A very interesting place that can be visited from Iguazu are the Moconá Falls, a very unique location that extends for about three kilometers, and it’s different. Indeed, it’s a perpendicular cut to the river, which makes it very attractive to see.
WHAT ARE THE MOCONÁ FALLS? WHAT CAN I SEE THERE?
The Moconá Falls are waterfalls ranging from 5 to 10 meters in height, interrupting the course of the Uruguay River for about 3 kilometers on the border between Brazil and Argentina. The peculiarity of these waterfalls, or falls, is that they are not transverse to the course of the waters like most waterfalls, but rather longitudinal, making the place very different.
MOCONA FALLS: LOCATION
The Moconá Falls are located 337 kilometers from the city of Posadas, as of the update of this information (10/12/2010), completely paved and in excellent condition. The Route No. 12 must be followed until the city of Jardín América, from there the Provincial Route 7 must be taken to Aristóbulo del Valle. From there, the RN14 must be followed to San Vicente, from where the provincial route that connects this city with El Soberbio is followed. Once there, the Provincial Route 2 or “Papa Juan Pablo II”, which borders the shores of the Uruguay River, must be followed.
Following the coastal route, you should arrive at Mesa Redonda, the crossroads where Route 2 continues towards Colonia Paraíso, and the other path leads to the falls. From here, it is only 18 km to the Moconá Falls. Alternatively, one can go from the city of Posadas to Concepción de la Sierra and then along Route 2 to El Soberbio, taking a longer but more scenic route.
HOW WERE THE MOCONÁ FALLS FORMED?
The channel where the falls drop is a major geological fault that made a longitudinal cut on the Uruguay River, between the mouths of the Yabotí stream and the Pepirí Guazú River (on the Argentine side), and the Serapio and Calixto rivers (on the Brazilian side), reaching depths of up to 170 meters at some points. As the border line between Argentina and Brazil runs through the river’s channel or thalweg, the Moconá Falls are almost entirely on the Argentine side, except for the northernmost end where the falls are on both sides of the thalweg and are called the Yucumã falls on the Brazilian side. The area is within the Yabotí Biosphere Reserve.
WHAT DOES THE WORD MOCONÁ MEAN?
In Guarani language, Moconá means “that which swallows everything.” With rugged relief, crossed by numerous river and stream courses and covered by a significant forest mass, the Moconá Falls offer more than a hundred alternatives to experience nature.
FLORA AND FAUNA IN MOCONÁ FALLS
One can observe the flora and fauna by entering the trails, discovering at every step how a myriad of life forms coexist harmoniously: trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytic plants alongside birds, mammals, reptiles, fish, and amphibians in a natural balance. Not all seasons are suitable for seeing the falls; it depends on the river’s flow, only when it is low can the falls be seen.
MOCONÁ FALLS, A BIT OF HISTORY
The Moconá reserve was created in 1967, after Juan Alberto Harriet, the landowner, donated the 999 hectares where the falls are located.
National Law No. 24288, declared the stretch of the Uruguay River between the mouths of the Yabotí stream and the Pepirí Guazú River, where the Moconá Falls are located, a national natural monument. The law prohibited any type of works, constructions, or activities that alter or modify the natural scenery, except for minor infrastructure works such as boardwalks or docks. Given that the Moconá Falls are in the Uruguay River, they are under federal domain and jurisdiction as a navigable river. The natural monument has not been included in the National System of Protected Areas because the law of creation did not establish it that way—yet to be regulated—and therefore is not administered by the National Parks Administration.
BOOK A TRIP INCLUDING MOCONA FALLS
Our sales team is ready to help you to arrange a good program to visit Moconá Falls, during your tour to Iguazu Falls. Click on the image below and check a suggested program
Photos: Thanks to CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=982911
