Cataratas del Iguazu, a crescent of waterfalls above the rainforest

Cataratas del Iguazu, known in English as Iguazu Falls, form a sweeping arc of waterfalls along the Iguazu River at the border between Argentina’s Misiones Province and Brazil’s Paraná State. The falls are framed by subtropical rainforest in Iguazu National Park, which was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in the 1980s.

A vast wall of water on the Iguazu River

The key to Cataratas del Iguazu is scale. Along the edge of a basalt plateau, the Iguazu River breaks into an extensive system of waterfalls that runs for about 2.7 km (1.7 miles) across the frontier between Argentina and Brazil.semicircular waterfall Rather than a single drop, the river splits around wooded and rocky islands into hundreds of cataracts that form an almost continuous curtain of falling water.waterfalls of the Iguazu River

Across this arc, the waterfalls vary in height between roughly 60 m and 82 m (197–269 ft), with the tallest section plunging around 82 m (269 ft) into a narrow gorge known as Garganta del Diablo, or Devil’s Throat.maximum drop height In total the system comprises about 275 individual waterfalls and cascades, a figure that gives a sense of how broken and intricate the river’s edge has become here.approximately 275 individual waterfalls

National parks and subtropical forest

On the Argentine side, Cataratas del Iguazu lie within Iguazu National Park in Misiones Province, near the city of Puerto Iguazu at the confluence of the Iguazu and Paraná rivers.between Puerto Iguazú and Foz do Iguaçu The protected area covers tens of thousands of hectares of subtropical rainforest, with dense vegetation surrounding the river canyon and extending away from the rim.protected subtropical rainforest

The park’s forest is home to a rich variety of plants and animals. Surveys report more than 2,000 species of vascular plants, alongside fauna such as tapirs, giant anteaters, howler monkeys, ocelots, jaguars and caimans.over 2,000 species of vascular plants Across the river, the Brazilian side falls within Iguaçu National Park in Paraná State, giving the waterfall system a twin framework of protected landscapes on both banks.designated as a UNESCO’s World Heritage site

Walkways, viewpoints and the border

Visitors encounter Cataratas del Iguazu through a network of walkways and viewpoints that bring the water and forest close without obscuring the overall shape of the falls. On the Argentine side, paths and footbridges follow the upper and lower reaches of the river, passing over and beside channels that suddenly break away into cataracts. Steel walkways extend out across the river to approach Garganta del Diablo, ending near the edge of the main drop with views into the spray-filled gorge.steel footbridges suspended directly over the rushing Iguazu River

The international border between Argentina and Brazil runs through the waterfall system, cutting across the river at Devils Throat and dividing the canyon between the two national parks.boundary line cutting through the Garganta del Diablo From the Brazilian side, viewpoints look back towards the crescent of falls, giving a broad perspective on the basalt escarpment and the way the river steps down into the Paraná basin.waterfall system consists of about 270 falls

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

• Cataratas del Iguazu lie on the Iguazu River between Misiones Province in Argentina and Paraná State in Brazil, reached on the Argentine side via Puerto Iguazu.
• The terrain around the falls combines forest paths, stairways and elevated walkways above the river channels, with some approaches involving extended sections on foot.
• The surrounding region forms a subtropical landscape at low elevation, where humidity and exposure near the waterfalls can be significant on the open walkways.
• The official language on the Argentine side is Spanish and the currency is 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 frontier between Argentina’s Misiones Province and Brazil’s Paraná State, near Puerto Iguazu and Foz do Iguaçu.

What can visitors expect on a visit?

Visitors encounter an extensive series of waterfalls framed by subtropical rainforest, accessed via walkways and viewpoints that pass above river channels and approach Garganta del Diablo.

What makes Cataratas del Iguazu distinctive?

The falls form a large crescent of around 275 individual cataracts stretching for about 2.7 km, with a tallest drop of roughly 82 m into the gorge of Devil’s Throat.