Iguazu Falls is one of the most magical natural sights on our planet. In fact, it is one of the new seven wonders of nature. The thundering falls are located right on the border of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay, and can be accessed from both the Argentinian and Brazilian side. Both national parks (Parque Nacional Iguazu in Argentina, and Iguacu National Park in Brazil) are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and should be near the top of any nature lover’s bucket list.
I visited both sides of the falls in November 2023 and want to share with you my experience including how to get there, what each park offers, and which side to visit.
Argentina Side
I was in the Iguazu area for only one and a half days, and I was able to see both sides with plenty of time. I did however strategically plan my flights to allow myself the time to see both sides. I flew into the Argentinian side from Buenos Aires bright and early, taking a 6:30am flight that arrived around 8:30am in Puerto Iguazu. I then took a taxi straight from the airport to the park, which was about 15 minutes, and left my suitcase and bags in the lockers there that you can rent (more on that below).
After sorting through my bag and changing, buying tickets, and getting ourselves underway, I was really walking through and exploring the park by 10:30am. The first thing I did was buy tickets for the boat ride later in the day, and I was very happy I did as they were almost fully booked and it ended up being one of the best experiences I had in Iguazu. They booked us onto a 2pm boat ride, giving my friends and I about 3 hours to explore the falls by foot.
TICKETS & ENTRANCE
Tickets can be purchased online or in person, and you can use either cash or credit card. Entrance tickets were about $16 USD, which can vary depending on how the Argentinian peso is performing. In addition to the ticket kiosks, the entrance has bathrooms, a small convenience store, maps, and lockers.
Lockers are available to rent to keep your belongings. If you are coming directly from the airport like I was, it’s a smart move to keep your bags there while you explore. If you have a big suitcase they will just keep it in the room and lock the room. Smaller bags can fit in the actual lockers, but bag size wasn’t an issue for us. It cost my friends and I about $16 USD total for 3 big suitcases and one locker for our other, smaller bags.
INSIDE THE PARK
There are bathrooms throughout the park with a few souvenir shops, cafes, and places to grab food including a “fast food” area. This area was inhabited by about a dozen fearless coatis that were relentlessly looking for food: climbing on top of tables, trying to open people’s bags, etc. Beware not to touch or feed the coatis as they are wild animals and can bite.
In addition to the dozens of hungry coatis, I saw a decent amount of wildlife the one day I was in the park. I saw several iguanas, big ants, and a lot of exotic birds including a tiny burrowing owl and two playful toucans.
THE TRAILS
There are three main trails in the park: The Upper Circuit, The Lower Circuit, and The Devil’s Throat. The park has a train system that lets you get from one point to another, but my friends and I found it very easy to walk around the park without having to wait for the trains.
UPPER CIRCUIT (PASEO SUPERIOR)
The Upper Circuit trail was the first one we walked, and it took about one hour and fifteen minutes to complete. This included many stops for photos. The signs say this takes about 2 hours to complete, and for some people it might, but I’d allot an hour and a half to be safe. It’s an easy boardwalk trail that includes steps, small but safe bridges, and takes you to a vast array of jaw dropping lookout points. Parts of the trail bring you very close to the falls with ever changing perspectives.
LOWER CIRCUIT (PASEO INFERIOR)
The Lower Circuit trail took about 40 minutes to complete and offered some incredible views. The park says this trail takes about 1.5 hours but we got through it rather quickly. The shorter of the two trails, it has just as equal views with changing perspectives along the trail. Both trails were about equal in my opinion, both offering mind blowing vistas of Iguazu Falls.
DEVIL'S THROAT
The Devil’s Throat, aka Garganta del Diablo, is known as the best trail on the Argentinian side of the falls - which was such a bummer to hear that it was closed when I was there! According to some of the locals this happens quite often at this time of year. The trail was closed due to the high water levels of the falls which flooded the boardwalk, destroying a section of the trail. I was bummed it was closed, but better to be safe than sorry. There’s so much of the falls to see so I didn’t feel like I missed out on anything, and it gave us time to add in the boat ride, which was the highlight of our trip.
BOAT RIDE
Through the park’s Jungle Boat Cruise, my two friends and I booked a boat trip to cap off our time on the Argentinian side of Iguazu Falls - and I couldn’t recommend this enough. I did not purchase tickets online in advance, but decided to get them at the park as I read online that there will be enough tickets available. I bought our tickets inside the park but at 10:30am, we were pushing it as we scored some of the last seats on the 2pm boat ride - they stop doing rides around 3pm. So I’d say if you were dead set on doing the boat ride (which you should be) I’d just buy them online to avoid the risk of them being sold out.
The 2 hour excursion starts with an open top van that drives through the jungle for about 20-30 minutes. You will then unload and get a dry bag and a life jacket before walking down stairs that lead you riverside where the boat awaits you. You will have to keep shoes on for getting on and off the boat, but once you are on it you can take off your socks and shoes and throw them into your dry bag. The dry bag is a decent size - I was able to fit my whole backpack inside, as well as my shoes, and still had room. I was also protecting my camera as well as my phone and other valuables, and everything was kept extremely dry. But YOU WILL GET SOAKED. One of the guides graciously grabbed my dry bag from me and properly folded it before we went into the heavy part of the falls - apparently my folding job was insufficient - but I was very grateful as I had some valuables in the bag that couldn’t get wet.
A fun, fast boat ride in the jungle shortly turned into a wild adventure through some serious rapids. It was very intense, and the driver was absolutely flying through the rapids - a great thrill and so much fun. We got very close to the falls and I was able to take some photos with my camera, before we were told to put away the nicer belongings to head directly to the falls - and I mean directly into them. We went right up to the falls and got completely drenched from head to toe, not once, but twice. It’s such a fun and memorable experience and you can’t help but laugh and scream the entire time. Bring a waterproof GoPro or camera if you have one. One of the guides was filming and taking photos with a GoPro to sell afterwards if you wanted any of that footage or photos. This was probably my favorite thing I did in the park and is totally worth doing if you are up for the adventure.
CROSSING THE ARGENTINA / BRAZIL BORDER
Crossing the border of Argentina and Brazil is necessary if you want to visit both sides of the falls. You cannot fly from one airport to the other, so you are limited to traveling via car. Organized tours will take care of this for you, but you can easily go across in a taxi - as all of them there are well versed in the process.
We grabbed a taxi from the airport in Puerto Iguazu initially, and our driver, Humberto, was so friendly and trustworthy, he became our driver for our entire Iguazu trip and never asked us for any money until the very end when he dropped us off at the airport. He in essence became our personal driver for a very decent rate. He was a pro at driving people from one side of the falls to the other, which made it a pretty seamless experience.
When crossing the border, Humberto showed a border agent our passports and filled out a little form. Once we passed the toll booth like area, we pulled into a parking lot to discover a very long line at around 8:30am. As long as the line of people waiting was, it moved fast and only took about 15-20 minutes. A border patrol officer briefly asked where we were going after, if we had been there before, and then stamped our passports with a Brazi stamp and smiled. Welcome to Brazil. We hopped back in the taxi and drove another 10 minutes or so into the park.
The border is located about 30 minutes from Puerto Iguazu. It does not require much time to get from one side of the falls to the other, but I’d factor in about an hour for the whole experience.
Brazil Side
TICKETS & ENTRANCE
Tickets are a bit more expensive on the Brazilian side at around $20 USD per person. The entrance contains bathrooms, food options, a souvenir shop, and lockers. After getting our tickets, we had to wait about 20 minutes for the bus to arrive that takes you into the park. The bus takes about 15-20 minutes to get to the initial drop off that begins the park’s lone trail.
THE TRAIL
There is one long trail in the park that offers stunning panoramic views of the falls. It is a well maintained boardwalk with stairs, but is easy to navigate. Although the Argentinian side has so much to offer with multiple perspectives, the best overall views of Iguazu Falls are from here. As you walk along the trail the views will keep changing, but almost always offer a panoramic view of many of the falls. The trail ends at a location with food, souvenir shops, and bathrooms where you can catch the bus back to the entrance.
You only need about 2-3 hours total to visit the park, but make sure to factor in having to wait and ride the bus into the park, which is about 20 mins each way.
ARGENTINIAN SIDE VS BRAZILIAN SIDE - WHICH TO VISIT?
When deciding to visit Iguazu Falls, a common question travelers ask is which side should I visit? The Argentinian side or the Brazilian side? Most of my research before my trip pointed to trying to see both sides if you can, but the Argentinian side was the clear winner. On my trip I met people that had been to both and said the Brazilian side was much better. So I went in with an open mind but planned to visit both sides.
After visiting both parks, I’d say which side to visit depends on what type of trip you have planned out. If you are in Brazil and short on time, it makes more sense to see the Brazilian side. If you are in Argentina and short on time, it makes more sense to see the Argentinian side. If you allot two days or more to explore the falls, definitely try to see both sides. Just make sure you are scheduling your flights with enough time to see the falls both days. After all, you may never find yourself in Iguazu again.
For me it was close, but I preferred the Argentinian side because I felt there was more to do there. It felt more like a “park”, and somewhere you can spend a full day. Multiple boardwalks with very different views and perspectives of the falls, plenty of food and souvenir shop options, and the option for a very fun and accessible boat trip.
The Brazilian side was tops if you only have a very short amount of time and want the best overall view of all the falls. It is unmatched here. You can’t get this perspective from the Argentinian side. The downside of the Brazilian side is that you have to wait for and take a bus in and out of the park, and you are limited to just one pathway - although it’s the best of both parks combined.
Iguazu Falls is a destination that every traveler needs to see in their lifetime - especially if you are a nature lover. The powerful, thundering falls don’t seem real when you are visiting them. Set amidst a serene jungle environment, the falls seem straight out of a fairy tale. Whether you are visiting from Brazil, Argentina, or decide to tackle both sides, Iguazu Falls is a must visit.
