Saltos del Monday

The Monday river drops around forty metres in three linked falls just before joining the Paraná near Ciudad del Este, and the volume is substantial: the water comes over a wide lip in a horseshoe with permanent spray and noise, and rainbows form in the mist through the middle of the day. Walkways and a viewing platform run along the rim and a stair descends toward the base, with a suspension bridge crossing above the gorge and a zip line and abseil operating on the cliff. The falls sit in a small municipal park with forest. They live in the shadow of Iguazu twenty kilometres away, which means they are far less visited than their scale deserves.

What you actually see

• The triple fall - the three linked drops over the horseshoe lip.
• The rim walkways - the platforms and stair along the gorge.
• The suspension bridge - the span above the falls.
• Spray and rainbows - the permanent mist in the gorge.

When to go

Year round; flow is strongest from October to March in the wet season. Midday gives the rainbows in the spray. Weekends bring local visitors. Iguazu across the border takes most of the regional traffic.

Honest expectations

The park is small and the visit takes a couple of hours. Comparisons with Iguazu are unfair and set visitors up for disappointment. Facilities are basic. Spray soaks the lower platforms.

Nearby

Ciudad del Este lies north; the Itaipu dam is upstream.