Iguazu Falls and Devil’s Throat from the air

Water spray and sunlight create a rainbow in the Devil’s Throat. See the catwalk coming in from the centre top

A wide view of the falls and the Devil’s Throat on the left

Approaching the falls. See the catwalk snaking out from the left
Depending on water levels, Iguazu Falls have anywhere from 150 and 300 separate waterfalls with heights ranging from 60 to 82 metres.
But the star act is the drop known as the Devil’s Throat (Garganta del Diablo in Spanish or Garganta do Diabo in Portuguese). About half of the river’s flow falls into this one long, narrow chasm.
So how big is it? The Devils’ Throat measures 82 by 150 x 700 metres (or 269 by 492 by 2297 feet).

The Iguazu River tumbles over the falls

Another view of the stretch of falls

Looking up to the Iguazu River and Falls
Upon first seeing Iguazu, then US Frist Lady Eleanor Roosevelt reportedly said, Poor Niagara. Those falls, which are on the border between Canada and the United States, are one-third shorter than Iguazu.
A real bonus for me on our second visit to the falls was the chance to view this geographical wonder from the air. Poor John likes to egg me on, so urged me to take a 15-minute helicopter ride over the falls. At that time, such flights were available only from Brazil, but I think they are now offered on both sides.

How I got airborne
It was the perfect opportunity to see just how large the falls are and how they shape the border between Brazil and Argentina.
I hope you enjoy these views as much as I did. And I’ve pointed out the pics where you can clearly see the catwalks going out to the Devil’s Throat.

See the catwalk coming in from the lower left

Most of the length of the falls. I felt lucky to capture this shot
Amazing Peggy! Great captures:)
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Thanks so much.
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Are you on this trip now or is it one you done in the past ?
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It was our trip.
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Ah, right, I thought you were doing this trip now
Really awesome pictures there, just how loud were the falls ?
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Oh gosh, now you tell me I should have recorded them! But yes, they were loud.
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Those are just incredible pictures!
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Thanks so much. It was impossible to take bad pictures. 🙂
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Well, yes, when something is that fabulous!
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Wow! What a stunning landscape. Awe-inspiring.
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I felt so lucky to see it from the air.
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Incredible! It must have been an amazing 15 minutes in that helicopter!
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It really was. Especially because the pilot did a good job of letting everyone in the plane their share of good views.
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So beautiful
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Very beautiful.
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Looks really good, I am not certain that I would take the helicopter ride though!
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Aw, go on!
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Will you have a cup of tea Father?
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Fabulous pictures Peggy. I felt like I was there in the helicopter with you!
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Thank Phyllis. We should ‘travel’ together more often. 🙂
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Amazing photos Peggy, and I bet an amazing experience. 🙂
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Absolutely wonderful experience.
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Even more jealous, to discover that you have also seen them from a helicopter! Those catwalks out to the edges look amazing. I think I would have had to try them.
Best wishes, Pete.
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The helicopter was a big bonus and the catwalks got us really close to the falls.
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Incredible! I especially love the last photo!
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Thanks. I’m partial to the first and last.
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Absolutely amazing pictures of nature’s power.
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Power is right. I wonder just how much electricity it could generate.
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Wow, more great photos Peggy. I was impressed with Niagara falls but this one certainly Covers a bigger area. Beautiful.
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Thanks Dorothy. I can see why Eleanor Roosevelt said, Poor Niagara! 🙂
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Amazing landscape and what a great perspective from the air. I imagine with the size of it, it would be difficult to take it all in from land. Cheers – Susan
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You are so right. We walked and walked around the falls from both sides, but still got no really appreciation for just how huge they really are.
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With all that water I now feel I have to go and make a coffee and take my shower. Great pictures, Peggy.
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Thanks. I bet your shower will be warmer than the cascade at Iguazu.
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What great aerial views. I think it’s that view that is really the only way to appreciate the magnificence.
The falls are really quite extraordinary aren’t they. It’s like a hole in a river (whereas water falls are usually a whole river, in it’s entirety, dropping to a lower height).
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The falls are truly amazing, and the helicopter ride gave me a really appreciation of its size and shape.
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That is about the coolest waterfall I’ve ever seen! Great pictures. Thank you for sharing!
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My pleasure, thanks for stopping by.
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I admire your adventures and your enthusiasm.
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Thanks. We’re lucky to have good health so we can do these adventures.
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Love all these aerial shots! It gives a great overview.
Alison
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Thanks. I thought so too.
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I’ve seen photos of these falls, but never from above, and never so many views of the Devil’s Throat. Simply spectacular – if that word hadn’t existed, it would have to be invented to describe these falls. Thanks for sharing your adventures.
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So pleased you enjoyed it. I hadn’t seen many aerial views, so thought it was important to share these pics.
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Wow, such stunning photos and an amazing adventure. Truly a trip of a lifetime. Thanks for sharing your wonderful experience and beautiful photos Peggy.
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My pleasure. Thanks for stopping by and for commenting.
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You’re welcome.
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Wow, spectacular falls, stunning shots!
Ciao
Sid
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Thanks Sid. Always glad to have you stop by.
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These are amazing pictures.
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Thanks so much.
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Fabulous photos Peggy. I’d never heard of these falls, and am so glad that to have read your posts, which inspired me to do a bit of geologic sleuthing. The falls are spectacular, and as you probably know, are a result of erosion along major faults in the volcanic rocks. The ground photos are great, but you should thank poor John for encouraging you to take the chopper flight. Great stuff! ~James
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You’ll have to get yourselves to South America so you can see these in person.
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Wow! I visited the falls (from both the sides) late last month but never expected it to look so amazing from above! Great post.
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So glad you’ve had the chance to see them too.
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Amazing pix, Peggy.
It appears that the falls are so spread out because the surrounding land is very flat, allowing the river above the falls to spread over a wide area. The falls are indeed spectacular, but (in my opinion) lacking the scenic beauty of falls in mountainous settings.
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I see what you mean, although the area looks more mountainous when you view the falls from the catwalks on the lower levels.
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What a beautiful and spectacular natural. phenomenon. Well done in capturing such good photos.
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Thank you so much.
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Amazing trip 🙂
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It sure was.
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What a great adventure! Especially from the air. I wish I were a bird Somehow that seems ‘safer’ than a helicopter! Absolutely spectacular. I can’t even imagine the noise of the water.
Elouise
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It was a wonderful adventure—and the helicopter was noisy too! 🙂
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Wow stunning Peggy!
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It really is!
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Thanks for showing us all of this!
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My pleasure.
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Beautiful views and photos. I am not sure whether I would be courageous enough to fly over some falls, though. 🙂
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I did a microflight over the Victoria Falls, but that’s just in my mind’s eye because I wasn’t allowed to take a camera.
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Oh my! that looks very scary if someone was to fall in, have you heard of deaths occurring there? I think it looks beautiful though from the views you were able to see it from! I have never been close to a waterfall nor been near one, so I think that would be awesome to see in person!
Shay-lon
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I haven’t heard of anyone falling in, but if they did, they would have had to climb over the protective barriers. That happened not so long ago in Australia, when two fellows climbed over the barriers and fell over a cliff and died. Very sad.
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Oh my! I had not known that! wow. very sad. Well I am happy to hear that as of now none have been recorded. I couldn’t imagine.
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I can’t imagine either.
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Estuve hace un año allí. saludos j re
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I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.
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saludos un abrazo j re
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Fantastic photographs! Worth every second spent in that awful copter 😉 The catwalk looks even scarier 🙂 Thank you for sharing!
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Actually the catwalks were excellent. Wide and stable, and covered in butterflies.
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How long did it take to walk? What a breathtaking experience!
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I can’t remember exactly. They really aren’t that long, but we took our time photographing and enjoying the sights.
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WOW!! You did a great job with the photos what a fantastic ride that must have been!! 🙂
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Thanks. It was a fabulous ride.
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Stunning views and photos!
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Thanks so much.
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It’s a very impressive place. It reminds me slightly of the time as a kid when I left the bath running too long, but on a much vaster, more impressive scale. 🙂
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I’ve seen the bathtub version myself. This was much better. 🙂
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I’d certainly give it the edge. I very much hope to be able to see it for myself one day. 🙂
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Hope you get there.
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We’re here now on the Argentinian side and our birding guide told us the helicopter rides are only allowed on the Brazilian side. The copters are supposed to stay in Brazilian airspace but sometimes manage to “stray” over onto the Argentinan side for a good tip. I’m sure it was quit the view from above but getting sprayed with water while viewing the falls right up close at Devil’s Throat was a thrill!
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I saw something online that implied helicopter rides were possible from Argentina. I wonder what it says in the fine print? 🙂 And yes, getting sprayed at the Devil’s Throat is a huge thrill.
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Awesome great captures
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Thanks so much.
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Absolutely stunning photos Peggy. The Devil’s Throat looks amazing and I’d love to go up in a helicopter and see it as you did.
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It was such a wonderful opportunity.
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Absolutely beautiful! I’d love to see these falls in person…majestic!
🙂
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I hope you get to someday.
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Wow! Breath taking, Peggy!!!
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They really are. Thanks for stopping by.
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The benefit of getting so far behind in reading blogs is that I didn’t have to wait long at all to see this second set of photos! The views from the helicopter definitely give an entirely new perspective of the Falls!
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You’re right, a big bonus of the flight was to see how the falls are shaped.
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you guys certainly do get around. great pics always. continue…
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Thanks, I will. 🙂
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Oh, I am soooo jealous. Iguazu by air! I visited a few years ago, but I did not see the helicopter option anywhere…but I was on the Argentina side. But I didn’t even see a helo! I did a boat ride under the falls, which was cool, and wet. And took that train ride and I walked along that long walkway out to Devil’s Throat. But man…by air!! What great photos!
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Thanks. There wasn’t a helicopter option on the Argentine side and, like you, we didn’t see one in the air from that side.
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I guess it means I must return?? Dang the luck
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This is so dramatic and incredible! I don’t think I could walk along that catwalk to get up close, by air is definitely the best way to go 🙂
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I’m really glad I was able to do both.
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Really beautiful. I especially like the touch of rainbow in the first pic.
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Thanks. It was one of those things I wasn’t sure I’d captured until I downloaded the image from the camera.
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Wow!
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I know.
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Have a very nice day Peggy
Kisses
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Thanks Anita. Have a wonderful day and kisses to you too.
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oh very welcome
kisses
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Looks good 🙂 🙂
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Thanks.
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Poor Niagara, indeed! Utterly breathtaking.
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Let’s not tell Niagara about Iguazu. 🙂
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Very impressive.
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They are indeed.
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It’s a beautiful fall
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Yes, so very beautiful.
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Wow!!!this looks so dramatic! Excellent captures!:)
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It was especially dramatic from the air. Thanks for stopping by.
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Great Pictures..
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Thanks so much.
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Wow, Peggy! Those falls look amazing. It’s kind of funny that many people know of Niagara Falls but there are some spectacular falls in other places in the world. It must have been fantastic to view them from the air. Thanks for the pictures. Puts our little “trickles” near Brisbane to shame. Haha. 🙂
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I felt especially lucky to see these falls from both sides and from the air. They are absolutely magnificent and put lots of little ‘trickles’ to shame.
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Ai yi yiiiiiiiii – I got vertigo from just looking at your pictures. You are braver than I – helicopters give me the ai yi yiiiiiiiiiiiiiii’s.
Glad you took the ride and the pictures – pretty spectacular.
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I hope you’ve landed safely back in your chair after I given you a buzz over the falls. Whee!
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You are so lucky to have traveled to so many places. This one tops the list so far for me!
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Glad you like it so much. We know we are lucky to be able to travel widely and appreciate the fact every day. This was a fantastic stop.
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Incredible pictures and incredible place!! Wonderful👍
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Thanks so much. Appreciate your visit and comment.
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You are most welcome 🙂
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O my gosh! I loved this entry. What an awesome journey you have taken me on, again! I especially loved the photo of the river splashing into the ocean. That took my breath away. Thank you, Peggy for taking me with you. 🙂 ❤
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Thanks for coming along. The falls are tremendous in so many ways. You can see how huge they are from the air, but even from the ground they make you feel miniscule.
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A great reminder for us earthlings 🙂
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You bet!
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This place looks so amazing. There I want travel one day 🙂
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It’s completely breathtaking. Hope you get there the next time you are in Brazil.
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The are so many places in Brazil that I want to travel to 😊
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Hope you get to all of them. 🙂
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Beautiful Pictures…God in all his glory!
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Thanks so much.
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Wonderful👍Wonderful👍(*L*)
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