The second largest waterfall on the planet, where the Niagara River thunders off the edge of the Niagara Escarpment and into the Niagara Gorge, Niagara Falls is a truly awe-inspiring sight. It consists of three separate cascades – Horseshoe Falls, American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls, each around 50 metres in height. Horseshoe, the largest at a curved 670 metres across, spans the international border between the
USA and
Canada, over two million litres of water a second tumbling down into the Maid of the Mist Pool, generating mists that drift hundreds of metres into the air. While best viewed in the warm weather of the summer months, visiting in the winter could bring a rare spectacle – the falls frozen over.
Long a popular honeymoon destination, Niagara Falls can be visited from either side of the border. The US side is less developed, protected by Niagara Falls State Park while the Canadian side is set up for tourism, with plenty of hotels, attractions and even casinos. You get the best, straight on view of the falls from the Canadian side, plus access to the Journey Behind The Falls, a tunnel that takes you to a viewing platform behind Horseshoe Falls for a different and more sensory perspective. From both sides of the border, you can board a cruise that takes you past the smaller cascades and right into the mists of Horseshoe, an unmissable experience.
Niagara Falls in the most visited attraction in the Canadian province of Ontario and is close enough to Toronto to visit on a day trip. The falls are surrounded by the particularly fertile Niagara-on-the-Lake region (the lake being Lake Ontario) where you’ll find more than 50 wineries, any of which is worth a stop.
