Spanning nearly three kilometres across the Iguazú River, the falls comprise around 275 individual waterfalls. The most dramatic section is the Devil's Throat, where an immense volume of water plunges into a chasm filled with mist and spray. The falls lie within both Iguazú National Park in Argentina and Iguaçu National Park in Brazil, with each side offering a very different perspective. Argentina takes you close to the water along walkways through the rainforest, while Brazil provides the wider panoramic views. Surrounded by dense subtropical forest and abundant wildlife, the falls are a place of constant sound, movement and drifting spray.
Iguazú Falls viewed across the gorge from the Argentine side.
The Devil's Throat
The Devil's Throat is the most powerful and dramatic section of the falls. From the walkways the scale is difficult to take in, with huge volumes of water disappearing into a permanent cloud of spray. Even from some distance the sound is constant, while closer to the falls the drifting spray quickly soaks everything.
Beyond the falls
Iguazú is surrounded by subtropical rainforest, and the wildlife is very much part of the experience. Away from the busiest viewpoints, the paths through the forest provide a quieter contrast to the falls, with birds and other wildlife among the vegetation.
Two sides of the falls
The Argentine side easily fills a full day, with a lot of walking and a huge variety of views. The trails and walkways take you through the rainforest and increasingly close to the water, with different sections of the falls appearing throughout the day. The Brazilian side is much smaller and can be explored at a more relaxed pace. Staying at the hotel inside the national park made this particularly enjoyable, with access to the falls at sunrise and again in the evening, when the park was closed to other visitors and the walkways were almost empty.
The Brazilian walkways at sunrise, before the park opened to day visitors.
