The Iguazú Falls are 275 separate cascades spread across nearly three kilometres of the Iguazú river, on the border between Brazil and Argentina. Roughly 80 percent of the falls are on the Argentine side and the best view of them is from the Brazilian side, which is the fact that governs how a visit works.
The two national parks are separate countries with separate entrances, separate tickets and a border crossing between them. Most visitors do one day on each.
The park gates and the two or three hours that matter
Both parks open around nine in the morning and close in the late afternoon. Coach groups arrive from the airports and the towns from mid-morning, and by eleven the walkways at the Devil's Throat and the Brazilian panorama are dense.
There is exactly one hotel inside each park, and that is the whole reason they cost what they do. Guests are inside the gates before the public arrives and after they leave, which at Iguazú means having the largest waterfall system in the world with almost nobody on the walkways.
The Argentine side has the extent: several kilometres of trails, the upper and lower circuits, a train to the Devil's Throat and boat trips that go under the falls. Allow a full day.
The Brazilian side has the panorama: a single trail along the gorge looking across at the whole system, plus the walkway out into the Devil's Throat spray. Allow half a day.
The five below are the properties at this standard on either side.
Inside the parks
One on each side, and the reason to spend the money.
Hotel Cataratas occupies a pink colonial building inside the Brazilian park with a lawn running to the gorge edge and the falls visible from the property. Guests walk the trail before the gates open and after they close. It is the best hotel at Iguazú and it is not close.
Hotel Cataratas
Inside the Brazilian park · 5★ · $$$$
A lawn to the gorge and trail access when the gates are shut
Check availabilityGran Melia Iguazu sits inside the Argentine park a short walk from the upper circuit, with a pool, a spa and the falls audible from the rooms. It gives you the same early and late access on the larger side.
Puerto Iguazú, Argentina
The town on the Argentine side, twenty minutes from the park.
Loi Suites Iguazu Hotel occupies a site in native forest on the edge of town with a pool, a spa and a design that leaves the trees standing. It is the best hotel outside the parks.
Panoramic Hotel Iguazu sits above the Iguazú river near the three-border point with a pool, a spa and views across into Brazil and Paraguay.
Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil
The larger town on the Brazilian side, with the international airport.
Wish Foz do Iguaçu occupies a position between the town and the park with a large pool, full facilities and rates well below the in-park properties.
Wish Foz do Iguaçu
Foz do Iguacu · 4★ · $$
Large pool and full facilities below in-park rates
Check availabilityWhat we have left off
The hostels and pousadas across Puerto Iguazú and Foz do Iguaçu are excluded. Both towns have a great many of them serving backpackers well, and they are not hotels at this standard.
What to do
Do both sides. It is the single most common mistake to do one and assume you have seen it. Argentina gives you the scale and the proximity; Brazil gives you the composition.
Take the boat under the falls on the Argentine side. You will be completely soaked and it is worth it. Waterproof bags are provided and phones do not survive casually.
Walk the Devil's Throat on the Argentine side early, when the spray catches the light and the walkway is empty.
The border crossing is straightforward but check your visa requirements for both countries before travelling, since they vary by nationality and have changed.
Visit the Parque das Aves on the Brazilian side, a bird park with rehabilitated Atlantic forest species, which is better than it sounds and takes two hours.
Practical notes
Both sides have airports: Foz do Iguaçu in Brazil with more connections, and Puerto Iguazú in Argentina. Flights come from São Paulo, Rio, Buenos Aires and Asunción.
The falls run year round. Water volume peaks from December to February, which is also hot and humid. May to September is cooler and drier with lower flow but clearer walkways. The falls have occasionally been closed to visitors during extreme flood events.
Rain gear rather than an umbrella. You will get wet regardless.
Explore 4 & 5 Star Iguazu Falls Hotels
Questions people actually ask
Brazilian or Argentine side?
Both. Argentina has 80 percent of the falls and the trails; Brazil has the view of them. One day each.
Is staying inside the park worth it?
It is the only way to be on the walkways before and after the crowds, at a site where the crowds are the main problem. For a two-night trip, yes.
How long do you need?
Two full days, three nights. One day per side.
Do you need a visa for both?
It depends on nationality and the rules change. Check both countries before travelling.