Walking Among Waterfalls
My incredible experience at South America’s Iguassu Falls

Article and photos by Dan Friesen

My walk-planning travels have allowed me to explore many of the world’s man-made wonders — the seemingly endless expanse of China’s Great Wall, the mystical grandeur of Peru’s Machu Picchu, the vivid, impressive domes of Moscow’s Cathedral of St. Basil. In nature’s realm, I have encountered countless breathtaking landscapes — the panoramas of the Swiss Alps, where idyllic green pastures sprinkled with colorful wildflowers and grazing Swiss brown cows meet majestic walls of granite laced with rivers of ice; the bursting waterfalls and looming cliffs of Norway’s spectacular Geirangerfjord; and the overwhelming vistas of both Africa’s Victoria Falls and North America’s Niagara Falls. But among these experiences, the Iguassu Falls of Argentina and Brazil take their place as one of the most breathtaking corners of the planet I have yet encountered.

I first experienced the Iguassu Falls in June. Our walk there was an all-day experience. We headed out of Foz do Iguaçu during the early morning, with the temperatures crisp and a clear sky overhead. Our first stop was the border between Brazil and Argentina, where we crossed over to Argentina and began our walk from the Argentinean side of Iguassu Falls.

Ciro, our Brazilian guide, led us on a walk that began in stands of an Atlantic rainforest, the dominant ecosystem in the region around the falls. We then boarded a narrow gauge train for a ride down to the river’s edge. Disembarking there, we stepped on to an impressive steel catwalk over the Iguassu River that led to the most striking cataract of all — the Devil’s Throat.

Iguassu Falls is more than one and a half miles wide, and is comprised of more than 280 separate cataracts. Depending upon the time of year, and recent rainfalls, these falls can dissipate to a handful of trickles, or grow to one massive roar of muddy water. Today, the water was fairly high, granting us perfect viewing conditions.

We walked along the catwalk for half a mile, heading toward a plume of spray generated by the mighty falls. We knew we were approaching the tumult when we encountered returning visitors cloaked in rain parkas and soaking wet. Soon we were enveloped in huge clouds of mist, generated by the thundering cascades. The drenching haze ebbed and flowed with the wind’s currents, and as it swirled over the face of the falls, this mist produced stunning rainbows.

Though it is hard to believe when confronted with the breathtaking scope of Iguassu, this fall’s volume is actually smaller than that of Niagara, due to the Iguassu River’s shallower depth. The spectacle of Iguassu, however, is far more impressive than Niagara, partly because Iguassu is higher — 218 feet compared to about 160 feet at Niagara — and partly because Iguassu is so expansive — over one and a half miles wide compared to a few hundred feet at Niagara.

On our return from the Devil’s Throat, we joined a group headed for a different kind of falls experience — an excursion on jetboats. From our seats at the front of the boat, my companion and I had great views as we motored over the rapids up into the heart of one of the cataracts. After spinning past a few of the impressive side falls, our pilot gave us the “stow all gear” signal, indicating that we were headed into the spray zone. As our boat danced over rapids, seemingly inches away from the crashing cascades, “wet” failed to describe our condition.

Disembarking from our craft, we resumed our walk toward the Upper Trail. We now enjoyed yet another perspective from below the falls, and then further on from terraced viewpoints as we climbed to the top. There we entered the Upper Trail boardwalk, which took us above several more cataracts, including those that had dumped their torrents upon us during our boat ride. We walked on in continual wonder at the marvelous views of dozens of gushing falls extending to the horizon!

As the sun began to set, we reluctantly reversed our course. The final leg of our route led us back to the entrance of the national park — making our total about 10 kilometers (around six miles) of walking for the day. Iguassu did not disappoint us!

Dan Friesen is the owner of Walking Adventures International (WAI), Vancouver, WA. Read more about Dan’s adventures in Brazil at www.walkingadventures.com/blog.