ecological reserve, everything is created for recreation. All hotels of the complex are located on a 6-kilometer sandy beach, access to which is available only to guests of the complex.
Climate
In the resort areas near Salvador, there is always great weather for a beach holiday; most of the precipitation falls from April to August; the sunniest season is from October to March; even during the hottest periods, cool breezes blow from the ocean.