Iguazú.

Falls, mist and jungle on the Brazilian border

Two nights as a minimum

Iguazú is not one waterfall but a long, broken curtain of them, pouring off a horseshoe of basalt into the gorge of the Río Iguazú. The Argentine side of the national park puts you among the falls: steel walkways cross the river islands and stop at the lip of the Garganta del Diablo, the Devil’s Throat, where the noise and spray take over.

It is also subtropical forest: coatis on the paths, butterflies everywhere, toucans if you are early. Give it time and it rewards you; rush it and it is a queue for a photograph.

Getting there: 1 h 55 flight from Buenos Aires
How long: Two nights as a minimum: one full day on the Argentine side, plus half a day for the panoramic view from the Brazilian side.
Best time: Any month. Spring and autumn are the most comfortable; summer is hot and humid, and the falls are at their fullest after heavy rain upstream. Avoid Argentine school holidays (July and Easter) if you can.

What to see.⁽⁰⁴⁾

01
Garganta del Diablo

A small train runs through the forest, then a long walkway crosses the upper river to the edge of the largest fall. Go on the first train of the day.
02
Upper and Lower Circuits

Two loops of walkways. The upper one runs along the top of the falls; the lower one looks up at them from below, with plenty of spray.
03
The Brazilian side

The wide, postcard view of the whole horseshoe. Half a day with a driver who handles the border.
04
By boat into the spray

Boat trips run up the lower river and under the edge of the falls. You will get soaked; bring a dry bag.

From Iguazú.

Straight-line distance and typical door-to-door time to every other stop.

How we work these out

Distances and times from Iguazú
To	Distance	Door to door	How
Salta	1,094 km	about 4 h 30	1 flight (not every day)
Purmamarca	1,123 km	about 7 h 30	1 flight via Salta (not every day)
Mendoza	1,601 km	about 9 h 30	2 flights via Salta (not every day)
Buenos Aires	1,065 km	about 4 h 30	1 flight
Bariloche	2,315 km	about 10 h	2 flights via Buenos Aires
Puerto Madryn	2,134 km	about 10 h	2 flights via Buenos Aires
El Chaltén	3,076 km	about 14 h	2 flights via Buenos Aires, El Calafate
El Calafate	3,140 km	about 11 h	2 flights via Buenos Aires
Ushuaia	3,436 km	about 11 h	2 flights via Buenos Aires

Practical.

The things to know before you add Iguazú to a trip.

Getting there

Fly from Buenos Aires to Puerto Iguazú (IGR), just under two hours. The airport is about 20–25 minutes by road from the park.

When to go

Any month. Spring and autumn are the most comfortable; summer is hot and humid, and the falls are at their fullest after heavy rain upstream. Avoid Argentine school holidays (July and Easter) if you can.

How long to stay

Two nights as a minimum: one full day on the Argentine side, plus half a day for the panoramic view from the Brazilian side.

Watch out for

Do not feed the coatis: they bite, and signs say so. Park tickets are priced in pesos with a higher rate for foreign visitors; check the current fee and payment methods before you go.

Where to stay

See the kind of place we look for on our stays page.