Cataratas del Iguazu, a vast curtain of water on the Brazil–Argentina border

Cataratas del Iguazu near Foz do Iguacu straddles the Brazil–Argentina border, where hundreds of falls merge into an immense horseshoe of water and mist.

Cataratas del Iguazu, known in English as Iguazu Falls, forms an immense curtain of water where the Iguazu River drops off a basalt plateau on the border between Argentina and Brazil. The falls lie between Misiones province in Argentina and the state of Paraná in Brazil, close to the city of Foz do Iguacu, and they are recognised as one of the planet’s great waterfall landscapes by UNESCO as Iguazu National Park in Argentina and the sister Iguaçu National Park in Brazil.

A waterfall system measured in kilometres

The defining feature of Cataratas del Iguazu is scale: instead of a single drop, the river breaks into hundreds of cataracts that line the edge of the plateau in a broad horseshoe plan. Along the rim, the waterfalls extend for about 2.7 km (1.7 miles), forming what is widely documented as the largest waterfall system in the world across both banks of the Iguazu River.largest waterfall system The semicircular heart of the system reaches around 80 m (262 ft) in height and forms the most continuous section of falling water.semicircular waterfall

Across this basalt rim, the Iguazu River divides into a maze of channels, islands and separate drops, producing around 275 individual waterfalls in years of average flow.275 separate waterfalls The documented height of the various cataracts ranges from about 60 m (197 ft) to around 82 m (269 ft), with the tallest plunges concentrated in the central sector.60–82 metres in height The Iguazu River feeds this system with an average flow calculated at roughly 1,756 m³/s, so a vast volume of water is dropping over the escarpment at any given moment.average discharge figures

Devil’s Throat and the basalt plateau

Within Cataratas del Iguazu, a single sector concentrates much of the drama: Garganta del Diablo, or Devil’s Throat, where the river narrows into a U-shaped gorge and delivers some of its highest drops. This chasm lies directly on the international boundary and carries roughly half of the river’s flow, forming a head of water about 82 m (269 ft) high and approximately 150 m (492 ft) across the rim.Devil’s Throat dimensions At this point, several powerful cataracts converge and fall into a deep canyon, creating a dense column of spray that rises from the plunge pool.

The setting of Cataratas del Iguazu is shaped by volcanic rock: the river drops off the edge of a basalt plateau that spreads over large parts of southern Brazil, northeastern Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.basalt plateau context Geologists assign these layered rocks to the Serra Geral Formation, laid down in the early Cretaceous and now cut by the Iguazu River into cliffs, ledges and islands along the fall line.Serra Geral Formation The basalt’s resistance varies from layer to layer, so the escarpment steps and recesses, giving Cataratas del Iguazu its broken, multi-level profile rather than a single straight drop.

Protected rainforest on two national park frontiers

Cataratas del Iguazu sits inside two protected areas that face each other across the river: Iguazu National Park on the Argentine side and Iguaçu National Park in Brazil. Iguazu National Park in Misiones was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1984 under natural criteria including its scenery and biodiversity.UNESCO inscription 1984 Two years later, Iguaçu National Park in Paraná received its own inscription, and together the two parks protect both the waterfall system and a belt of Atlantic rainforest.

The surrounding forest belongs to the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest, a subtropical ecosystem with high rainfall and dense evergreen canopy. Within the parks, the mosaic of riverbank, spray zones and higher, drier ground supports a wide variety of plant communities and animal species characteristic of this region of South America.Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest Trails and viewpoints on both sides are laid out to reach the river’s edge, mid-level lookouts and high platforms, so visitors encounter Cataratas del Iguazu in stages, from calmer upstream stretches to the intense spray at the falls themselves.

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

• Cataratas del Iguazu lies near the city of Foz do Iguacu in southern Brazil, opposite Puerto Iguazú in northeastern Argentina, and is reached by road from both sides of the border.
• Approaches to main viewpoints involve walking along constructed paths and boardwalks, some with sections over moving water and others close to the escarpment, and several routes include stairways.
• The surrounding terrain is low plateau broken by river canyons, so paths can involve short climbs and descents and exposure to spray from the waterfalls near the river.
• 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 stands on the Iguazu River at the border between Misiones province in Argentina and Paraná state in Brazil, close to Foz do Iguacu.

What should visitors expect on a visit?

Visitors encounter a broad system of waterfalls extending for several kilometres, with constructed paths, platforms and boardwalks that bring views of the river, the cataracts and the surrounding subtropical forest.

What makes Cataratas del Iguazu distinctive among world waterfalls?

The falls combine a very wide horseshoe plan, hundreds of separate cataracts and a powerful sector at Devil’s Throat, all framed by protected Atlantic rainforest on two national park frontiers.