The Argentina side of the national park is the larger side. We spent almost a whole day walking around the park, taking photos, and doing the Gran Aventura boat ride with Iguazu Jungle. Unfortunately, a few pieces of the park were closed due to being damaged from flooding the prior weeks. If those had been open, we truly would have spent the whole day here.
Getting a Bus to the Iguazu Falls
For our first day, we decided to explore the Iguazu Falls National Park on the Argentina side. We went to the bus station to purchase tickets for the first bus to get to the park before too many people arrived (and it definitely gets busy!). There is a bakery across the street from the bus station, so we were able to get breakfast right before getting on the bus.
The bus company is Rio Uruguay and the first bus leaves at 7:30 am. It is important to carry Argentine pesos to buy the tickets! They do not take cards. You can also purchase your return ticket here. You do not need to determine a time for your return ticket. You will just need to show a purchased ticket to return on the bus. We arrived at the park a quick 40 minutes later.
Tickets to the Iguazu National Park
NOTE: Information about purchasing tickets to the park has changed over the last few years. We reached out to our accommodation host to get the right information. We have included the official websites below that will have the most up-to-date information.
We purchased our tickets in advance from this website. They claim that you cannot purchase them at the park and we did not want to test it. They also ask you to put in an entrance time. You may want to purchase in advance to get the time that you want.
Navigating the Iguazu Park
There are 5 different parts to this park. We will go through each one of them, telling you what we did, what we didn’t do, and the order we did it all. Some aspects of the park were closed due to the impact of the flooding. In addition, the circuits were all “there-and-backs” instead of loops because of the damage, making the trails feel even busier. We talked to a park ranger when we first entered the park for their recommendation on the order to visit everything.
When we first entered the park, we tried to buy tickets to the Gran Aventura boat ride. The company at the entrance told us the only availability they had was for the 9 am boat but there may be more availability if we talk to the company at the center of the park. This is what we did and we had no issues getting on a later boat ride. To avoid this stress, you can purchase tickets in advance at this website.
Inferior Circuit
We started with the inferior circuit, which gave us an intimate introduction to the falls. This was recommended to us by a ranger. He also mentioned walking directly to the start of the circuit rather than taking the train because we would get there quicker.
First thing in the morning, it was quiet and calm, allowing us to take in the start of the beauty. This path is at the same level as the bottom of some of the waterfalls. This is just one of the perspectives we would experience of the falls. We then moved towards a more panoramic view of the falls, all with a jungle background around us.
Superior Circuit
This circuit puts us above and on the edge of the waterfalls. There are outlooks where you can see views of the falls and get close to the edge. We were impressed by the power and speed of the water.
This circuit was definitely busier than the inferior circuit (maybe because we did it after the crowds started arriving). In addition, the backside of this circuit was closed so we had to return the same way we came.
Gran Aventura with Iguazu Jungle
The final thing we did was the Gran Aventura boat ride. We were able to get tickets from the center office and got on the following boat ride. We have heard that, during peak times, these boat rides fill up so you may need to talk to them prior to doing the circuits to get the ride that you want. You can book it and reserve a time for the boat ride online here. There is a similar company on the Brazilian side that has the same experience and ride. We chose to do it on the Argentine side because it was hotter on this day.
This ride was 100% worth the pricier cost, especially if you like thrill rides or a little bit of adrenalin. It’s far from scary but definitely has a level of thrill. It is not a boat cruise. We started with a jeep ride through the rainforest with a guide who told us about the ecosystem here. Then, we were given life vests, a dry bag for our things, and filed onto the boat.
The guides here took us down the river, gave us a view of the waterfalls from the river, and then moved us close to the falls. We got soaked!
The ride was quick but being able to see the falls from that vantage point and feel their power on us was a great experience. Kevin truly had the time of his life!
As we were leaving, we saw someone who was suffering a heat stroke. She ended up leaving in an ambulance and I really hope that she is ok. This is an important reminder to drink water. You can bring water into the park or purchase it all around. The water here is not too overpriced and your health is much more valuable than a couple of dollars to buy water to keep you hydrated and cool!
Devil's Throat Trip (CLOSED November 2023)
This walk had been completely demolished the prior week due to the flooding. When it is open, you take a train to the start of the walk and go on a boardwalk to a viewpoint over the top of the Devil’s Throat (the largest of the waterfalls). You can walk instead of taking the train but we’ve been told the walk is not the most interesting. When open, this is the most popular of the walks.
Macuco Trail
This is a 6 km walk (3 km each way) through the rainforest that ends at a waterfall. We were recommended to wear close-toed shoes because of the snakes that could be on the path. We had only brought our sandals and could not imagine putting on socks and shoes in this heat.
Eating in the Iguazu National Park
You can bring your own food into the park but we decided to pick up some sandwiches from a grab-and-go spot in the center of the park. It completely satisfied us but there are also some bakeries in town that can provide some sandwiches as well. There were signs everywhere warning us against the thieving animals of coati and capuchin monkeys.
Leaving the Iguazu National Park
From the center, we took the train to get back to the entrance. We then went back to where the bus initially dropped us off to pick up the next bus back to Puerto Iguazu. We had purchased our return from the bus station in Puerto Iguazu but you can also pay cash directly on the bus.