News With just over one month until the start of the first Olympic Games to be held in South America, the Rio 2016 torch relay visited the magnificent waterfalls of Iguaçu on Friday (1 July) near the triple frontier of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay Here, at one of the continent's most visited natural landmarks, tourists from across the region said they hoped the Games would raise the global profile of South America and showcase its culture and hospitality on the world's greatest stage "With the Olympic Games in Rio, the world will look at our continent with the attention it deserves," Argentine civil servant Félix Massa said "People will discover our cultural riches and our natural beauties Just look at how amazing this place is " How to plan a last-minute trip to the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games The Olympic Torch enjoyed a close-up view of the majestic Iguaçu Falls (Photo: Rio 2016) In the indigenous language of the region, Iguaçu simply means 'great water' It is a laconic label for what must be the most awe-inspiring waterfalls in the world; in total a series of about 275 cascades, up to 82 metres (269 feet) high, crash over a plateau that stretches 2 7km (1 7 miles) wide In the rainy season, the volume of water here can dwarf that of waterfalls such as Niagara by an order of magnitude The five most Instagram-able locations in Rio   As well as the spectacular sight of the waterfalls, the surrounding subtropical rainforest is home to fauna such as tapirs, giant anteaters, howler monkeys, ocelots and caymans, as well as some 400 species of birds, such as the elusive harpy eagle Rio favela hike offers alternative – and jaw-dropping – views of Olympic city The falls straddle the border of Argentina and Brazil, just upriver from the triple frontier with Paraguay The waterfalls have been inscribed on Unesco's World Heritage List since 1984, transcend national boundaries and are of universal appeal to tourists from all over the world   In Brazil, Iguaçu is the second most visited national park in the country, behind only the national park of Tijuca in Rio de Janeiro, where Christ the Redeemer is located   In 2015, 1 6 million tourists visited the national park of Iguaçu In total 730,000 visitors were foreigners, over half of whom came from other countries in South America – and not only from neighbouring Argentina and Paraguay Green Passport: sustainable travel intineraries for Rio and Brazil On a visit to the falls on Friday, Colombian tourist Andrés Ortega said the Rio 2016 Olympic Games would show the world that South America was able to organise a global event on the largest scale   "I can already imagine Colombia being a host nation," he said "We have a long way to go, but Brazil is setting the example " The Torch Relay visited the triple frontier between Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay (Photo: Rio 2016) Members of the Munoz Alvarez family, also from Colombia, were delighted to pose with Olympic mascot Vinicius when he visited the falls The family are all looking forward to Rio 2016 and to the performance of Colombian cycling stars Nairo Quintana, second in the 2015 Tour de France, and Mariana Pajón, gold medallist in BMX cycling at London 2012 In Brazil, the 2014 World Cup is remembered above all, a certain semi-final apart, for the atmosphere created by hundreds of thousands of South American football fans who came to the host cities to cheer on their teams  Some of the countries which snapped up most tickets for the World Cup were Colombia, Chile and Argentina Two years later and Argentina is currently running second only to the USA in terms of foreign ticket sales for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio 60 days of diversity on the Rio 2016 Olympic Torch Relay “Anyone who comes to Brazil will fall in love with the hospitality of the people," Peruvian tourist Iana Ocalio said at Iguaçu on Friday With just five weeks to go, it's looking like Rio 2016 is going to be a carnival of colour and fantasy that will bring a whole continent together to welcome the world Beaches, music, carnival 10 reason to visit amazing Bahia Rio 2016 supports trek into reserve that is saving endangered monkeys