Time Traveler

Iguazu Falls, as Eleanor Roosevelt famously observed, "make the Niagara look like a kitchen faucet." This may be an exaggeration but not by much—after all, the Iguazu Falls are four times wider than Ontario's most famous body of water. Located amid lush rainforest at the border of Brazil and Argentina, they present one of the best (and most deafening) opportunities you will ever have for an encounter with the unbridled power of nature.

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The Brazilian side has the panoramas, while the Argentinean side offers proximity to the falls themselves. But viewing from both sides is necessary to complete the experience. There are a series of catwalks from which you can glimpse the 275 small waterfalls: each vista is more spectacular than the last, and comes with brilliantly-colored butterflies, bright blue and green parrots, and moisture-laden air rich with the scent of vetiver grass and pine. The culmination is the Garganta del Diablo—the Devil's Throat—a giant mass of frothy white water tumbling down over 200 feet.

Iguazu can be savored in many ways. For about $60, Helisul, a local operator, will take you on a spectacular 10-minute flight over the falls. Or there's a "Nautical Adventure" tour on motorized rafts helmed by boatmen whose main goal seems to be drenching their passengers. Adrenaline junkies are floated nearly to the precipice on rafts that are pulled to the safety of a tiny outcrop at the last moment. Naturally, rain gear and steady nerves are essential.