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Iguazu Falls, the heart of South America – are the top of everyone’s priority list when visiting South America. The falls can be accessed from two countries, Brazil and Argentina. Although majority of visitors visit the falls from the Argentina side through the city of Puerto Iguazú but if you are on a trip to Brazil to attend Rio De Jenero Carnival or a business conference in Sao Paulo – take time out to visit this newly acclaimed wonder of the world.

According to the legend of the falls, a God once wanted to marry a beautiful aboriginal girl named Naipi but the girl fled with her lover Taroba in a canoe. The angry God, in rage sliced the river creating the waterfalls, condemning the two lovers to an eternal fall.

The Iguazu Falls, however a living fantasy for nature lovers. Upon seeing Iguazu, the United States’ First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt reportedly exclaimed “Poor Niagara!” The falls  have been short-listed as a candidate to be one of the new seven wonders of Nature by the New Seven Wonders of the World Foundation and ranks fifth in the category for lake, rivers, and waterfalls. However, there is much debate yet on whether or not the falls should be one of the seven natural wonders of the world, for the competition is tough.

To tell you a little more about the falls, this humongous fall system consists of 275 falls along 2.7 kilometers (1.7 mi) of the Iguazu River and is mutually shared by the Iguazú National Park, Argentina and Iguaçu National Park, Brazil. These parks were designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1984 and 1987.

In comparison to the other two gigantic falls, the Victoria Falls, that separates Zambia and Zimbabwe and the Canadian Niagara Falls – Iguazu is much wider but split into about 275 discrete falls and large islands. What distinguishes it from Victoria Falls, is the its division of smaller falls as Victoria is one giant curtain of water that is pretty much undivided and at over 1,600 m (5,249 ft) wide and over 100 m (328 ft) in height. Comparatively, Iguazu currently has the second greatest average annual flow of any waterfall in the world, after Niagara, with an average rate of 1,746 m3/s (61,660 cu ft).

Iguazu is a special place, for it offers stunning views and convenient walkways and its shape allows for spectacular vistas. At one point a person can stand and be surrounded by 260 degrees of waterfalls. The Devil’s Throat, in Argentina, has water pouring into it from three sides. Likewise, because Iguazu is split into many relatively small falls, one can view these falls, one portion at a time.

From the Brazilian side also, there is a long walkway along the canyon with an extension to the lower base of the Devil’s Throat. In Brazil you can get Helicopter rides offering aerial views of the falls. Argentina has closed the Helicopter trips to avoid their harmful effects on the environment.

As Brazil is the next FIFA Soccer World cup host, Ignazu Falls will be one the major tourist attractions in the coming years. The country’s local airlines offer direct flights to Rio De Jenero, the home of carnival while nearly all the rest of the prominent cities in Brazil are interconnected with cheap regional and domestic flights.

Also, Lan Airlines and Aerolineas Argentinas have direct flights from Buenos Aires and there are also buses available that travel from every major city in the region.