Cataratas del Iguazu, the great horseshoe of water at Foz do Iguacu
Published on 09/10/2026 at 07:08 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Cataratas del Iguazu, known in English as Iguazu Falls, form a vast curtain of water on the Iguazu River between Foz do Iguacu in Brazil and Misiones in Argentina. The waterfall system sits within Iguazu National Park and Iguaçu National Park, protected areas inscribed as a natural World Heritage Site in 1984.
A waterfall system stretched across two countries
The Iguazu River runs west through Brazil before reaching the border with Argentina and breaking over a basalt plateau in hundreds of separate falls. Across a front measured at about 2.7 km (1.7 mi), water drops in stages between roughly 60 m and 82 m (197–269 ft), forming what is widely described as the world’s largest waterfall system by number of individual cataracts.largest waterfall system The river above the escarpment is known as the upper Iguazu, while below the falls it becomes the lower Iguazu, continuing on towards its confluence with the Paraná River.upper and lower Iguazu
The cascades lie directly on the international boundary, with most of the individual waterfalls on the Argentine bank and wide panoramic viewpoints on the Brazilian side. The city of Foz do Iguacu, in the state of Paraná, forms the main Brazilian urban gateway, mirrored by Puerto Iguazú in Misiones on the Argentine side.between Puerto Iguazú and Foz do Iguaçu From the walkways and terraces, visitors look out over a landscape of broken cliffs, separate water columns and dense forest that extends into both countries.
Basalt, rainforest and the semicircular drop
Cataratas del Iguazu occupy a basaltic rim laid down by ancient volcanic activity, where erosion in the river channel has carved a notch in the plateau. Over this rim, hundreds of falls tumble into a canyon lined with subtropical rainforest that belongs to the Atlantic Forest biome. The central waterfall line forms a broad, semicircular cataract roughly 80 m (262 ft) high and 2,700 m (8,860 ft) across, a geometry that is often compared to a giant horseshoe of rock and water.semicircular waterfall In plan, the falls occupy almost three kilometres of river width, broken by islands and promontories.
The surrounding protected areas of Iguazu National Park in Argentina and Iguaçu National Park in Brazil preserve swathes of subtropical forest, cliffs and riverbanks around the cataracts.Iguazú National Park Trails and viewing platforms run through this vegetation, where tree trunks, lianas and river branches give the waterfall system a setting of dense green. The rock underfoot is dark, fine-grained basalt, exposed in ledges and walls along the gorge, with the river cutting into it to form multiple lips and steps.
The Garganta del Diablo and the many individual falls
Among the many cataracts at Cataratas del Iguazu, one feature stands out by size: the Garganta del Diablo, or Devil’s Throat, a U-shaped chasm where water drops about 82 m (269 ft) in a concentrated torrent.Devil’s Throat dimensions Here, the river narrows and plunges into a deep canyon, with spray rising from the impact zone and surrounding rock faces. On maps, this formation marks the exact border between Argentina and Brazil, a point where the political line follows the edge of the escarpment.
Across the wider system, the number of distinct waterfalls varies with the river’s discharge and the way water divides around islands and promontories, but descriptions consistently refer to around 275 individual drops making up the whole complex.275 individual cataracts Some are narrow side streams, others are broad curtains, and together they form parallel lines, broken arcs and smaller horseshoe shapes along the cliff edge. Walkways on both banks bring visitors close to some of these falls from above and from below, where the sound of water hitting the lower river dominates the gorge.
Visiting Cataratas del Iguazu: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- Cataratas del Iguazu lie on the Iguazu River along the border between Brazil and Argentina, reached from the Brazilian city of Foz do Iguacu or the Argentine town of Puerto Iguazú.
- The terrain around the falls includes elevated walkways, staircases and viewpoints above a river gorge, with humid subtropical forest and exposed basalt rock near the water.
- The official languages at the falls are Portuguese on the Brazilian side and Spanish on the Argentine side, and the national 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 are on the Iguazu River at the border between Misiones Province in Argentina and Paraná State in Brazil, near Foz do Iguacu and Puerto Iguazú.
What should visitors expect on a visit?
Visitors encounter a wide front of waterfalls dropping into a river gorge, reached by elevated walkways, staircases and viewpoints set within subtropical forest on both sides of the border.
What makes Cataratas del Iguazu distinctive among major waterfalls?
The falls form a semicircular horseshoe about 2.7 km (1.7 mi) wide with hundreds of individual cataracts, including the deep chasm of the Garganta del Diablo at the centre of the system.
