25 ARGENTINA & BRAZIL: IguazuFalls

Where the Parana and Iguazu rivers meet, so do the borders of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. Each country has created a landmark in their national colours, which you can see in each country.

Above is the monument in Argentina.

Taller than Niagara Falls, twice as wide with 275 cascades, spread in a horseshoe shape, over nearly two miles of the Iguazu River, Iguazu Falls are the result of a volcanic eruption which left a large crack in the earth. These matter of fact details do nothing to describe the grandeur of the falls, the tremendous amount of water (an average of 553 cubic feet per second) thundering down 269 feet, the tropical location and the sheer beauty that led Eleanor Roosevelt to exclaim “Poor Niagara!”.

Iguazu is four times the width of Niagara Falls.

The Falls are divided by various islands into separate waterfalls. One of the best known is Devil’s Throat, or Garganta del Diablo with its perpetual spray high over the falls.

Enjoying the panorama of Garganta Del Diablo from the Brazilian side

Other notable falls are the San Martin, Bossetti, and Bernabe Mendez.

Iguazu Falls, called Foz do Iguazu in Brazilian, and Cataratas del Iguazu in Spanish, lie on the Argentina - Brazil border and are a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site.

Full rainbow over the Brazilian falls

The falls are part of a singular practically virgin jungle ecosystem protected by Argentine and Brazilian national parks on either side of the cascades. Two thirds of the falls are on the Argentinean side of the river, where you can also tour Iguazu National Park, where there are jungle trails and bird hikes.

Left: on a summer’s day in the sun the splendour of many species of butterflies are displayed to full effect.

Above: the Coatis on the Brazilian side enjoying an afternoon snack due to the generosity of one visitor - Roberto!

The name of the falls comes from the Guarani’ word for great water The first Spanish explorer to see the falls (did you see the film The Mission?) was Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca in 1541 but the vast power of the falls was not fully utilized until the construction of the huge Itaipu hydroelectric power plant built jointly by Paraguay and Brazil. Completed in 1991 the dam is open to tours and provides 12,600,000 KW of power satisfying almost 40% of Brazil and Argentine power needs. The dam one of the largest in the world is touted by both countries as a masterpiece of technology.