Maybe the Most Amazing Waterfalls on the Planet - Iguazu Falls
Iguazu Falls are one of the most spectacular sights in the world. Taller than Niagara Falls, twice as wide with 275 cascades spread in a horsehoe shape over nearly two miles of the Iguazu River, Iguazú Falls are the result of a volcanic eruption which left yet another large crack in the earth. Iguazú Falls is undoubtedly the most visited place in Misiones and one of the most imposing natural attractions in Argentina, and why not in South America.
The waterfall system consists of about 270 falls along 2.7 kilometres (1.67 miles) of the Iguazu River. The average drop from the top of the falls to the narrow canyon below is 240 feet (by contrast, Niagara Falls drops 170 feet on the Canadian side and only 110 feet on the American side). Iguazú river is born in Paraná state in Brazil, and after crossing 1,200 km. on a plateau where it receives several affluents, it reaches a fault forming a crack in the interleaved layers of sandstone and basalt where the river runs.
Most of the falls are within Argentine territory, but from the Brazilian side a more panoramic view of the Garganta del Diablo is obtained. Many islands split up the falls, including several large ones. About 900 metres of the 2.7-kilometre length does not have water flowing over it. The first European to find the falls was the Spanish Conquistador Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca, after whom one of the falls in the Argentine side is named.
The name Iguazu comes from the Guarani words y (water) and guasu (big). The legend says that a god pretended to marry a beautiful aborigine named Naipú, who fled with her mortal lover in a canoe. In rage, the god sliced the river creating the waterfalls, condemning the lovers to an eternal fall.
From the visitors center you can walk around trails or in a picturesque train. There are two basic circuits: an upper path and a lower path. The lower path leads to the base of the falls, where the spray moistens visitors. It is a unique experience, worth daring the adventure. In this circuit you may also take a boat to Isla San Martín. From the upper path you have panoramic views from the footbridge in an unforgettable experience.
The falls that can be visited are: Salto Floriano, Salto Deodoro, Salto Benjamín Constant, Salto Unión, Salto Escondido, Salto Mitre, Salto Belgrano, Salto Rivadavia, Salto Tres Mosqueteros, Salto Dos Mosqueteros, Salto San Martín, Salto Adán y Eva, Salto Bozzetti, Salto Ramirez, Salto Chico, Salto Dos Hermanos and Salto Alvar Nuñez .
Apart from waterfalls, the jungle offers a series of alternatives in a dump but slightly fresher environment with a wide variety of animals and plants. Almost 500 species of wild fowl, 80 species of mammals and an immense variety of reptiles, fish, insects and butterflies live in this ecosystem.
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November 17th, 2006 at 5:55 am
[…] The most imposing natural attractions in Argentina, and why not in South America Iguazu Falls are one of the most spectacular sights in the world. Depending on the season and water flows, Iguazu is made up of 150 to 270 subsidiary falls that stretch across a two mile area of Argentina and Brazil. The average drop from the top of the falls to the narrow canyon below is 240 feet (by contrast, Niagara Falls drops 170 feet on the Canadian side and only 110 feet on the American side). The falls can be seen up close (plan to get wet) by walking along the upper and lower “circuits” of walkways. Both are well worth traversing. The upper circuit is much flatter and an easier walk and offers wonderful panoramas and views looking over the falls. The lower circuit affords views looking up at the falls and also leads to a short ferry ride across to the Isla San Martin. Across the Rio Iguazu, on the Brazilian side, is another hotel and more walkways offering what are said to be more panoramic views of the falls (I didn’t go to the Brazilian side). The Brazilian hotel also operates helicopter rides over the falls that, from the Argentine side, are noisy and obnoxious and, according to Argentine naturalists, are disrupting the breeding habits of the many birds in the area. I was able to get a good view of the falls from the air on the commercial flight back to Buenos Aires, courtesy of the pilot who circled around twice so that all the passengers would be able to see. This river runs through a smooth geography until it reaches a series of faults, and suddenly an 80 m. canyon in the Devil’s Throat where the water produces a thundering sound and then drains into the Parana river. A legend says that a big snake called “Boi” lived in the river. To calm its ferocity, aborigines sacrificed a woman every year as an offering. But once a brave guarani aborigin kidnapped the woman and saved her from the traditional rite escaping through the river. Boi burst in anger, bent its body and split the river forming the cataracts separating the man and the woman. The falls that can be visited are: Salto Floriano, Salto Deodoro, Salto Benjamín Constant, Salto Unión, Salto Escondido, Salto Mitre, Salto Belgrano, Salto Rivadavia, Salto Tres Mosqueteros, Salto Dos Mosqueteros, Salto San Martín, Salto Adán y Eva, Salto Bozzetti, Salto Ramirez, Salto Chico, Salto Dos Hermanos and Salto Alvar Nuñez . Leaving from Cataratas station, we go to the footbridge on the upper part of the river. We get to the balcony on the Devil’s Throat, the biggest fall with such a big flow of water that you will be overcome by the grandeur of the scenery. The lovers of adventure travelling can acces to more intense circuits. Apart from waterfalls, the jungle offers a series of alternatives in a dump but slightly fresher environment with a wide variety of animals and plants. Almost 500 species of wild fowl, 80 species of mammals and an immense variety of reptiles, fish, insects and butterflies live in this ecosystem. Only some meters from the Research Center is Macuco Trail, a 3 km. walking path through the dense jungle with different degrees of difficulty. It is a 2 hour walk to Salto Arrechea. A private operator offers a more daring alternative. Leaving in a 4×4 vehicle we drive 8 km. through the jungle to the coast of the inferior Iguazu river. Some semi-rigid rafts with powerful engines will be waiting for us to go upstream and into the mist veil formed by the cascades. Another option is to take a rowing boat in the upper Iguazú river to watch the animals and plants in this delta, and maybe see some water tortoises or yacares sunbathing on the coast. Iguazú is a singular environment that inspired the writer Horacio Quiroga in his “Tales of the Jungle“. Share and enjoy […]