Tightrope maestro Nik Wallenda has made history by becoming the first man to walk the wire across Niagara Falls.

The 33-year-old, who comes from a performing family, made the 550 metre walk from the USA to Canada in 25 minutes on Friday night, as millions watched the stunt on a live broadcast.

Stepping on a 5cm-wide cable, Nik seemed at ease for much of the walk, kneeling, praying, waving to his friends and family and even running the last few metres, despite the constant wet mist and howling winds.

Arriving on the Canadian side, he hugged his family and greeted border officials, who jokingly requested the American's passport. Asked the purpose of his visit, Wallenda told them he had come to "inspire people".

"I was very focused. The wind was something that you could definitely not train for it was coming from every which way.

"But you know what I made it through and the mist was powerful. You know the mist was in my eyes.

"There were a couple times where I had to blink so that I could see but again praise God here I am in one piece," Wallenda said, when he was asked what was going through his mind.

The spectacle followed a 150-year-ban on high-wire stunts over the falls, in place since French aerialist The Great Blondin crossed the gorge further downstream

Wallenda waged a two-year campaign to convince American and Canadian officials to let him try the feat which, with safety, cost over $1.3 million.

Wallenda said he would next prepare for a walk over the Grand Canyon in Arizona, which would be the first ever attempted and is some three times longer than the Niagara Falls walk.