Iguazu Falls comprise a semicircular waterfall situated on the border of Brazil and Argentina, not far from Paraguay. Its international name is Iguassu Falls, it is called Iguazu Falls in Argentina, and is known in Brazil as Iguacu Falls.

It is one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the world and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Iguazu Falls complex comprises 275 individual falls spread over 1.6 miles (2.7 km). The tallest of these drops is the “Devil’s Throat” at 80 m in height.

The waterfall reaches a height of 269 feet (82 m), 492.1 feet (150 m) wide and 2,296 feet (700 m) long.. It has the third greatest average flow of water in the world.

The Legend of Iguazu Falls

Wikipedia provides us with a legend of Iguazu Falls::

The name “Iguazu” comes from the Guarani or Tupi words “y” meaning “water”, and “ûasú “[wa?su], meaning “big”.

Legend has it that a deity planned to marry a beautiful woman named Naipí, who fled with her mortal lover Tarobá in a canoe.

In a rage, the deity sliced the river, creating the waterfalls and condemning the lovers to an eternal fall.

The first European to record the existence of the falls was the Spanish conquistador Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca in 1541.

Getting There

Since the Iguazu Falls sit on the border of Brazil and Argentina, you can get there by buying an airfare ticket to fly you to Foz do Iguaçu International Airport in Brazil, or to Cataratas del Iguazú in Argentina.

Brazil

From Foz do Iguaçu International Airport, you can take a taxi or a bus to the entrance of Iguaçu National Park. Taxis are readily available at the airport.

Buses that run every half an hour are also available, at a cheaper rate than a taxi. The bus passes many hotels on its way into the city. The bus will drop you just outside the main visitor’s center at the park entrance.

Argentina

When you arrive at Iguazu International Airport, you can book a taxi in the taxi stand at the baggage claim or ride a minibus to Puerto Iguazu. Taxis here have fixed price to various locations.  Travel time by taxi is about 15 minutes from the airport to the park.