In August 2018, I visited Iguaçu Falls on the border between Brazil and Argentina, the largest cataract system in the world. Iguaçu National Park in Brazil was added to the list of World Heritage Sites in 1987, three years after the complementary park in Argentina. Commentators often claim that one side of the falls is superior to the other, but having also visited Iguazu Falls on the Argentinian side in 2011, in my view, it’s a tie and both sides rank among the world’s greatest natural wonders as the best waterfall system.

I also visited Parque das Aves, an aviary located near the entrance to Iguaçu National Park, which exhibits more than 1,500 birds from 150 species, most from Brazil, including toucans and parrots and plenty of unusual birds that I hadn’t seen before. More than half of the birds were rescued from mistreatment or animal trafficking. The park rehabilitates and releases into the wild as many of its birds as possible.