The Paraguayan city of Ciudad del Este is mostly known to the world for being part of the duty-free triangle. However, not only shopaholics are eager to visit this city. Many travelers are attracted by local sights of impressive sizes, which unite three countries at once - Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina.
The famous Iguazu Falls are just a few kilometers away from the city. Some of them belong to each of these countries. The huge natural complex consists of 275 wonderful waterfalls located in the Iguazu National Park. The entire park is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
According to local Indian legend, the waterfall was created by the Gods who wanted to right a wrong. They punished a loving couple who disobeyed their ancestors and secretly left the tribes. While they were sailing on a boat along the fast river towards their dream, the Gods opened a deep gorge, and the waters crashed down onto the sharp rocks. The beautiful girl turned into one of the stones of the waterfall, and the young man became a tree. So he has been forever watching his love from a high cliff since then.
Although the stones that daily caress with the waters of Iguazu are more than 130 million years old, the waterfall was discovered only in 1541 by the Spanish conquistador Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca. He was exploring the dense Paraguayan jungle in search of the treasures of the legendary mystical country of El Dorado. The majestic complex is 82 meters high and almost 3 kilometers wide, which is much wider than the Victoria Falls and higher than the famous Niagara Falls. The largest waterfall is called Devil's Throat: it is the natural border between Argentina and Brazil.
About 2 million tourists visit the Iguazu Falls every year. There are safe routes and equipped viewing platforms, where locals, dressed in national costumes, demonstrate traditional dances and songs.