Best Places in Iguazu Falls: Top Spots
Iguazu is not one waterfall but a whole system, a horseshoe of around two hundred and seventy separate falls spread across a curved cliff face that is shared by Brazil and Argentina. Which places you see changes everything about the experience. I visited both sides and walked almost every trail, and these are the spots I keep telling people not to miss.
The Brazilian panorama trail
The best single view of the whole falls, in my opinion, is on the Brazilian side. A long path runs along the opposite bank, and near the end it opens onto a viewpoint where you see the entire arc of falling water in one clean frame. It is the shot from the postcards. The trail is easy and can be done at a comfortable pace, and I found that walking it in the morning, before the big tour buses arrived, gave me the whole spectacle almost to myself.
The Garganta del Diablo, or Devil’s Throat
The most famous point of all is the Garganta del Diablo, on the Argentine side, where the river drops in a massive curtain that curves around you on three sides. You reach it by a little ecological train and then a long boardwalk that ends in a platform right at the edge of the drop. The sound is enormous and the spray hits you hard. It is the single most visceral moment of the whole visit and the one people remember for years.
The Lower Circuit walkways
Still on the Argentine side, the Lower Circuit is a set of boardwalks that bring you right up close to several of the biggest falls at river level. You get soaked and you get amazing photos of the water slamming into the basin. There are short boat trips from near here that take you right up under the cascades, which is wet, loud and gloriously silly. I recommend packing a waterproof case for anything you care about.
The Upper Circuit and the calm river views
The Argentinian park also has an Upper Circuit along the top of the gorge, which gives you quieter views from above and the sight of the calm river just before it all disappears over the edge. It is a gentler, more reflective contrast to the roaring lower walks. The contrast between the placid water upstream and the chaos at the lip is one of the things that really hit me about this place.
Boat tours and the base of the falls
I am not usually one for the organized tours, but the boat trip from the Puerto Iguazu area toward the base of the falls is worth the poncho. You speed up the river and then hang right in the spray of the great falls, soaked and grinning. It gives you a perspective you cannot get from any walkway. Do it late morning to avoid the worst queues and bring a full change of clothes.
Isla San Martin and the calm side routes
On the Argentine side a short boat crossing takes you to Isla San Martin, an island in the river with its own short trails and a quieter, more natural feel. It is a good escape from the crowds and a lovely spot to sit and hear the falls from a distance. On the Brazilian side the trails near the base and the small museum area round out the picture with history and a different angle.
A few notes to help you turn these places into a sane plan. Both national parks open early, and I would be there for opening on both mornings, partly for the light and partly to keep ahead of the tour groups that arrive from late morning. The parks are well signed and the boardwalks easy to follow, so you do not need a guide for the main sights, though a licensed one adds depth to the biology and the history of the falls. I recommend spending your first day on the Argentine side, where the circuits and the Devil’s Throat give you the close encounters, and your second on the Brazilian side for the panorama, ending with the boat and the viewpoints. Carry a poncho, a dry bag for your phone and camera, and shoes with grip, because you will walk on wet boardwalks all day. Do that and you see the full range of this place, top to bottom, near and far, which is the only complete way to understand Iguazu.
My perfect loop
If you have me to budget you a day on each side, I would do the Brazilian panorama in the morning and the Argentine Devil’s Throat and circuits on the second day. In between, squeeze in the boat ride. That combination shows you the grand view, the close view, the top and the bottom of the whole system. Iguazu rewards people who see it from more than one angle, because every approach reveals something the others hide.
