Iguaçu Falls
IguaçU National Park, Created 1939, UNESCO World Heritage Site Inscribed 1986; One Of The New 7 Wonders Of Nature · Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná
Iguaçu Falls are among the largest waterfall systems on earth: some 275 separate falls along almost three kilometres of the Iguaçu River, on the border between Brazil and Argentina, dropping up to about 80 metres into a forested gorge. The Brazilian side, inside Iguaçu National Park, is where you see the whole panorama. A park bus runs from the visitor centre to a walking trail of just over a kilometre that follows the cliff opposite the falls, each viewpoint wider than the last, and ends on a walkway pushed out into the spray below the Devil's Throat, the horseshoe where most of the river goes over. Most of the falls are actually in Argentina, and the Argentine park gives the close-up view from catwalks above and among them; the two sides are complementary and most visitors do both, on separate days. The flow changes enormously with rainfall, from a roaring brown flood to a thinner curtain in a drought year. Coatis, butterflies and swifts are everywhere. It is a genuine wonder and is visited like one: go early.
Parque Nacional do Iguaçu, Rodovia das Cataratas, Foz do Iguaçu, PR, Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná, Brazil
Open every day of the year during daytime hours, from morning to late afternoon. Private cars are not allowed past the visitor centre: everyone parks at the entrance and takes the park's double-decker bus to the trailhead, and the last bus in leaves well before the park closes, so arriving in mid afternoon can leave you with a rushed hour. Tickets are sold at the visitor centre and online, with different rates for Brazilians, Mercosur residents and other foreigners; buying online saves the ticket queue on busy days. The boat trip and helicopter flights are run by separate concessionaires with their own hours and can stop in bad weather or very high water. Walkways near the Devil's Throat are occasionally closed during floods. The Argentine side is a separate national park with its own ticket, its own hours and a border crossing on the bridge, where queues can be long on holidays; both sides should not be squeezed into one day. Confirm hours and prices before going.