It’s possible to experience the Iguazu Falls Argentina and Iguazu Falls Brazil. We did both day trips and this blog explains how to take a day trip from Brazil to the Iguazu Falls Argentina.
One of our main reasons for visiting Brazil last October was to see one of the natural wonders of the world, The Iguazu Falls.
The Iguazu Falls are 2.7 kilometres long, and a natural wonder of the world for very good reason. I have visited Niagara Falls before and I was a little disappointed. Particularly at the commercialism surrounding such a natural wonder.
However, my visit to The Iguazu Falls was completely different. I was blown away, and it was even more incredible than I had imagined it would be.
The Iguazu Falls lie on the border of Argentina and Brazil. On each side of the border, there is a National Park. However they are owned and operated separately by their respective governments.
To get the best views of this natural wonder of the world, and to compare the Iguaçu Falls from the Brazil side, and The Iguazu Falls the Argentina side we decided to do both.
This post explains how to see The Iguazu Falls from the Argentina side.
Blog coming soon on how to see it from the Brazil side.
Iguazu or Iguaçu ?
Before we start, lets address the name. In many guides to the Iguazu Falls, the spelling is used interchangeably. In reality, either will be accepted and understood. However, officially:
- Iguazu = Argentina
- Iguaçu = Brazil
Where To Stay When Visiting The Iguazu Falls
Where are you stay when visiting the Iguazu Falls might be determined by the other aspects of your trip. We were travelling through Brazil, so it made sense to stay on the Brazil side and visit Argentina for a day. Either way, both sides are possible by day trip and so it’s not necessary to move hotels to visit both sides of the border.
There are a variety of hotels in Foz do Iguacu, Brazil.
We splashed out for a couple days of affordable luxury, and stayed at the Wish resort.
This hotel is perfectly positioned to visit Iguazu Falls in Argentina for a day, as well as the Brazil side. It’s a little bit out of Foz do Iguacu town itself. But there isn’t much special to see there.
An added bonus of Wish Resort is the proximity to the airport. So you can really make the most of your time.
If you want a lower budget option, any of the hotels in Foz do Iguacu, Brazil would still be great.
Day Trip To Iguazu Falls Argentina
We visited the Iguazu Falls Argentina as a day trip from Brazil. This was super easy to do, and I completely recommend it.
Transport from Foz do Iguacu to Iguazu Falls Argentina
The easiest way to get to Iguazu Falls Argentina from Brazil is by taking a taxi.
Taxi drivers are incredibly used to doing this trip for tourists, and didn’t flinch when we asked to be driven to another country for the day.
Our hotel arrange the driver for us, which helped with the language barrier. We paid him directly and I imagine that you could equally arrange one without requiring your hotel to do so for you.
The driver picked us up from our hotel, drove us across the border and to the National Park entrance. He then met us at the end of the day to do the same in reverse.
There are organised tours to the Falls from Brazil. However, once in the park travelling as a tour group is far more restrictive. So I wouldn’t recommend it unless you are very uneasy about booking your own taxi.
The Journey From Brazil To Iguazu Falls Argentina
The journey from our hotel in Brazil to Iguazu Falls in Argentina was smooth.
- It started with about 10 minutes of driving in Brazil, to reach the Argentina border.
Crossing the border into Argentina:
- At this point we got out of the taxi, and took our passports into border control.
- On the way there our taxi driver had given us a piece of paper to fill out our passport information, so it was an easy process to handover our passports and the form. (This is where travelling as a tour can be more time-consuming. As each individual on the bus needs to hand over their passport and details, and the tour guide will enter passport control for you.)
- We were lucky on entry and departure from Argentina that passport control was not too busy. However I would factor in around half an hour of queuing time, as in peak season I expect it to be a lot busier.
Once we had collected our new passport stamp and been approved to enter Argentina, we got back in the taxi and drove across the border.
From there it was a smooth 30 minute drive to reach the National Park entrance. Our taxi driver paid a small entrance fee in Argentinian pesos.
Top tip:Take Argentinian currency with you. You need this for entry into the National Park and there are no ATMs in the area. We were lucky to have a friendly taxi driver who had some Argentinian currency with him. And we paid him back at the end of our day.
On arrival at the park, we agreed with our taxi driver the time for meeting at the end of the day.
Tickets For Iguazu Falls, Argentina
As I mentioned above, having Argentinian currency with you is the best approach. There is an ATM at the entrance, which we needed to use. We use Monzo, which is a bright pink colour that the Argentina card machine couldn’t read!
An even better approach would be to buy your tickets in advance online, and skip the queues completely. Luckily we got there before the park opened and managed to avoid too many queues of tour groups.
How To Spend A Day At The Iguazu Falls Argentina.
Arrive before the park opens. This allows you to maximise your time inside the park. And gain a little bit of quiet time without too many crowds, before the tour buses arrive.
Book Your Boat Ride First
By far the most incredible thing to do at the Iguazu Falls Argentina is to take a boat ride right into the water.
How many times in your life do you get the chance to touch a natural wonder of the world?
To make the most of your day at Iguazu Falls, head straight to the ticket booth on arrival and book a boat trip for first thing in the morning.
It’s not possible to book these ahead of time (although you can buy a ticket online, you cannot reserve a time slot).
My recommendation would be to do this first thing. Although it means that you get soaked (staying dry is not an option) at the beginning of your day, as long as it’s warm enough to dry off again it means you have the rest of the day free without watching the clock.
If you really don’t want to get soaked at the beginning of your day, I would recommend doing it at the very end, although that means sitting in a taxi very wet on the way home.
There is a ticket booth right at the entrance, nearby the first train station. Stop here and reserve the first departure on the boat, then make your way directly to the beginning of the ride.
The Boat Ride Experience
Although it’s tempting to stop and take pictures when you first get into the park. My recommendation would be to book an early slot for the boat ride, then walk straight there. You’ll have plenty of time for the rest of the day to enjoy the National Park. The walk is about 20 minutes, so it’s perfect timing for entering the park at opening and booking on the first boat.
Jungle Safari To The Boat
The boat ride takes around 2.5 hours in total, as it begins and ends with a fun jungle safari.
After a short stop to pick up other riders at a secondary point within the park, the open top Safari truck entered the narrow winding roads and jungle paths.
Our tour guide pointed out all the interesting wildlife that we passed on our journey, as well as sharing some incredible facts about the Iguazu Falls Argentina.
The Boat Ride
When we finally arrived at the beginning of the boat ride, we were required to walk down around 100 steps. Unfortunately, the boat ride within the Iguazu Falls Argentina is not very accessible.
At the bottom of the staircase, we were handed a life jacket and brought on to one of their boats.
The entire process was very efficient, and it was nice that they had enough boats that they never were cramming on as many people as possible to each boat. Once one was mostly full, it set off and a new one started to load.
The boat ride itself was nothing short of spectacular.
We had around 10 minutes or so of driving up the river, often passed rapids or getting splashed on either side by the raging water. But nothing could prepare us for the absolute drenching that was coming our way.
After stopping for some incredible photo opportunities, we all re-took our seats for the grand finale. The boat went straight into the waterfall, and we were drenched by a tsunami of water.
No words can describe how incredible and surreal it felt to be inside a waterfall. And I’m not talking about those pretty little streams that people pose beside for the ‘gram. I’m talking about millions of litres of water cascading off rocks and into the boat. The adrenaline rush was unbeatable.
After the boat ride finishes, You enjoy the second journey through the jungle in the Safari jeep, before arriving back where you started in the National Park.
Keep your eyes peeled on the journey, as we saw live toucans and many species of colourful butterflies as we drove past.
The Iguazu Falls National Park Trails
Once you’ve finished the boat ride, the rest of the day is yours to explore as you wish.
The Argentinian Side of the Falls has more see and do than the Brazil side.
There are two main loops, and if you are reasonably fast walker and able, it’s possible to see both in the same day.
The trails themselves are fairly restricted in where you can go. To protect and preserve the National Park with it’s millions of visitors a year. For this reason, a lot of the walkways are one-way, which means you never want to get trapped behind a large tour group.
However it also means that you can’t get lost. Additionally, it makes the trails accessible, as most are wooden walkways and it’s always possible to access lookout points without using stairs. Although sometimes there is the option to take stairs versus a ramp.
Don’t let the names of the trails deceive you, the Circuito Inferior (lower Circuit) and Circuito Superior (Upper Circuit) refer to their height, rather than have incredible they are. Both are worthy of the effort to see them.
My recommendation would be to tackle the Circuito Superior first, as it slightly longer, and means you’re closer to the car park to be sure that you finish on time after the Circuito Inferior.
The Circuito Superior (Upper Circuit)
It’s possible to walk up to the beginning of the Circuito Superior. However for the sake of time, I would recommend taking advantage of the train ride within the park.
Catch the train from the Central Station and ride it all the way to the top.
The Circuito Superior in Iguazu Falls Argentina took about two hours, and gave spectacular look out over the Devil’s Throat. This is an absolute must see at the Iguazu Falls.
The Circuito Inferior (Lower Circuit)
The Circuito Inferior is equally a spectacular, despite what its name suggests. This one is a little shorter, so if you find yourself stretched for time and can only choose one trail do this one.
It takes you closer to the Falls, rather than looking down on the. And gives a whole new perspective.
My favourite part was the walkway section, which gives a view down to where we were on the boat earlier that day. Watching the boats enter the waterfall from a birds-eye perspective is equally as fun as being on the boat itself. (Okay, maybe not as fun, but amusing all the same).
Ending The Day Trip To Iguazu Falls Argentina
When you finish the lower circuit, you’re an easy 15 to 20 minute walk away from the entrance.
We completed our day in perfect timing to check out the gift shop on the way back to the taxi. And then drive from Argentina to Brazil in reverse.
The journey through immigration back into Brazil was as easy as it had been on the way here. On arrival back at our hotel we paid our driver (have cash prepared in advance for this, we got stuck) and thanked him for the most incredible day trip from Brazil to the Argentina side of Iguazu Falls.
Wildlife Of Iguazu Falls, Argentina
Whilst in the Iguazu Falls Argentina National Park, keep your eye out for some interesting wildlife.
The National Park is a protected space. And coming from Scotland, I saw some creatures I have never seen in the wild before. It was a fun way to see them in their natural habitat (although perhaps not entirely natural as I’m sure the tourists and food vendors attract many of them.)
Whilst in Iguazu Falls, Argentina we saw:
- Butterflies
- Toucans
- Monkeys
- Tegu Lizard
- Capybara (there are signs across the park warning you not to feed these or get too close)
- We didn’t see: Jaguars! But according to the internet, they also roam the park. So keep your eyes peeled!
What To Pack For A Day Trip To Iguazu Falls Argentina
- Argentinian Currency (For the National Park Entrance Fees and Tickets on Arrival)
- Dry clothes (You will need them)
- Flip-flops (For the boat ride)
- Swimwear (An easier alternative to taking dry clothes for the boat)
- Backpack
- Camera and Tripod
- Snacks
Let me know if you visit Iguazu Falls Argentina for the day by dropping me a message!
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