Truth be told, I didn’t know anything about these gigantic waterfalls before arriving on the South American continent, which is strange, since they belong in the same category as majestic Victoria Falls and Niagara Falls. Like me, you’ve probably heard of those natural wonders. Yet, Eleanor Roosevelt is known to utter the words “Poor Niagara!” when she first saw Iguazu Falls. 🙂
Following a boardwalk on the lowest level in Brazil
Iguaçu/Iguazú Falls are recognized as a natural wonder of the world, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and one of the “New 7 Wonders of Nature.” The area is known for its immense scale, with 275 individual cascades spanning nearly two miles (3 km), making it the largest waterfall system in the world. The falls divide the river into the upper and lower Iguazu River and have heights of 200 to 263 feet (60–82 meters).
The amazing vista opening up after our walk – a great way to approach this site in Brazil
I had no idea that Iguaçu/Iguazu Falls straddled a border between two countries or that their name was spelled differently, depending on the side of the border. Heck, I didn’t even know just how impressive and numerous the falls were until we showed up!
Best view of the Argentinian falls
Mark and I prefer not to research highlights much or look at photos ahead of time. Just like with other spectacular sites, like Bryce Canyon and Arches National Parks in Utah, we arrived at this site “unprepared” and gazed in wonder. “Wow! Those waterfalls keep going as far as the eye can see.” Impressive! When you don’t have expectations, you can truly be surprised, awed, and inspired.
Overview of some falls at a lower level in Brazil
Iguaçu Falls in Brazil
As I mentioned in my recent expense report for June, Mark and I only planned to visit the Brazilian side of the falls, after asking among our friends which side they preferred (and why), reading comments in our free iOverlander camping app, and considering fees and logistics.
When we discovered the nearby hostel offered camping at the same price per night as the parking lots in the vicinity and it was located within a ten-minute walk of the entrance to the National Park, we had a plan. The three of us left Paraguay for a night or two, after Mark finally received his Brazilian visa. (Yes, thanks to a certain person and his international “policies,” Americans now need pricey visas to visit Brazil.)
The border crossing at Foz do Iguaçu was chaotic, but the authorities were friendly, welcoming, and helpful. This is a “free zone” for Brazilians and Paraguayans who buzz back and forth. As the only international visitors with required paperwork, we enjoyed the peace and quiet in the offices.
(As always, hover over or click on photos in galleries to read their captions.)
We settled at the campground and figured it was too late to visit the falls that afternoon. We had been watching the forecast for days and saw the next morning would be perfect for our excursion. Not too hot to leave Maya behind for a few hours, but sunny and blue skies for ultimate photos. We booked the first slot online to catch a bus into the park at 8:30 a.m.
Imagine our disappointment when we woke up to another gray and misty morning… The visibility was really bad, so we decided to hop off the bus at a 6-mile jungle trail that would take us two hours to reach the waterfalls. We hoped that by then the sky would clear.
On this hike, we met a young Flemish couple, Louisa and Jean, who had the same idea about delaying their arrival, and saw troops of monkeys in the trees.
The minute we reached the point where the river plummets down, the sun popped out and an expanse of waterfalls became visible.
We walked on all the boardwalks and stopped by all the viewpoints to take everything in.
To our surprise, a whole “new” section of waterfalls on the Argentinian side became visible as we walked away from the main area.
At some point, we left our new friends, since Maya had been alone for four hours, which was pushing it with her separation anxiety. Sure enough, when we reached home, I’d forgotten that some dog treats were left in my shorts next to the bed. Maya’s nose and then teeth found them…
My favorite pair of shorts… garbage! Thanks, Maya.
Iguazu Falls in Argentina
Coincidentally, Louisa and Jean stayed at the hostel of our campground and they had planned a day trip to the Argentinian side of the falls the following day. Was I interested?
When an opportunity comes along that is this easy and relatively affordable, I have to jump on it. Mark was indifferent and someone had to stay with Maya during this long, international journey, so I joined the group in a shared taxi. There were five of us in total, which made the 1.5-hour drive each way doable at $20 per person. I bought my entrance ticket online the previous evening.
I latched on to the Belgian couple for a fun day at the falls, walking every trail and boardwalk we could find. It was interesting to see the falls we spotted yesterday from the other side of the river up close and personal.
In Argentina, there was an upper and a lower trail. The bottom one was more spectacular, as the top one only allowed views over the rivers and the points where they plunged into the canyon.
The highlight was the Devil’s Throat (Garganta del Diablo), reached by an extremely long and busy boardwalk. You were guaranteed to get wet here, and the roar of the water was deafening.
After a full day back in Argentina, we returned to the campground by 5 pm and packed up. The management of the hostel had allowed Mark and Maya to wait for me without having to pay extra. So, just before nightfall, we managed to drive to and hop over the border into Paraguay again, with quick formalities this time, and reach a free camping place, to save money.
Devil’s Throat viewpoint
While we were a tad disappointed that the water was brown from all the recent rainfall, this was a cool and fast side trip into Brazil, which gave us a wonderful first impression of that country!
Next up: The Southern Pantanal and Bonita in Brazil
Curious about a previous ten-year chapter in our nomadic lives, which includes eight years aboard a 35-foot sailboat in the tropics with dogs, check out my compelling, inspiring, and refreshingly honest travel memoir:
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July 13, 2025 at 20:21
Stunning!
July 14, 2025 at 13:25
Thanks, Margie!
July 13, 2025 at 20:32
Spectacular! It must have been amazing to be there in person. I’m impressed with Brazil so far.
July 14, 2025 at 13:26
Hi Duwan,
Yes! Iguazu Falls has been a true highlight and natural phenomenon on the trip. I was hoping you’d be able to go, but when I calculated how far it was from Encarnación, I know it would be too far and costly for you two. I hope you come to Brazil one day!
July 13, 2025 at 20:57
It’s not a big deal because Brazil and Argentina are where people go to view the falls, but the falls actually border on a third country as well, Paraguay.
July 14, 2025 at 13:29
Hi,
Yes, Paraguay borders Brazil and Argentina (I wrote about that and visiting the “tres fronteras” in my second Paraguay blog), but that point is nowhere near the Iguazu Falls. The Iguazu River hits the Paraná River, which follows part of the Paraguayan border.
July 13, 2025 at 21:04
Stunning and spectacular–I had no idea such Falls existed.
(Sorry about the ruined shorts, Liesbet!)
July 14, 2025 at 13:36
Hi Marian,
Isn’t it bizarre that we’ve never heard of these Falls abroad? (Maya’s middle name is “Trouble.”)
July 13, 2025 at 22:55
Like you, I was unfamiliar with Iguaçu/Iguazu Falls. They are spectacular. How interesting that the couple you met had the same plan as you. Does Maya usually do pretty well when you have to leave her for a few hours?
July 14, 2025 at 13:42
Hi Pete,
You know what was even more surprising about the Belgian couple we met? He is from the city I went to college to become a teacher and she, more importantly, lives in the same city I lived, went to school, and worked as a teacher. Her mom went to my high school and her dad went to the vocational school my dad taught at…
Nope. Maya does not do well when left alone. She has separation anxiety and is our shadow everywhere. Well, Mark’s shadow usually, but now that he’s in the US for three weeks, she is super attached to me.
We can usually leave her alone for up to three hours, making sure no paper products are within her reach. After those initial three hours, anything can happen. There have been times that we heard her bark after we left, so we needed to return, put her at ease again, and reprimand her for her behavior. She doesn’t drink water when we are gone, pants a lot, and usually doesn’t chew on clothes, unless there’s food in them apparently. 🙂
July 14, 2025 at 02:29
Hi Liesbet! Absolutely spectacular!!! So glad you got to see the falls for both angles and enjoy your time there. Definitely a WOW experience! ~Kathy
July 14, 2025 at 13:45
Hi Kathy,
I’d told Mark that I would only hop over to the Argentinian side if it was easy and straightforward, but since both sites are 1.5 hours away from each other (if only we could cross the river between the parks!), involve a border crossing, and – I thought – would be too much money, I’d given up on that desire. Until I met the Belgians and a quick and affordable solution presented itself… 🙂
July 14, 2025 at 06:52
That is really spectacular. Glad you got to see it from both sides. Even if it was brown. (I’ve seen enough big rivers to realize a lot of them are brown.) Sorry about your shorts.
July 14, 2025 at 13:52
Hi Alex,
You are right. Many rivers are brown, especially in South America. And especially after heavy rainfall. I can’t wait to see the Amazon – and I totally expect it to be brown as well. 🙂
July 14, 2025 at 08:41
Hi Liesbet, Iguazu Falls came onto my radar last year when I was following a couple who were on a world cruise. They documented their experience extensively. I was certain that it would be a destination for you guys when you entered Brazil. Glad you got there, and thanks for all the beautiful videos. Your photos are stunning, and the whole experience seems magical, even if the water is mostly brown.
July 14, 2025 at 13:58
Hi Suzanne,
I’m flattered that you thought about us when seeing those people’s Iguazu Falls photos last year. It’s actually a relatively unknown and interesting fact, but Iguazu Falls was not on our route – or most travelers’ overland route – at all. It’s totally out of the way, actually.
You either come from the south to enter Brazil along the coast (the most popular route) from Uruguay and then you usually stick to the coast. Or, you enter Brazil from Paraguay to visit the Pantanal region, which is a thousand miles out of the way from Iguazu as well.
So, when we calculated our distances and considered our route, it would make most sense for us to quickly hop into Brazil to just visit the falls and then return to Paraguay to head towards the Pantanal on a track that didn’t eat into our precious time in Brazil and provided us with cheaper fuel.
Of course, most tourists fly around Brazil to see the highlights, since it’s such a big country, so they don’t face these decisions. 🙂
July 14, 2025 at 16:45
Well, however you got there, I am very glad you saw it first hand.
July 14, 2025 at 09:45
Wow! Words fail me (in a good way).
July 14, 2025 at 13:58
I’m glad you enjoyed the photos and the videos, Anabel. It is a spectacular destination.
July 14, 2025 at 10:51
As I read and perused photos and videos, I kept whispering, “wow!”
While I’ll never visit there, I’m grateful I got to glimpse the beauty of those phenomenal falls!! Great side trips and sorry about your shorts.
July 14, 2025 at 14:00
Hi Carol,
I’m sure you had heard of Iguazu Falls! I’m happy you enjoyed the virtual visit. It’s one of those place that would make my second travel memoir if it ever gets written. 🙂
July 14, 2025 at 19:06
Oh wow Liesbet, those are magnificent falls! 🥰
July 14, 2025 at 19:19
They sure are, Debby! One of those “wow” moments and must-do attractions!
July 14, 2025 at 20:04
Happy that you got to view the falls from both countries, as they’re so different. We were also that lucky when we visited years ago. Our Paraguayan guide also offered to take us to the falls on another trip, but we declined! Wonder if we’ll see a line item in your next expense report for another pair of shorts!
July 15, 2025 at 18:31
Hi Annie,
I’m glad you managed to see both sides as well. They are, indeed, very different. It’s funny that this is the description everyone gives when comparing the Argentinian and Brazilian sides.
Funny about the shorts as a new line item next month. But, I won’t be buying a new pair for two reasons: it’s about time I start wearing my less favorite shorts and I managed to order a pair on Amazon Vine, the free “buying and reviewing service” we are members of. Mark will bring them down and I hope they’ll fit! 🙂
July 14, 2025 at 23:39
Breathtaking!! I didn’t know anything about these falls either. Thank you for sharing themm with us.
July 15, 2025 at 18:32
Hi Donna,
I’m happy to enlighten and educate you about the Iguazu falls. 🙂
July 15, 2025 at 16:18
Wow, great post! I’ll never forget the first time we laid eyes on these amazing falls in 2016 – we were completely blown away. We only visited from the Argentina side, because Brazil had just re-instated the costly visa for US folks after waiving it for the Olympics. Side note: You know I completely agree with you about “that certain person” but I think that visa requirement has come and gone a couple of times and was announced again, well before he took office. Not that I would ever want to let him off the hook about anything!
Great photos, and I’m so glad you had this experience! We’re not done with Brazil, not by a long shot, and I think we’ll need to get back to Iguaçu next time we’re there.
July 15, 2025 at 18:28
Hi Susan,
There is so much to see and do in Brazil. You two have visited many amazing places already – I still remember your blog posts about those magnificent coastal areas and will refer to them as we head north – but this country is huge!
Yes, there has been a time when US citizens needed a visa, but since 2019 there has been a visa waiver program for Americans. For the last three years since we’ve been down here (and the years prior probably as well), there has been talk about Brazil reinstating the costly visa for Americans, but they always backed out the month before it might have happened and never implemented it. Until this year. So, I do believe that it has to do with our current government that the visa was eventually reinstated again and with the less favorable reciprocity of the US policies towards Brazilians.
July 16, 2025 at 07:46
That’s our new world as travelers, I’m afraid. Until he’s gone (and that day can’t come too soon).