The westward winding Rio Iguazu joins the Rio Paraná at the point where Brazil,

Argentina and Paraguay meet.

Welcome to the wonderful Iguazú Falls.

The splendor of the falls with its misty rainbows is almost overwhelming:

there is simply nothing else like it in the world.

Millions of years ago, natural forces split up the Earth's crust,

creating what the indigenous Guaraní people called the "Great Waters".

Iguazú Falls is 1.7 miles wide and is not one but an astonishing 275 waterfalls.

Eighty percent of the falls lies in Argentina and 20 percent in Brazil.

Follow the boardwalk trail through the jungle and stand on viewing platforms opposite

or, if you are feeling brave, on top of.... the falls.

Feel humbled by the power of the tumbling water mass below you.

In the wet season, a maximum of nearly 13,000 cubic meters of water,

that's 450,000 cubic feet, thunders over the combined falls each second.

Enjoy a more serene frontal view of the falls from the shady viewpoints in Brazil.

As seen from here, the river seems to drape itself over the edge like a curtain.

The central point, which receives about half of the river's flow at once,

is called the Garganta del Diablo, or Devil's Throat.

Dare a journey beneath the falls on a speedboat safari. You are guaranteed to get wet!

If you'd rather stay dry,

take a helicopter ride over the U-shaped series of falls to see

how it forms a dramatic chasm in the earth's surface.

Just away from the roaring water mass, is the tranquility of the subtropical rainforest.

Keep an eye out for the coatis, which are after an easy meal. Butterflies,

wild cats, fearsome reptiles and some 400 bird species share this extremely diverse

habitat.

Admire some of the creatures up close in the nearby animal parks.

Come and experience the magic-like spell of Iguazú Falls.

Getting there is easy: There are nearby airports in Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay.

You can even stay the night in the national park!

Though it may not be the tallest, largest or most powerful waterfall in the world,

Iguazú Falls is certainly one of the most picturesque.

UNESCO declared it a protected world heritage site

because it is such a "magnificent liaison between land and water".

Due to its unequaled beauty, Iguazú Falls is one of the world's most cherished wonders

of nature.