Cataratas del Iguazu: a crescent of great water on the Brazil–Argentina border

Cataratas del Iguazu straddle Brazil and Argentina near Foz do Iguacu, where the Iguazu River plunges in a vast arc of waterfalls into a deep basalt gorge.

Cataratas del Iguazu, known in English as Iguazu Falls, form a sweeping arc of waterfalls where the Iguazu River drops off a basalt plateau at the border between Brazil and Argentina. The cascades lie near Foz do Iguacu in the Brazilian state of Parana and Puerto Iguazu in Argentina’s Misiones Province, in a subtropical landscape that has been protected as national parkland on both sides since the twentieth century.Iguazu National Park

A curtain of water on the Iguazu River

The core of Cataratas del Iguazu is a long, crescent-shaped line of waterfalls where the Iguazu River, a tributary of the Parana River, pours into a narrow gorge cut into the Paraná Plateau.crescent-shaped curtain of water The river has travelled hundreds of kilometres from its source in the Serra do Mar mountains of Brazil before reaching this abrupt break in the plateau, and at the falls it divides into many channels that spill over a basalt edge in separate cataracts.basalt plateau

Geologically, the setting belongs to the Paraná Plateau, a vast area underlain by thick basalt flows created by volcanic activity during the breakup of Gondwana in the Mesozoic era.Parana Plateau basalt At Cataratas del Iguazu the river drops around 70 to 80 m (230 to 260 ft) from the plateau into the gorge, with the falls extending for roughly 2,700 m (8,860 ft) along the rim in a sequence of many individual curtains.2,700-metre waterfall front

Devil’s Throat and the national parks

Among the many cataracts, the feature known as the Devil’s Throat, Garganta del Diablo in Spanish, forms the most dramatic single chasm in the system.Devil’s Throat chasm Here, a large portion of the Iguazu River’s flow plunges into a U-shaped canyon around 82 m (269 ft) high, roughly 150 m (492 ft) wide and about 700 m (2,297 ft) long, with the international border passing through the middle of this feature.dimensions of Devil’s Throat

The waterfalls lie within two adjoining protected areas: Iguazu National Park on the Argentine side and Iguaçu National Park on the Brazilian side.Iguaçu and Iguazu National Parks Iguazu National Park in Misiones was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1984 as a natural site, recognised for the scale of its waterfalls and the rich subtropical forest that surrounds them.1984 World Heritage inscription

Views from Brazil and Argentina

Cataratas del Iguazu can be experienced from both Brazil and Argentina, each side offering a different perspective on the same line of falls. On the Brazilian side, reached through Iguaçu National Park near Foz do Iguacu, visitors stand on walkways and viewpoints set back from the rim, looking along the entire crescent of cascades and across the gorge towards the Argentine bank.location on the border

Across the river in Argentina, Iguazu National Park near Puerto Iguazu offers routes that lead closer to individual cataracts, including walkways that reach the upper edge of some falls and extend out towards the chasm of the Devil’s Throat.Argentine side experience The contrast between panoramic views from Brazil and proximity to the rushing water in Argentina has become part of how Cataratas del Iguazu is experienced from the two countries, with both parks sharing the same river and basalt landscape.

Visiting Cataratas del Iguazu: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• Cataratas del Iguazu lie on the Iguazu River at the frontier between Brazil’s Parana State and Argentina’s Misiones Province, near the cities of Foz do Iguacu and Puerto Iguazu. Access is by road from these urban centres and by air through nearby regional airports.
• The terrain around the falls combines paved paths with stretches of forest trail and elevated walkways above the river gorge. Approaches involve stairways and sections of path exposed to spray from the waterfalls.
• The surrounding region has a humid subtropical climate, with high rainfall supporting dense forest within both national parks and seasonal differences in river flow visible at the falls.
• The official languages are Portuguese in Brazil and Spanish in Argentina, and the currencies are the Brazilian real and the Argentine peso.
• Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.

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Frequently asked questions about Cataratas del Iguazu

Where are Cataratas del Iguazu located?

Cataratas del Iguazu are on the Iguazu River at the border between Brazil’s Parana State and Argentina’s Misiones Province, near Foz do Iguacu and Puerto Iguazu.

What should travellers expect on a visit?

Travellers encounter a long arc of waterfalls dropping from a basalt plateau into a deep gorge, reached via forest paths, elevated walkways and viewpoints on both sides of the river.

What makes Cataratas del Iguazu distinctive among waterfalls?

The combination of hundreds of individual cascades along a 2,700 m (8,860 ft) front, the height of features such as the Devil’s Throat and the protected subtropical forest setting gives the falls their distinctive character.