Niagara Falls
The experience is like a passionate First Kiss
Just like a passionate first kiss, no description can replace the actual experience of staring into the jaws of Niagara Falls.
This year we were ticking off some bucket-list destinations and decided to visit one of the world’s great natural wonders, the Niagara Falls. This should be a MUST DO for every traveller; perhaps even more so than such man-made wonders like the pyramids or the Taj Mahal, because no architect or builder is as good as Mother Nature.
Movies, videos or even photos of The Falls taken from every possible angle just do not do it justice.
This year we were ticking off some bucket-list destinations and decided to visit one of the world’s great natural wonders, the Niagara Falls. This should be a MUST DO for every traveller; perhaps even more so than such man-made wonders like the pyramids or the Taj Mahal, because no architect or builder is as good as Mother Nature.
Movies, videos or even photos of The Falls taken from every possible angle just do not do it justice.
Originally there were five individual falls, but they eroded and formed the single Niagara Falls before splitting into three falls over the following centuries - the Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side of the river and the American Falls and smaller adjacent Bridal Veil Falls on the US side (below left).
You cannot appreciate the power and majesty of the Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls until you are standing near the rim listening to the ceaseless roar while watching and feeling the constant spray that is jettisoned hundreds of metres above your head or, even better, cruising up to the base of the falls and watching an avalanche of 2,832 tonnes of water every second crash 52 metres down the escarpment in front of you at more than 100kph.
You cannot appreciate the power and majesty of the Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls until you are standing near the rim listening to the ceaseless roar while watching and feeling the constant spray that is jettisoned hundreds of metres above your head or, even better, cruising up to the base of the falls and watching an avalanche of 2,832 tonnes of water every second crash 52 metres down the escarpment in front of you at more than 100kph.
The whole experience was breathtaking and so awesome that everyone kept taking selfie after video after photo after selfie!
We were fortunate to also get the best possible appreciation of the whole Niagara Falls area during a 20-minute helicopter tour, but more of that later. We had a hotel room that had a view of the Horseshoe Falls from the fifth floor, partially interrupted by the tops of some adjacent trees.
It was hypnotic to glance out the window and see the vapour steaming into a sky only a few hundred metres away, almost like the white smoke from an approaching bush fire or to see the sun rising through the smoke-like haze each morning (below left).
We were fortunate to also get the best possible appreciation of the whole Niagara Falls area during a 20-minute helicopter tour, but more of that later. We had a hotel room that had a view of the Horseshoe Falls from the fifth floor, partially interrupted by the tops of some adjacent trees.
It was hypnotic to glance out the window and see the vapour steaming into a sky only a few hundred metres away, almost like the white smoke from an approaching bush fire or to see the sun rising through the smoke-like haze each morning (below left).
Then there is the light show (above right). Every evening from dusk until 2am a magnificent light show from the Illumination Tower beside Queen Victoria Place transforms the whole area as it sends a kaleidoscope of breathtaking coloured lights to form rainbows and other custom patterns across the Horseshoe Falls, the American Falls and the Niagara Gorge - another bonus for those choosing to say into the night.
If experiencing the Niagara Falls is not on your bucket list, it should be!
If experiencing the Niagara Falls is not on your bucket list, it should be!
When to Visit
We were in Niagara Falls near the end of August with mostly light winds, cloudy but warm days in the low 20s, and no rain except for the constant falling of the mist.
While it was perfect for us, the locals told us that if you enjoy the cold the most spectacular time at the Falls is during winter, when the spray freezes on the tress and bushes and gives the appearance of a frosty winter wonderland as the millions of tiny ice crystals look like gems as they reflect the morning light.
Coupled with the Christmas decorations during the festive season, fireworks displays, massive ice areas when much of the river freezes, snow everywhere and the normal light shows it becomes a spectacular fairyland.
While it was perfect for us, the locals told us that if you enjoy the cold the most spectacular time at the Falls is during winter, when the spray freezes on the tress and bushes and gives the appearance of a frosty winter wonderland as the millions of tiny ice crystals look like gems as they reflect the morning light.
Coupled with the Christmas decorations during the festive season, fireworks displays, massive ice areas when much of the river freezes, snow everywhere and the normal light shows it becomes a spectacular fairyland.
Find out why - The Falls are Moving
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