20221121_103000Views of Iguazu (November 2022)

Located in the northeast quadrant of Argentina, Iguazu (also written as “Iguazú”) is the largest waterfall complex in the world. It comprises of over 275 waterfalls and spans nearly three kilometers (1.8 miles) along the border between Argentina and Brazil. I would be spending two nights in this part of the country exploring this immense natural world, even hopping over to Brazil see the other side.

I headed to Iguazu following my stay in El Calafate. I was in transit the entire day, as I was literally going from the southwestern-most point of Argentina to the northeast. I checked out from my hotel in the morning to head to the airport, where I caught the 12h30 flight back to Buenos Aires. I arrived two hours later, where I had a two-and-a-half hour layover until the next flight to Puerto Iguazú. It was peak travel season, and there was a horrible queue at the gate: the flight was also delayed by 20 minutes, so it was no fun getting crushed in the crowd while waiting to board.

The flight took off and arrived into Puerto Iguazú around 20h30. The warm, 27°C/80°F humidity hit me as I stepped out of the airport: compared to the chilly, 15°C/59°F I experienced in El Calafate, it was a huge temperature change within a span of a day. My transfer guide picked me up and took me to my hotel, located inside the Iguazú National Park. It was absolutely dark inside the park, as it’s literally a jungle with nothing but the car’s headlights to guide us through the sinuous path to the hotel entrance. We soon arrived, where I checked in and crashed by 21h00.

I woke up the next day to stunning views of the waterfalls from my room’s window: considering that I’d arrived late the night before, I could not see the waterfalls, but I could hear them roaring, which sounded quite peaceful. I even could see the famed Devil’s Throat from the patio, and a bunch of capuchin monkeys swinging all over– be careful, though, as they can sneak into your room and steal things!

20221121_064138Views of the waterfalls from the bathroom

20221121_063626Capuchin monkey

Following breakfast overlooking the waterfalls, I got picked up to start my guided tour of Iguazú. I actually had two guides: an English speaker and a Spanish speaker, the latter being the main guide and the former being the translator. My hotel was literal steps from the park entrance, so we just walked over and met up with two other tourists (a Spanish speaker and English speaker) to began the walking tour on the Argentinian side.

20221121_094722Walking the boardwalk

20221121_102205Toucan!

20221121_091125Views of the waterfalls

As beautiful as the Iguazú Falls were, what I didn’t appreciate was the sheer number of tourists all over the place. Granted, I was visiting during high season, but it was ridiculously crowded on the boardwalk, and it was a bit annoying having to wait for people to finish taking their photos in order to get a picture in. There were also a few folks blocking the one-way paths, which wasn’t fun, and honestly, it kind of detracted from enjoying the beauty of the waterfalls.

20221121_100412So many people…

The walking tour ended at noon, and we were given the option to take a boat tour to get close to the waterfalls. I wanted to get the most of my time in Iguazú, so I opted to go for it; I paid $49 USD for the boat tour and soon enough, I was on my way. Along with perhaps two dozen other tourists, we took a Jeep deep into the jungle, about two miles (3.2 kilometers) in where we reached the docking area for the boat: we suited up in rainboots and got waterproof sacks to store our personal belongings. After a quick, safety spiel from the captain and instructions on when we could take photos and not (especially approaching the waterfalls), we were off!

We zoomed to the waterfalls, including the Devil’s Throat: it was definitely a difference from viewing the falls from above, as the waterfalls looked a lot bigger and more-imposing from the water. The boat tour took us literally under the falls, where we got absolutely soaked! Some passengers were well-prepared and had donned ponchos and waterproofed their phones for photos, but unfortunately, I was ill-prepared without a poncho and had to put my phone away in the waterproof sack before we went under the falls. My jeans were utterly drenched and could not dry despite blow-drying them in my hotel later– it was what it was!

After getting two “premium showers” from the waterfalls, our boat headed back, thus concluding the tour. Besides getting soaked head to toe, it also started to rain! It was absolutely pouring when we docked and waited for our Jeep to take us back to the main park entrance. It wasn’t the most-pleasant ride back, as we were absolutely wet and ready to dry off– overall, while I can say that the boat tour was certainly an adventure, I think that one time was enough.

We arrived back to the park entrance, where my tour guides were waiting. They gave me the option of whether to continue with other tours of Iguazú, but I was utterly wiped and wanted to call it a day. They took me back to the hotel, where I changed into dry clothes and went to the park’s self-service restaurant for a late lunch at 16h00. It was buffet-style, but the food was really good, especially the meats: the chorizos (especially the black sausage) were incredible, and it was nice to get some food and rest following a tiring day of exploring the Argentinian side of Iguazú. I would spend the rest of the day recharging to prepare for a second day of visiting the waterfalls, this time from the Brazilian side.

20221122_151141Chorizo

Stay tuned for my post of Iguazu on the Brazilian side. Until then!

— Rebecca

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Published by Rebecca

Blogger, world traveler, poet, foodie, part-time penguin. Welcome!

62 thoughts on “Destination: Iguazu Falls (Argentinian Side)”

  5. It’s interesting to read about your experience. I visited both sides in a single day, coming from Ciutad del Este in Paraguay! It was certainly a busy day, but seeing the Iguazu Falls up close is certainly a unique experience. This abundance of water that then disappears as if by magic. There were a lot of people there too, but I found that on the whole the facilities were able to accommodate the crowds. The worst thing for me was the coati, who were too used to stealing from the bags.

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    1. It’s remarkable that Iguazu used to be less-explored; nowadays, it’s crowded all year-round! Argentina is such a vast and diverse country, and I hope you can return soon (you’re not too far away)!

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  7. Wow! You got a really breathtaking view of the waterfalls from your room! Looking at the sheer number of people, it reminds me how popular some places can be. Choosing when to go becomes more and more important to avoid the crowd. That late lunch looks delicious though!

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    1. I was very fortunate to stay at that hotel, as it’s the only hotel inside the national park; even more lucky I got a room facing the waterfalls! Alas, I went during peak season, but I hear Iguazu is busy practically all year-round…the late lunch was a delicious surprise and much-needed after getting soaked under the waterfall!

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  11. Wow I did not expect that many people at the waterfall walk until I scrolled down to see the photo. That is like sooo many people! Really amazing view of the waterfall from your room, and must have even be more fantastic up close. It is great you got tour guides to guide you along, especially if you want to be shown and not spending your time figuring out what to as you only have so much time there.

    I applaud you for wearing jeans while traveling. I love wearing jeans while traveling, but some people really are not into jeans. As you experienced, they can be hard to dry after getting wet or after a wash 😄

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    1. The hotel room was fantastic! Not only was that the only hotel inside the national park, but I was also very lucky to get a room with views of the waterfall (especially the Devil’s Throat). Alas, I was traveling during peak season, so the crowds were overwhelming– regardless, I’m glad I got to see Iguazu when I could. 🙂

      Admittedly, I’m not huge into jeans (more of a sweatpants kind of gal), but I happened to wear jeans that day, and that was a mistake! 😆

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  13. Wow, what a truly fascinating place to explore, Rebecca! Looking at your photos, I can easily see why many people consider the collection of falls to be the most spectacular on the planet. Waterfall views from your room are second to none.

    Given that Iguazú Falls is among the largest waterfalls in the world, it attracts herds of tourists and you’d expect to be pushed and shoved by people wanting selfies out the way multiple times. Overtourism is becoming an issue across the world and has been caused by Instagram and more people travelling. It’s wonderful that more people are getting the opportunity to see the world, however, I do believe we need to spread ourselves out, visit places off-season and get out of the “bucket list”/just visiting famous places mentality. Thanks for sharing, and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx

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    1. I agree. With the rise of Instagram and other social media platforms, they have created a huge travel trend to all parts of the world, to the point of overtourism. It’s both a blessing and a curse, as it helps economies and ruins sites due to increased carbon footprint. Some places are trying to combat this issue, though, whether by limiting the number of tourists who visit or creating tours that minimize carbon footprint. It’s a small step forward, but until then, we as tourists should do our best to be mindful of how we travel and respectful of the places we visit. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Aiva!

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    1. The hotel room was certainly the highlight of my time in Iguazu (perhaps all of Argentina)! It was rather soothing listening to the waterfalls roar in the distance when sleeping at night…the crowds were overwhelming, but for a glimpse of those stunning waterfalls, I have no regrets!

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  17. What a day! The waterfall is huge and I’m sure even bigger in real life. How fun that you were also staying so close so you could just walk there and back to change and also get a view of the falls. A pity about the crowds though!

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    1. Iguazu Falls is a massive spread of waterfalls, and even bigger in person! I lucked out on such a great hotel right inside the national park! The crowds were overwhelming, but I have no regrets visiting, in any case!

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  18. All very interesting, in addition to the great views of the falls! We did things the other way around, staying in Brazil but doing a day trip to the Argentinian side. I’ll be interested to hear what you thought of the comparisons between the two. We were advised to wear swimwear for the boat tour, which we did from the Brazil side, but decided on shorts and t-shirts which dried quite quickly, thankfully 🙂

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    1. My visit to Iguazu Falls on the Brazilian will be up soon, but essentially, I enjoyed the views from Brazil even more, as they were more expansive (whereas in Argentina, you get to see them close up)! You were wise to wear quick-drying clothes; that’s certainly a lesson to be learned!

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    1. Iguazu Falls are technically both in Argentina and Brazil, but amazing all the same! The capuchin monkeys are cute, but also naughty: it’s important to keep personal items away from them (unless you want them stolen)!

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    1. Interesting: I didn’t need a visa to cross over to Brazil (US citizen), and I only needed to show my passport and COVID vaccination. I guess the procedure’s a bit different now! Although I hear that US citizens will need a visa to enter starting January 2024…we’ll have to see!

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      1. That is correct. Brazil has always had Visa requirements for US and some other nationals but rescinded it for the 2016 Olympics and is reinstating it in January 2024. Primarily because the US is not reciprocal with US Visa waivers for Brazilian citizens. After the Olympics ended they reinstated US citizens needing a Visa. Our timing was not good but we have visited Brazil for 5 weeks this year and 5 weeks last year without the need for a Visa. ( (Whew ) 😃 It’s been a Yo-Yo situation.

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  21. Uh… transit days – the necessary evil of travel. Still, your experience of arriving in the dark and getting to wake up to the beauty you couldn’t see the night before is the exact thing that awaits us in the Blue Mountains of Australia. Another experience you had – having to give up photos in exchange for keeping your phone safe – is what happened to me during our via ferrata in Andorra, as I wasn’t prepared with many-pocketed pants. Sigh. Next time, right?
    It looks beautiful, and calls to mind Niagara, especially since it straddles two nations.

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    1. Transit days are rough, but necessary, especially if you need to get from one side of the country to the other! As much as I’d love to photograph every part of the trip, some situations just can’t be documented (unless I want my camera phone to be soaked)! Besides Niagara, Iguazu also has similarities with Victoria Falls, as it’s also a large range of waterfalls bordering two countries (Zambia and Zimbabwe). Hope to go there next!

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  24. Epic, another destination that calls to us. However, I’m not sure we would deal well with the crowds. I think that you should have been warned about what to bring and how not to get drenched during the second part of the tour. That must have been very unpleasant. I love the view from your hotel room.

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    1. Honestly, I didn’t plan to go on the under-waterfall experience until on-the-spot, so it was on me to have gotten the memo to sport a poncho. I should’ve also been prepared, in general, given that Iguazu is very rainy and tropical. All the same, no regrets and a beautiful hotel room to boot!

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  28. Pingback: Destination: Iguazu Falls (Brazilian Side) – Rebecca Goes Rendezvous

  29. nice to get the view from the other side!! now im confused about what I did but I think I took a flight BA to Foz in Brazil… how strange it was only 7 years ago but I dont remember exactly what happened… to the DIARY! great post as always!

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  30. It’s disappointing when tourists are so numerous they take away from the sights you came to see. I didn’t get to the falls on my Argentina trip, but had a similar experience on a boat at Niagara Falls. So exciting!

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