The Iguazú Falls are among the most spectacular natural wonders of South America. Shared between Argentina and Brazil (with Paraguay not far off), these torrents of water pour over jungle-covered cliffs in a deafening, vertiginous and thoroughly drenching roar.
The falls, 80% in Argentina and 20% in Brazil, are made up of 275 distinct cascades, stretch 2.7 kilometres across, and discharge six million litres of water per second. This is presumably why, in the local indigenous language, the word Iguazú means “great water” — something of an understatement.
At the heart of the falls lies the “Devil's Throat”, an 80-metre-high chasm; from its rim, water plunges into what appears to be a bottomless abyss, from which only the fierce roar of thundering water emerges below.
Although discovered around 1540 by Spanish conquistador Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, the falls remained relatively little known afterwards. They were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984.
The emerald jungle forming the backdrop to the falls (split between Iguazú National Park in Argentina and Iguaçu National Park in Brazil) shelters a multitude of plant and animal species, among them orchids, iguanas, anteaters, jaguars, coatis, butterflies, numerous bird species (such as toucans and parrots), and numerous monkey species (including the famous howler monkey, audible from more than 4 km away). The area can be explored by 4x4 or by boat (watch out for caimans on the latter!).
The Iguazú area is certainly one of the most captivating wildlife spectacles in the world.
