Any tour in Iguazu Falls loses something when the visitor doesn’t take time to investigate the ecological makeup and human history of this unique and important region.Luckily the Iguazu National Park has made huge efforts to enable those visiting to quickly become acquainted with these things in the Interpretation Center ‘Yvyra Reta’. The very name is instructive, coming from the language of the indigenous Guarani, meaning ‘place of the trees.’
The Center itself is made up of two rooms, one devoted to the ecological side of things, the other to the human history of the region. In the former, visitors become acquainted with the very incredible and precariously maintained diversity of the rainforest in this area. Expect to be impressed in how interrelated the species are, as well as how life in this habitat favors diversity. Highlights of this section are the collections of butterflies and ants.
The second room makes a careful and chronological investigation of the relationship between man and the jungle. It introduces the visitor to the lifestyle of the first people in this region, the Guarani. Including several important artifacts, such as a canoe, traps, and even musical instruments, the exhibit enhances one’s admiration for the resourcefulness of these first inhabitants. The investigation continues rapidly through to today (Europeans discovered the Iguazu Falls relatively early in their exploration of South America). It highlights the rapid changes modern human activity have had on the environment, and helps to underline just how important it is to work and preserve humanity’s most valued resource—nature.
From the Interpretation Center it is possible to continue to the park’s two main walks, the Sendero Verde and the Sendero Macuco. Alternatively, only some meters away is the Central station to the Ecological Jungle Train, as well as the main shopping, eating, and resting establishments.
Given that Iguazu Falls National Park is one of the most visited places in South America, the work of this Interpretation Center is all the more important, and has the potential to be that much more effective. So make sure that before venturing down to the wonder of nature itself to become better informed in the area, her people, and how everyone might do something to preserve it for ages to come.
For further information about tours in Iguazu Falls, Argentina vacations or tours in Patagonia, contact Argentina travel experts, Say Hueque – Tours in Argentina www.sayhueque.com
