Visiting Iguazu Falls on the Argentina and Brazil Side

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The stunning and powerfulĀ Iguazu waterfallsĀ are world famous for a good reason! They are truly beautiful and you can feel how powerful they really are.

Tons of water shatters down on the rocks below the falls and you can only imagine what falling off would mean for your bone structure.

You can find these beautiful waterfallsĀ on the border betweenĀ ArgentinaĀ and BrazilĀ inĀ South America.

Do you planĀ to visit Iguazu Falls?

Check out these facts and continue reading on how you can visit!

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  • Iguazu is located on the border betweenĀ ArgentinaĀ andĀ Brazil
  • You can actually visit both sides, and you should!
  • The falls consist of overĀ 270 separate falls
  • Iguazu is the 6thĀ largest falls in the world in terms of water amount
  • It’s the largest waterfall system in the world
  • The totalĀ width of Iguazu fallsĀ isĀ 2,7km
  • MaximumĀ heightĀ is just overĀ 80m
Iguazu Falls
Iguazu Falls - Photo by Derek Oyen on Unsplash

How to get to Iguazu Falls

This of course heavily depends onĀ where you’re coming from! But let’s get into this.

We were traveling from Salta Argentina and took a flight to ā€˜Cataratas Del Iguazu International Airport’ which is on theĀ Argentina side. And we were very lucky with our pilot, as he made aĀ cool fly-over the fallsĀ before we landed. You can also easily get a flight to Iguazu from Buenos Aires.

Suddenly the pilot spoke through the speakers: if you want to see the falls,Ā look through the windows on the left sideĀ of the plane! There weren’t too many people on the plane and we were all rushing to the windows! It was very special toĀ watch the falls from the sky!

From the airport, we took aĀ tourist bus to the town. They drop everyone at their hotel. We didn’t have a hotel or hostel yet, so they just dropped us somewhere in the center of town.

Notice: Make sure to get aĀ ticket to get from the airport to the townĀ from one of theĀ official stands in the airport. There are some scammers at work outside the airport.

How to get from Puerto Iguazu to the falls

You can eitherĀ book a tour in your hotelĀ and let them take care of everything. But it’s actuallyĀ quite easy to doĀ this tripĀ on your own, to both sides:Ā Argentina and Brazil.

There’s aĀ bus terminalĀ in the town center where you can get a bus to theĀ Argentinan sideĀ or to theĀ Brazil side. Easy Peasy!

These buses drop youĀ at the entrance of the National Park.

We traveled to the Argentina side on the first day. Then we traveled to the Brazil side on the second day. Yes! You need anĀ entire day for each side!

Visiting Iguazu Falls on the Argentina and Brazil Side

Where to stay near Iguazu Falls

You can either choose to stay on theĀ Argentinan sideĀ inĀ Puerto Iguazu. Or you can stay on theĀ Brazilian sideĀ inĀ Foz Do Iguacu. Check out theĀ best budget-friendly hostels in Puerto IguazuĀ Argentina

We stayed on the Argentinan side. This was convenient since we wereĀ already traveling in ArgentinaĀ and we had our passport stamped for Argentina too.

When you visit the falls in the other country afterward, you don’t even need a stamp in your passport if you’re not staying the night in Brazil.

Visiting Iguazu Falls on the Argentina and Brazil Side
Iguazu Falls at Brazil

Visiting Iguazu Falls – Which side

As you probably already know: there are 2 sides to the falls. You can visit theĀ Argentinan side, as well as the Brazil side.

You should not decide on visiting only one side, because both sides are amazing andĀ will leave you in awe.

Although both sides areĀ quite different, they will both give you an experience you can not replace. So don’t make excuses and book an extra night in the area in order toĀ reserve one day for each side.

Visiting Iguazu Falls on the Argentina and Brazil Side
Iguazu Falls at Brazil

Iguazu Falls Brazil Side – the scenic side

We visited theĀ Brazil side of Iguazu FallsĀ first. This side of the falls is definitely theĀ scenic sideĀ and you can do it on aĀ day tripĀ as we did. But you could easily spend multiple days exploring this side of Iguazu.

A bus takes you from the entrance toĀ different stops along the park. We decided to check the map first and got off inĀ one of the first scenic viewpoints. This way, we couldĀ walk all the way to the major viewpoints.

Visiting Iguazu Falls on the Argentina and Brazil Side
Iguazu view . - Photo by kentdufault on Pixabay

Tips for visiting the Brazil side of Iguazu from Argentina

  • You can take aĀ direct busĀ from theĀ bus terminal in Puerto IguazuĀ that takes you straight to theĀ entrance of the park.
  • If you travel back to Argentina the same day, you get anĀ exit stamp for Argentina, butĀ no entry stamp for Brazil. Apparently, that’s normal.
  • Entrance fee for the park can be paid inĀ Argentinan Pesos, but you will getĀ Brazilian change.
  • BringĀ mosquito repellent!
  • We recommend to get off the bus at the first viewpoints andĀ walk towards the main sight. This way, you get to see the mostĀ different waterfallsĀ and loads of wildlife.
Visiting Iguazu Falls on the Argentina and Brazil Side
Iguazu Falls at Brazil

Iguazu Falls Argentina Side

We visited the Argentina side on the second day after we already got a broad image of what the falls were like. This side of Iguazu is what we love to call: theĀ powerful side. It hasĀ left us in awe.

On this side, you also haveĀ multiple viewpoints. AĀ tourist trainĀ takes you from the park entrance to the views. Due to doubtful weather circumstances, we decided toĀ go straight to Devil’s throatĀ before it would start raining.

This was the last stop the train made, I believe there were 2 more stops along the way.

When you get off the train, you can start walking on aĀ sturdy bridge over the very wide river. The water looks quite calm here, but I would not recommend jumping in. During our walk over the bridge, we saw images on the side of the bridge that picturedĀ previous attempts to build this bridgeĀ and we were kinda discouraged by the images. Many previous attempts for building a bridge and platform had failed and the bridgesĀ got washed away by the river. Scary!!

Visiting Iguazu Falls on the Argentina and Brazil Side
Iguazu Falls at Argentina

Devil’s throat

Devil’s throat is the actualĀ main sightĀ on this side of the falls. We reached it via theĀ bridge, which isĀ quite longĀ and takes you over theĀ entire width of the river.

When we reached the viewing platform, we didn’t speak any other words thanĀ ā€˜wow’ for the first half hour. This place isĀ spectacular… amazing… stunning… It leaves youĀ speechless! We just felt so tiny and meaningless standing there on top of thisĀ massive natural power.

At no time could we see the bottom where the huge amount of water actually hit the ground. All we could see was aĀ wet mistĀ traveling back up into our faces.

TheĀ viewing platformĀ on top of Devil’s throat is actually built upon a tiny island/rock that sits on the edge of the falls. The thought of it is kinda scary because I could imagine vividly how quickly this platform could be at the rocky bottom of these falls… And what it would look like if it did. But it didn’t šŸ™‚

Visiting Iguazu Falls on the Argentina and Brazil Side
Viewing platform Iguazu Falls - Photo by Guilherme Madaleno on Unsplash

Conclusion of our visit to Iguazu Falls

The best way toĀ visit IguassuĀ Falls is toĀ take two or more daysĀ to do so.

You probably want to visit theĀ Argentinan sideĀ as well as theĀ Brasilian sideĀ and each of those take a full day.

Check this guide on visiting the fallsĀ in two or three days.

When in Argentina, you should definitely not skipĀ a visit to Buenos Aires!

Visiting Iguazu Falls on the Argentina and Brazil Side
Iguazu Falls at Brazil

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