Warning: Table './sunshine_imh2/cache' is marked as crashed and should be repaired query: SELECT data, created, headers, expire, serialized FROM cache WHERE cid = 'variables' in /home/sunshine61/public_html/includes/database.mysqli.inc on line 128

Warning: Table './sunshine_imh2/cache' is marked as crashed and should be repaired query: UPDATE cache SET data = 'a:1314:{s:13:\"theme_default\";s:11:\"a3_atlantis\";s:13:\"filter_html_1\";s:1:\"1\";s:18:\"node_options_forum\";a:1:{i:0;s:6:\"status\";}s:18:\"drupal_private_key\";s:64:\"5ddf8335b212958291d21fab1076e409a463ed9256d2338c81821b5cf8821e86\";s:10:\"menu_masks\";a:33:{i:0;i:127;i:1;i:126;i:2;i:125;i:3;i:63;i:4;i:62;i:5;i:61;i:6;i:60;i:7;i:59;i:8;i:58;i:9;i:57;i:10;i:56;i:11;i:48;i:12;i:31;i:13;i:30;i:14;i:29;i:15;i:28;i:16;i:25;i:17;i:24;i:18;i:22;i:19;i:21;i:20;i:15;i:21;i:14;i:22;i:13;i:23;i:12;i:24;i:11;i:25;i:10;i:26;i:7;i:27;i:6;i:28;i:5;i:29;i:4;i:30;i:3;i:31;i:2;i:32;i:1;}s:12:\"install_task\";s:4:\"done\";s:13:\"menu_expanded\";a:1:{i:0;s:17:\"menu-taxonomymenu\";}s:9:\"site_name\";s:19:\"INDIAN CHIEF TRAVEL\";s:9:\"site_mail\"; in /home/sunshine61/public_html/includes/database.mysqli.inc on line 128

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/sunshine61/public_html/includes/database.mysqli.inc:128) in /home/sunshine61/public_html/includes/bootstrap.inc on line 636

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/sunshine61/public_html/includes/database.mysqli.inc:128) in /home/sunshine61/public_html/includes/bootstrap.inc on line 637

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/sunshine61/public_html/includes/database.mysqli.inc:128) in /home/sunshine61/public_html/includes/bootstrap.inc on line 638

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/sunshine61/public_html/includes/database.mysqli.inc:128) in /home/sunshine61/public_html/includes/bootstrap.inc on line 639
Iguaçu Falls, Brazil - Iguaçu Falls Travel Guide - Indian Chief Travel
BRAZIL  |  Iguaçu Falls, Brazil Travel Guide
Thursday, March 28, 2024
images

Iguaçu Falls, Brazil

Iguaçu Falls, Brazil
Photo:
 

Iguaçu Falls Travel Guide

Iguaçu Falls are the world’s greatest waterfalls, higher than Niagara Falls and twice as wide as Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. Where Niagara has two massive falls, Iguaçu has 275 separate falls, a number that swells to over 350 in the rainy season (Dec-Mar). Water roars over a precipice three miles wide and 270 feet high. If you think of the falls as a giant horseshoe, you get a good visual picture. The near leg of the horseshoe is Brazil’s side of the falls; the far leg is Argentina’s sector. The rounded portion of the horseshoe is where the two countries meet at Devil’s Throat (Garganta do Diabo). It’s spectacular!

Iguaçu Falls are tucked into the southwestern tip of Brazil’s Paraná state. The Iguaçu River forms the border between Brazil and Argentina here and 18 miles downstream it joins the Paraná River (seventh- largest in the world) to form Brazil’s border with Paraguay.


The Hottest Destinations of Brazil


Iguaçu Falls Orientation

Set in South America’s largest national park, the Iguaçu Falls are primarily on the Argentinean side of the river, which means that the view from the Brazilian side is broader and more panoramic. You can, however, get up close by following the constructed walkways that lead in front of and below the falls. Visiting the falls from the Argentine park allows you to get close views. You should certainly visit from both sides.

Iguaçu Falls were discovered in 1542, but it wasn’t until 1918 that the town, Foz do Iguaçu (Junction), was established. Today it is a small, modern city of 250,000 residents but the number is always substantially larger because so many tourists visit. The city itself has few attractions but has scores of small hotels, restaurants and souvenir shops. More upscale lodgings are located on Rodovia das Cataratas, a 28-km/17-mile road that connects Foz and the Brazilian park. Addresses on this road are numbered by their kilometer distance from Foz.

The national park is actually two parks that work together. The Brazilian park, Parque Nacional do Iguaçu, and the Argentinean park, Parque Nacional Iguazú, envelope the falls and protect the lush jungle that is home to stunning butterflies and hundreds of birds. Although the parks are vast, only the portion near the falls is open to the public. Friends tell us that jaguars and rare orchids flourish in the pristine rainforest.

Nearby Itaipú Hydroelectric Power Plant and Dam allows visitors. A joint effort of Brazil and Paraguay, it is the largest hydroelectric power plant in the world, supplying 25% of Brazil’s electricity and 100% of Paraguay’s.

Last updated November 22, 2013
Posted in   Brazil  |  Iguaçu Falls
No votes yet
Explore the Destination
Amenities and Resources
Trending Themes:

Guides to Popular Ski Resorts

  • Ischgl is a small mountain village turned hip ski resort, with massive appeal among the party-hearty young crowds. It is... Read More

  • Andorra la Vella is its own little world, and not just because it’s a 290-square-mile independent principality (a fifth the... Read More

  • Bariloche (officially San Carlos de Bariloche) is the place to be seen. It is to Argentina what Aspen is to the... Read More

  • Aspen is America's most famous ski resort. And that's an understatement. For, as a ski complex, Aspen is unsurpassed. Its... Read More

  • Zermatt is a small but glamorous mountain resort town, with a population of approximately 5,700. It is one of Switzerland's... Read More

  • St. Moritz is a glitzy, alpine resort town in the celebrated Engadin Valley of Switzerland, with huge notoriety as the... Read More

  • Lake Tahoe is the premier lake resort of America, and the largest alpine lake in all of North America. It is an absolutely... Read More

  • St. Anton, Sankt Anton am Arlberg in German, is Austria's premier ski-bum resort! It's actually a small village cum... Read More

  • Kitzbühel, a small, Tyrolian resort town in the Kitzbüheler Alps, comes with international renown and huge snob appeal, and... Read More

 

Copyright © 2010-2013 Indian Chief Travel Guides. Images tagged as (cc) are licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA license.