Iguazú Falls, located on the border of Argentina and Brazil, is a breathtaking natural wonder formed by the Iguazú River. It consists of 275 individual waterfalls spanning nearly 2 miles, with the tallest waterfall at a height of 269 feet. Together they make up the largest waterfall system in the world. Iguazú Falls are wider than the better-known Victoria Falls in Africa and taller than Niagara Falls in North America. Over 1.8 million gallons of water flow over the falls every second.

Iguazú comes from the native Guarani language which means “great water.” The falls are surrounded by lush rainforests making it a paradise for wildlife and adventurers.

We have missed two opportunities to visit the falls in the past. Before our full-time travels, we failed to visit the falls during a trip to Brazil. and, in 2020, the pandemic stopped our Argentina travel before we could get to the falls. So, this time we made this natural wonder a priority.

To get to the falls, we took a 1 ½ hour flight from Buenos Aires to the small “international” airport outside the port town and the National Park. On the Brazilian side, there is also a small international airport. The falls are in Iguazu’ National Park.

On our first day, we hiked the “upper trail”. The trail provided panoramic views of the falls and the metal walkways span some of the falls. The views are breathtaking, and the photos do not do it justice. We could feel the thunderous force in our bodies as we walked over the falls.

Later, we decided to take a boat ride to the mouth of the falls. This is not like the Niagara Falls boat ride. These boats take you right up to the falls. All you can do is cover your head and hang on. We got thoroughly soaked which was a relief from the hot, humid day. If you are interested in viewing the boating experience, Click here.

After a day of hiking the falls, we returned to our hotel. Heavy rainfall and strong winds knocked out the power throughout most of the city. Through a gap in the sliding glass door, water seeped in and our room began to flood. Because there was no air conditioning, the room quickly became hot, wet, and humid.

Luckily, a restaurant in town still had electricity.  We walked through the rain to escape from our room and we treated ourselves to a nice dinner with plenty to drink. When we returned to our hotel, the floor had been mopped and although there was still no electricity we fell asleep and power was restored the next morning.

The following day, we hired a driver to take us over the border, through customs, to the Brazil national park and we hiked in the Brazilian National Park. Even though 80% of the waterfalls are on the Argentinian side, Devil’s Throat Falls, which is the largest water curtain of Iguazú Falls, is located on the Brazilian side.  Devil’s Throat is made up of 14 falls, is shaped like a horseshoe. and it drops more than 269 feet. From this side of the river, we had a panoramic view of the falls and an up-close and personal view of Devil’s Throat.

We were awestruck at the power and beauty of Iguazú Falls. UNESCO named Iguazú Falls a World Heritage site in 1984 and was voted one of the new natural wonders of the world.

Upon first sight, the first words we uttered were ‘wow’. Eleanor Roosevelt said “Poor Niagara Falls” upon seeing Iguazú Falls, Argentina. We agree with Mrs. Roosevelt on this one. The falls in Iguazú are breathtaking and deserving of every accolade in the book.