Majestic, surreal, stunning, hypnotic, mind-blowing… none of these adjectives can describe the Niagara Falls.
By day, the silvery mist from the falls reaches up to the clouds and by night, it is illuminated from behind with a myriad of colored light strobes. From the sidewalk, one can see the deceivingly calm teal blue water before it crashes down with noise like thunder. Can you imagine 2,00,000 tons of water falling every second? How amazing is that!
Way down below, tourist boats, that look no bigger than the size of matchsticks, painfully inch forward in defiance of one of the Earth’s greatest natural wonders.
The Niagara Falls is made up of 3 waterfalls – the American Side called the ‘American Falls’ the Canadian Side called the ‘Horseshoe Falls’ and a small one in between called the ‘Bridal Falls.’ Both sides of the border claim that the falls on their side is better.. . Toss a coin already!
Just visiting the it on a regular day would have been an experience of a lifetime, but I got to go the extra mile, and visit it on the FOURTH OF JULY!!! Our hotel room overlooked the Falls from a fabulous angle..the 22nd floor of the Mariott! AND we got to watch the American Independence Day Fireworks display from across the border… I cannot tell you what a spectacular display of fireworks that was. With all the lights switched off, our seats facing the ginormous picture window, and snacks in hand, it was a half an hour show that would send Diwali fireworks on a run for it’s money
The next day was reserved for touristy stuff. First up: the Hornblower… a high powered cruise that takes you right to the foot of the falls. It’s the best thing you can do to witness the fury of the wind and get drenched in the spray, even with the raincoats provided. The lines are long. Really really long. But the thrill of being so dangerously close is exhilarating; not to mention, its a perfect opportunity for selfies!
If being at the foot of the falls isn’t enough, you can also check it out from behind. The Journey Behind the Falls was a walk through a rocky tunnel that’s actually behind the Falls! How they managed to excavate that tunnel is beyond me. The tunnel has multiple openings where you can watch the water gush down like no tomorrow. There is a little platform where you can step on with the falls just a few meters away. It’s intense.
The walls of the tunnel are interspersed with boards containing snippets of information. One of them talks about people who tried to survive falling over the waterfall on a jet ski or a boat. And about a woman who ROLLED OVER the falls….in a BARREL… with a CAT!!
People are crazy.
So, if one has time. (and money) there are tons of other things to do, such as watching the Falls from the Skylon Tower – a place where one can dine and admire the Falls from above. There’s a butterfly conservatory, a bird kingdom, a botanical garden, Marine Land and loads of tourist attractions.
Oh, and there are also helicopter tours that gives one a killer view from above. If there’s an angle to view the falls from, they have it!
TGG Tips
- The Hornblower cruise is better when it’s done in the morning as the lines get too long by noon. The left side of the top deck is the ideal vantage point
- Book tickets in advance!!!
- Get the Adventure Pass- you’ll save 25% on the top Niagara Falls attractions: Hornblower Niagara Cruises, Journey Behind the Falls, White Water Walk and Niagara’s Fury (a 6 minute multi sensory extravaganza in a special theater showing how the Ice Age formed Niagara Falls!) You’ll also receive two days on the WE-GO transportation service: a hop-on, hop-off system connecting Niagara Parks attractions with all hotels.