Niagara Falls is one of the most spectacular natural wonders on the face of the Earth, and also an exceptionally popular tourist attraction. The falls are not the tallest falls in the world. They are 54 m tall (or 177 ft), and can be compared with Angel Falls of Venezuela, the highest falls on Earth which measure in at 979 meters (3212 feet) high. Niagara Falls are however, a mind-boggling and extraordinary sight to see, due to the wide panorama of the falls, and the overwhelming volume of water passing through them. The falls make a terrific romantic holiday spot because of the awe they inspire, making Niagara a popular honeymoon spot. In fact, it is sometimes referred to as the “Honeymoon Capital of the World”.

The rushing water that passes over the falls drops into the Niagara Gorge, a depression in the earth that was carved out around 12,000 years ago. This occurred at the time that the five Great Lakes were formed by melting glaciers. One of the lakes known as Lake Erie flowed downhill towards another lake known as Lake Ontario, creating the Niagara River. The river passed through the Niagara escarpment, a geological transition zone of different elevations, and this caused the water to massively back up at the entrance to the escarpment. This backup of water formed the Niagara Gorge. The gorge is today still being eaten away by erosion at a speed of 30 cm (12 inches) per year.

The Canadian-American border runs through the area of Niagara Falls. The more impressive part of the falls is generally thought to be the Canadian part, which is known as the “Horseshoe”. There is a border crossing at Niagara Falls, and crossing between the two sides is painless, assuming that you have taken care of all obligatory visa concerns. The Horseshoe gets its name from its U-shaped formation. You have likely seen this part of the falls on tv or on postcards, as it carries 9 times as much water volume as the falls on the American part of the area. 168,000 cubic meters (or 6 million cubic feet) of water passes over the lip of the falls each minute, and flows at a speed of 56.3 kph (or 35 mph). It is an extremely powerful experience to witness this massive flow in person.

You can get a stunning postcard view of the falls from a variety of different lookout points in the area.  The most popular way to get a closer look of the falls is to take a boat ride on the Maid of the Mist vessel which takes you almost right up to the base of the falls. Another interesting idea is to view the falls from behind, which you can do on a “Journey Behind the Falls” tour. Niagara helicopter tours are a great idea for those of you with money to burn. At night the falls are lit up, so you can see striking views even after dark.

The main attraction of Niagara Falls is of course the falls themselves, but there are other activities such as casinos, an indoor water park with a year-round tropical climate, fantastic golf courses, vineyards, spas and much more.
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