"Foz do Iguaçu ..." a Foz do Iguaçu Travel Page by Willettsworld

Foz do Iguaçu lies approx 18km from the world famous Iguaçu waterfalls which are the main reason why tourists flock to the area. The city was founded in the 1880's when it was established as a herb tea growing region. The city's other claim to fame is the huge Itaipu hydroelectric power station which consists of one of the largest dams in the world on the River Paraná. After the damn was built the city began to grow at an alarming rate and now has over 270,000 residents making it the sixth largest city in the Paraná state. The city lies near the border with Argentina and Paraguay in the area known as Triplice Fronteira. The nearby Paraguian town of Ciudad del Este is reachable via the Friendship Bridge over which hundreds of smugglers and consumers bring over cheaper goods into Brazil. The town of Puerto Iguazu on the Argentine side can be reached via bus by crossing another bridge known as Ponte Tancredo Neves. Puerto Igauzu is the gateway to the Argentine side of the Igaucu waterfalls.

There's not much to see or do in the city itself except that it has a fairly good shopping street on Ave Brasil. The main attractions are the spectacular Iguaçu waterfalls, the Itaipu hydroelectric power station and the Tropical bird park near the entrance to the waterfalls national park.