Iguazú National Park travel guide

Argentines are so proud of Las Cataratas del Iguazú (as the Iguazú Falls are known locally), they sometimes give the impression they built them from scratch. What they can take credit for is the national park they’ve built to protect both the falls and the ribbon of Atlantic rainforest it so noisily interrupts. In terms of facilities and infrastructure, the only Argentine national park that can compete with Parque Nacional Iguazú is Los Glaciares in Patagonia. 

The falls lie on the Río Iguazú, which runs along the border of Brazil and Argentina. It is often said about this magnificent site that Argentina provides the falls and Brazil enjoys the view.

The Iguazú Falls are said to comprise over 270 individual cataracts, though the volume of water gushing over the cliffs at any given moment depends on the height of the Río Iguazú. (If you’re unlucky enough to visit the falls after a sustained period of drought, you may, at certain points, find yourself wondering what all the fuss was about.)

Highlights of the Iguazú National Park

Garganta de Diablo

By far the most famous cascade is the so-called Garganta de Diablo (Devil’s Throat), a curved wall of white water 150m (500ft) wide and 82m (269ft) high. Getting as close to the Garganta as the viewing platform will allow, with the spray whipping against your skin and into your lungs and all conversation made impossible by the thunder of water, may be the most heart-quickening experience Argentina has to offer.

Interpretation center, nature trails and walkways

The temptation after entering the national park is to head straight for the falls, but it’s worth your while to spend 20 minutes in the interpretation center near the park’s central plaza, where various models, photographs and vinyl panels shed light on some of the region’s defining features.

After that you can hop on the park’s eco-friendly, natural gas-guzzling “Jungle Train” or to strike out on foot. If you plump for the latter, you can take one of two marked nature trails that disappear temptingly into the forest. The shorter of these, the Sendero Verde (Green Trail), only takes around 15 minutes to complete. The Sendero Macuco by contrast, is a 7km (4.4-mile) trail that penetrates much deeper into the jungle and gives you the chance to spot a toucan – the most emblematic of the 400 species of bird that can be spotted in the park.

The train leaves the central station every 30 minutes or so and makes two stops on its way to the falls proper. The first of these is at the Estación Cataratas, which is the place to alight if you want to do one or both of the park’s walkway circuits. These are the 1.5km (1 mile) -long Circuito Inferior (Lower Circuit) and the 650m (700 yard) -long Circuito Superior (Upper Circuit). Designated viewing stations along the walkways afford stunning views of the falls. 

The end of the line for the Jungle Train is Estacíon Garganta. From here it’s a 1km (0.6-mile) walk to the viewing balcony for the Devil’s Throat. Late afternoon till dusk is the best time to see the Garganta, both for the lighting at that hour and to watch the flocks of birds that swoop through the billowing mists on their way back to their nests.

Brazil's Parque Nacional do Iguaçu

Though much larger, Brazil’s Parque Nacional do Iguaçu is contiguous with the Argentine national park and easily reached from Puerto Iguazú. Here you can see certain falls from a different angle, and others that can’t be seen at all from the Argentine side. The Brazilian park has fewer walkways and forest trails – and no jungle train – but it’s equally well laid out, with buses carrying visitors from point to point.

Read more about visiting the falls from the Brazlian side...

Iguazú and Itaipú dams

The Río Iguazú is some 900km (540 miles) long above the falls and has been dammed. The forest clearing in the watershed permits the immediate run-off of rain, so the river floods, runs dry, runs dirty, “pulses” (due to week-day industrial energy demands), and, in general, behaves in a way unnatural to the trained eye. The stunning natural setting, however, offsets any disappointments. 

The Represa Hidroeléctrica Itaipú, on the Río Paraná, 20km (12 miles) north of Puerto Iguazú, is a joint enterprise between Brazil and Paraguay. Free guided tours are well worth it, especially if one of the sluice gates is opened, creating a cascade of water to rival that of Iguazú.

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