Iguaçu National Park
Tourist information & accommodation
B&B, Hotels and Hostels in Iguaçu (Brazil) and Iguazú (Argentina)
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The Devil's Gorge, fed by the river Iguazú, is a stunning waterfall 70 meters in height, which serves as a barrier separating two National Parks, one of which is in Argentina and the other in Brazil. Both have been declared World Heritage sites. This spectacular sight lies on the border of Argentina and Brazil. It was simply named "great waters" by the local Indians. It consists of more than 270 cascades and waterfalls, situated on a fault and created by tectonic movements. The natives have named the falls: "Devil’s Throat", "Hidden Throat" and more. There is a legend about the rainbow that crosses over the waterfalls. God told the shaman "I will show the world a marvellous thing". No one believed him and on the night of a full moon, there was a flash of lightning, and suddenly a rainbow appeared. The misty clouds of water endlessly engulf the waterfalls. Spray rises continually, and forms a mist that climbs high into the sky. The water eventually falls onto the surrounding forest. It is this cycle of water that has nurtured diverse species of animals and vegetation in this subtropical jungle.
Created by federal decree nr. 1035 of January 10, 1939,
the Park comprises a total area of 185,262.5 and a length of about 420 km, 300
km of which are natural borders by bodies of water and the Brazilian and
Argentinean sides together comprise around 2250 square kilometres. The Iguaçú National Park owes its name to the fact it
includes an important area of the Iguaçú river, approximately 50 km of the
length of the river and the world famous Iguaçú Falls. It is the most important park of the Prata Basin and,
since it is a haven to a significant genetic asset of animal and vegetal
species, it was the first park in Brazil to receive a Management Plan. The Iguaçú National Park is spectacular as well as
pioneering. The first proposal for a Brazilian national park aimed at providing
a pristine environment to "future generations", just as "it had been created by
God" and endowed with "all possible preservation, from the beautiful to the
sublime, from the picturesque to the awesome" and "an unmatched flora" located
in the "magnificent Iguaçú waterfalls". These were the words used by Andre
Rebouças, an engineer, in his book "Provinces of Paraná, Railways to Mato Grosso
and Bolivia", which started up the campaign aimed at preserving the Iguaçú Falls
way back in 1876, when Yellowstone, the first national park on the planet, was
four years old. The Park is located between 25º04’—25º41’S and
53º38’—54º28’W; in the westernmost region of the state of Paraná, in the Iguaçú
river basin, 17 km from downtown Foz do Iguaçú. It borders Argentina, where the
Iguazu National Park, which was implemented in 1934, is located. The border
between the two countries and their national parks is made by the Iguaçú river,
whose source is near the Serra (mountain range) do Mar near Curitiba and runs
for 18 km throughout the state of Paraná. The river estuary is located 18 km
downriver from the Falls, where it flows into the Paraná river. This meeting of
rivers forms the triple Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay border.
The Iguaçu National Park was inscribed on
the World Heritage List in 1984
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