The Río Iguaçu arises in the mountains of Paraná, Santa Catarina and the Serra do Mar not far from Brazil's coast, northwest of Rio de Janeiro. The river runs westwards for about 600 km (372 mi), before it widens and plunges 80 m (262 ft) down the Iguazú Falls (Iguaçu Falls).

The first European to record the existence of the falls was the Spanish Conquistador Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, who explored the area in 1541.

The Iguazú Falls are in Argentina's northeastern corner, close to the borders with Brazil and Paraguay, not far east of the confluence of the Iguazú and Paraná rivers. The falls are over 3 km (2 mi) wide and some 5,000 m³ (176,570 cu ft) of water passes over the edge every second, making them the largest waterfall-system in the world.

The name Iguazú is derived from the word 'y', which means 'water' and the word 'guasu', which means 'big', in the local Guarani and Tupi languages. Thus Iguazú means 'big water'.

According to legend, the falls were created, when a deity wanted to marry a beautiful woman named Naipí. She didn't want that and fled with her lover Tarobá in a canoe. The deity sliced the river in his anger and created the waterfalls, condemning the lovers to an eternal fall.

The area around the falls is part of the 55,000 hectares (135,850 acres) large Parque Nacional Iguazú (Iguaçu National Park). Most of the area consists of subtropical rainforest, where numerous animals roam. In the park you can also see the ruins of old Jezuit missions, as well as the town of San Ignacio Miní, where most buildings were erected in a style known as 'Guaraní baroque'. Canoeing, kayaking and other water sports can be done in the rivers upstream from the falls.

The nearest accommodation can be found in the border town of Puerto Iguazú, which can also be accessed from Brazil. Accommodation is also available in Ciudad del Este in Paraguay and in Foz do Iguaçu in Brazil.

The Iguazú Falls are 1,050 km northeast of Buenos Aires. The best time of year to visit the falls is from August to November, when there is least risk of floodwaters hindering the approach to the catwalks. A walkway provides a panoramic view of the falls from the Brazilian side. The Iguazú Falls were inscribed into the UNESCO list owf world heritage sites in 2013.

Iguazú Falls ©Derek Oyen

Iguazú Falls ©Jade Marchand

A walkway provides panoramic views over the falls ©Domie Sharpin

Iguazú Falls ©Pau Sayrol

Aireal view of the falls and the walkways ©Federico Garcia

Iguazú Falls ©Ondrej Bocek

A walkway provides panoramic views over the falls ©Sasha Lantukh

A walkway provides panoramic views over the falls ©Jeffrey Eisen

There are many colourful birds in the forests around the falls ©Jeffrey Eisen

There are many colourful birds in the forests around the falls ©Nadine Marfurt

There are many colourful birds in the forests around the falls ©Nadine Marfurt

There are many colourful birds in the forests around the falls ©Nadine Marfurt