Focus Brazil

Foz do Iguaçu

Foz do Iguaçu or the Iguaçu Falls (at the junction between Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay at a bend in the Rio Iguaçu), are waterfalls that are sometimes described as being one of the seven natural Wonders of the World.

Yet these waterfalls are neither the widest waterfalls nor the tallest waterfalls in the world. In fact they are an extensive combination of over 270 separate falls and act as a natural border to the countries of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay.

The falls have a flow capacity equal to three Niagara Falls – having a peak flow of about 400,000 square metres, cover 1.67 miles, are 318 feet at their highest and include the infamous Garganta do Diabo (Devil’s Throat) – which afford the viewer a 260 degrees view of waterfall, as water thunders in on three sides.

The name of the falls comes from the Guarani or Tupi words and means big water. Legend has it that a god planned to marry a beautiful aborigine named Naipí, who fled with her mortal lover Tarobá in a canoe. In a rage, the god sliced the river - creating the waterfalls and condemning the lovers to an eternal fall.

The best time of year to see the falls is between October and December and for intrepid adventurers the thundering of millions of gallons of water falling 250 feet can be experienced up close on the strategically placed walkways and footbridges.

The Paseo Garganta del Diablo, for example, is a one kilometer long walkway directly over the falls of the Garganta del Diablo – and not for the faint of heart!