Iguassu Falls-A Brazilian Perspective

By David Vincent

At the precipice of the Salto Union gangplank, with a several hundred-foot-high curtain of water, enveloping mists and a thunderous concussion drowning out all other sound, one feels almost a part of the majestic Iguassu Falls. It’s not difficult to imagine Spanish explorer Cabeza de Vaca, in the year 1549, awestruck by the very same view.

Long before Europeans ever set foot in this subtropical jungle region at the border of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay, the indigenous Gauraní revered Iguassu Falls as a sacred location and the inspiration of tribal lore. The name Iguassu is derived from Tupi-Guaraní and means “great or big water.” According to legend, a god coveted a beautiful young girl named Naipú. She spurned his affections and instead fled with her mortal lover down the river by canoe. Stung by Naipú’s rejection, the god cleaved the land beneath the river, creating the waterfalls and converting Naipú to a tree in the middle of the falls and her lover to a rock at the base, forever unable to touch.  

Geologists have a different version of the falls’ inception, believing them to be the result of a volcanic eruption and ensuing earthquake that buckled the land along a fault line beneath the Iguazu River. This accident of nature forged the splendor of Iguassu Falls’ 275 individual cascades (during the seasonal low) spread along a horseshoe-shaped rim nearly two miles wide. Taller than Niagara Falls and four times as wide, the spectacle of Iguassu in its lush jungle setting is said to have led Eleanor Roosevelt to proclaim, “Poor Niagara.” While roughly two-thirds of the falls are located on the Argentinian side of the river, the view from the Brazilian side has a decidedly panoramic advantage. It is also from the Brazilian side that one can best glimpse the amazing Garganta del Diablo (Devil’s Throat, located on on the Argentinian side), the tallest of the falls at nearly 100 meters (about 350 feet) high.  

Iguassu Falls can transform a neophyte photographer into a professional, though one should take care not to make a sacrificial offering of a high-priced digital camera to the falls. Getting wet is unavoidable but it’s also half the fun. The walkways are brilliantly designed to be unobtrusive and yet permit visitors to walk over, under and along the falls at various points. Some of the perches are not for the faint of heart, but witnessing the awesome power of the torrents of water is a transcendent experience. Zodiac rubberized crafts equipped with high-powered outboards can zoom visitors up to the base of the falls for a high-priced and exhilarating shower. For an even heftier fee, scenic helicopter tours are available.

The small town of Foz do Iguaçu is an excellent option for overnight stays and has much to offer in its own right. The town (and neighboring communities) counts roughly 270,000 inhabitants and over a hundred lodging possibilities. The Iguaçuenses (locals) are composed of a fascinating array of diverse ethnic groups, including Africans, Arabs Chinese, Germans, Italians and Ukrainians. Inexpensive ethnic restaurants and churrascerias (Brazilian steakhouses) abound. The Parque das Aves (Bird Park) is an excellent place to photograph uncaged native, tropical birds.  

A worthy side trip can also be made to the Itaipu Dam, the world’s largest hydroelectric dam that accounts for nearly a quarter of Brazil’s total energy consumption. On a practical note, Foz do Iguaçu citizens approved a controversial name change to “Iguassu” in 2005, in hopes of facilitating web searches by foreign tourists.