The Bird Park (Parque Das Aves in Portugese), located in the town of Foz do Iguacu, near the famous Iguacu Falls right on the border between the three nations: Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay is a great attraction itself. It's set within the 16 hectares (40 acres) area of sub-tropical rain forest and provides shelter for around a thousand birds (150 species) as well as butterflies and reptiles from both all South America and other exotic places. The park is privately owned and very well maintained. It was opened in 1994.

What is different about this park when compared to other zoos or similar parks is that the most of the cages are huge and the birds and animals can roam and fly free. Also, it's possible to enter those enclosures and admire all the beauty of the exotic colorful birds: wide variety of parrots, toucans, eagles, owls and others. It's a perfect place for photography as there's no fence between the camera and the object so the photos look as if they were taken in the natural, original environment. Toucans even seem to pose for photographs.

It's perfectly possible to visit the Bird Park on the way to Iguassu Falls (I have described it here), on the same day, it will take around 1,5 hour to see the entire park. Be prepared for mosquitoes and other biting insects, a repellent is a must.

How to get to the Iguassu Falls Bird Park

If you are staying in one of the hotels in Foz de Iguacu, you will probably be offered some tours to the Bird Park and the waterfalls. However, using the public transport is really easy and fast as well as considerably cheaper. Here there are some tips how to get to Parque Das Aves:

I took the bus number 120 from the main bus terminal in Foz de Iguacu for 2.20 BRL (0.70 EUR/1 USD) that goes to the Airport (Aerporto/Cataratas). The journey took around 30 minutes and I got off at the stop near the Bird Park (which is also located a couple of minutes walk from the entrance to Iguassu Falls. if you want a taxi ride from Foz do Iguacu, it would be around 50 BRL (16 EUR/22USD). The entry fee to Parque Das Aves is 20 BRL (6.50 EUR/9 USD), free for children under 8.