Iguazu Falls: both sides from Puerto Iguazú

1. Day 1: Arrive in Puerto Iguazú, sunset at the three borders

   Cataratas del Iguazú International Airport to Puerto Iguazú, then the Hito Tres Fronteras

   • Drive about 45 min
   • Dinner
   • Stay in Puerto Iguazú
   Day 1 details

   Fly into Cataratas del Iguazú International Airport (IGR), usually on a flight of under two hours from Buenos Aires. A driver meets you in the arrivals hall for the drive of about 25 minutes through the forest into Puerto Iguazú, the small Argentine town that is our base for all three nights. Plan to land by about 3 pm so you are at the hotel before the briefing; we confirm the exact time with your final itinerary. After you settle in, your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a short briefing on the next two days: the early start for the Argentine side, what to wear for the boat, and the border crossing into Brazil. Then we walk to the Hito Tres Fronteras on the edge of town, where the brown Iguazú runs into the Paraná, and watch the sun go down over the water with Brazil on one bank and Paraguay on the other. Dinner tonight is a welcome dinner together at a local restaurant in town.

   Included

   • Pick-up at Cataratas del Iguazú International Airport (IGR)
   • Welcome briefing with your guide
   • Sunset at the Hito Tres Fronteras
   • Welcome dinner in Puerto Iguazú

   Free time: Free until the late-afternoon briefing

   Activity: If your flight lands after the briefing, your guide meets you at the hotel and you join the group at dinner.

   

2. Day 2: The Argentine side, from opening

   Puerto Iguazú to Iguazú National Park and back

   • Drive about 45 min
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Puerto Iguazú
   Day 2 details

   This is the long day, and it starts early. We leave the hotel at about 7:30 for the 25-minute drive to Iguazú National Park, listed by UNESCO in 1984, and are at the gate for the 8 am opening. We take one of the first rounds of the small park train to Garganta station and walk the 1.1 km walkway across the open upper river to the Garganta del Diablo, the Devil's Throat, where the river drops into a U-shaped chasm in a roar of spray. Arriving before the tour coaches means room at the rail. Back down the line, the Upper Circuit runs along the lip of the falls, and the Lower Circuit brings you down through the forest to their base. Lunch is a sit-down meal in the park. In the afternoon the Gran Aventura takes us by open truck along a jungle track to the river, then by boat up into the spray below the falls; expect to be soaked. We are back in town by late afternoon, and the evening is free.

   Included

   • Iguazú National Park, Argentine side, entry included, from the 8 am opening
   • The park train to Garganta station and the Garganta del Diablo walkway
   • The Upper and Lower Circuits with your guide
   • Sit-down lunch in the park
   • The Gran Aventura: jungle truck ride and boat ride to the base of the falls

   Easier option: Skip the Lower Circuit and the boat: rest at a café by the Upper Circuit and rejoin the group after the boat ride.

   More active option: The Macuco trail, a forest walk of about 3.5 km each way to a small waterfall, in place of the Lower Circuit, when the park has it open.

   Free time: Evening free in Puerto Iguazú

   Activity: About 7 to 9 km on walkways with stairs on the Lower Circuit. The boat runs only when the water level allows; if it is closed, we change the order of the day and tell you what is open. Bring a dry bag and shoes that can get wet.

3. Day 3: The Brazilian side and the bird park

   Puerto Iguazú across the Tancredo Neves bridge to Iguaçu National Park, the Parque das Aves and Foz do Iguaçu, then back to Puerto Iguazú

   • Drive about 1.5 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Puerto Iguazú
   Day 3 details

   Passports out: after breakfast we cross the Tancredo Neves bridge over the Iguazú into Brazil, through the Argentine and Brazilian border posts, and reach Iguaçu National Park, listed by UNESCO in 1986, for its 9 am opening. From the visitor centre the park bus runs to the trailhead. The trail, about 1.2 km, follows the canyon wall facing the Argentine bank, so this is the side for the wide view across the whole curve of falls you walked yesterday. It ends on a walkway out over the river below the Devil's Throat, where the spray soaks you in seconds, and a lift takes you back up to the road. Late morning we walk through the Parque das Aves, opposite the park gate, whose big walk-through aviaries hold toucans, macaws and hummingbirds of the Atlantic Forest. Lunch is a sit-down meal in the centre of Foz do Iguaçu. We cross back into Argentina by mid-afternoon, and the rest of the day is free.

   Included

   • Both border crossings at the Tancredo Neves bridge with your guide and our vehicle
   • Iguaçu National Park, Brazilian side, entry included, from the 9 am opening
   • The canyon trail and the Devil's Throat walkway
   • The Parque das Aves, entry included
   • Sit-down lunch in Foz do Iguaçu

   Optional experiences

   • A helicopter flight over the falls from the Brazilian side, about 10 minutes, priced when you book

   Easier option: Take the park bus straight to the last stop and the lift down to the Devil's Throat walkway, skipping the trail.

   Free time: Afternoon and evening free

   Activity: About 1.5 km of trail with gentle steps, plus about 1 km in the bird park. Border queues vary; we leave early to keep ahead of them.

   

4. Day 4: A free morning and fly out

   Puerto Iguazú to Cataratas del Iguazú International Airport, or across the bridge to Foz do Iguaçu airport

   • Drive about 30 min
   • Breakfast
   Day 4 details

   No early start today. The morning is yours: sleep in after two full days, swim if the hotel has a pool, or walk to the small market in the centre of Puerto Iguazú for coffee, yerba mate and local cheeses. If you missed it on the first evening, the Hito Tres Fronteras is a short walk from the centre and quieter in the morning. Your guide arranges the transfer time with each guest the day before and sees you off. Most guests fly from Cataratas del Iguazú International Airport (IGR), about 25 minutes from town, usually to Buenos Aires. If you are going on into Brazil, for example to Rio de Janeiro or São Paulo, we can drive you across the Tancredo Neves bridge to Foz do Iguaçu International Airport (IGU) instead; allow extra time for the two border posts. If you are joining one of our Buenos Aires or Rio trips next, we line up the flight with its start day. The hotel can store your luggage after checkout.

   Included

   • Drop-off at Cataratas del Iguazú International Airport (IGR) or Foz do Iguaçu International Airport (IGU)

   Free time: Morning free

   Activity: Book a flight leaving after about 12 pm for a free morning; any time of day works for the transfer. IGR is about 25 minutes away; the drive to Foz do Iguaçu airport (IGU) through both border posts takes about 1 to 1.5 hours, so allow for it.

   

Wildlife and weather: Iguazu is subtropical and humid all year. Summer, December to March, is hot and busy, with heavy showers; winter, June to August, is mild by day and cool at night. The volume of the falls rises and falls with rain upstream, and at very high water the park can close the Devil's Throat walkway or the boat ride for a few days; if that happens we change the order of the day and tell you what is open. Coatis roam the walkways and will take food from bags, so keep snacks zipped away.

• Puerto Iguazú3 nights