Iguazu Falls travel guide

One of the most compelling reasons to travel is to experience the sheer power of nature, to be completely overwhelmed by it. When it comes to nature’s might, Iguazú Falls delivers in bucketloads – around 1,500 cubic metres per second, to be exact. There are in fact over 270 falls here, stretching out over 2.7km, and plunging twice the height of Niagara. As you approach, you’ll hear the roar long before you set sight on the falls. That roar, deep from within the Devil’s Throat is a warning; Iguazú Falls aren’t just there to be looked at – they’ll soak you to your core.

Iguazú is mesmerising in itself – take time to lose yourself in the rushing water which throws rainbows into the air. But as our Iguazú Falls travel guide explains, you should take time, too, to walk the nature trails through the surrounding national park, to discover the wildlife that lives beside the mighty waterfall, and to take a boat over the rapids and as close as you dare to the base of the Great Waters.

Iguazú Falls span the border between Brazil and Argentina – and are just a short hop from Paraguay. Unfortunately, being on the edge of all three countries means they are not really on the way to anywhere, and visitors coming to Iguazú almost always have to make a special trip here. What’s more, they are a long way from any other tourist attraction in Argentina or Brazil, and these countries are both vast – Iguazú is a 16-hour bus ride from Sao Paolo – or a 24 hour odyssey from Buenos Aires. Happily, there are two airport located nearby; Argentina’s Cataratas del Iguazú and Foz do Iguaçu Airport in Brazil. Direct flights take two hours from Buenos Aires and an hour and 45 minutes from Rio de Janeiro – although they are more costly than you would expect for flight of a similar duration in Europe.

If you really want to take the alternative route, the much overlooked Paraguay is your answer; the drive from the tranquil capital of Asunción takes just five or six hours, and this is a popular option on South America overland tours.