Iguazu Falls Tips: 10 Must-Know Things Before Your Visit

After spending two days exploring both sides of this national park, here are my 10 Iguazu Falls tips for you, ahead of your visit. Because you haven’t seen waterfalls until you’ve been to the Iguazu Falls (or Iguaçu Falls if you’re Argentinian or Foz do Iguaçu if you’re Brazilian).

I will be completely honest, before my visit, I figured these would be mildly impressive but likely nothing to knock my socks off.

Let me tell you… My socks were obliterated.

If I had to rank this UNESCO Heritage site in my list of the most magical places my traveling eyeballs have beheld… it definitely lands within the top 3.

1. Both Sides are Worth it but…

If I had to pick one, you get more bang for your buck on the Argentina side, in my opinion.

That being said, I highly recommend a visit to both if you can swing it. I would recommend exploring the Brazil side first, since it’s smaller and a good way to get your feet wet (see what I did there?) ahead of a full day exploring in Argentina. 

2. Get on the Boat

This probably should rank first in my Iguazu Falls tips. I cannot say enough about this boat ride. I was expecting this wouldn’t be worth the expense, but let me tell you, if you do nothing but this boat ride, it will be 1000% worth it.

When I say I felt like I was in a Lucky Charms commercial (but in the most magical and un-lame of ways), I am not exaggerating. I have literally never seen so many rainbows and waterfalls in one fell swoop. I genuinely kept pinching myself to make sure I wasn’t in a dream.

3. Have a Wet Clothes Plan

If you don’t take the boat ride, you’re not going to end up saturated, but going to a park filled with waterfalls… some moisture is unavoidable.

Bare minimum, pack spare shoes, but at most bring a spare set of clothes to change into post-boat ride.

4. Prepare Food in Advance

The park food looked bleak, though it’s there if you need it. There are some convenience store-type set-ups where you could grab some snacks.

I would recommend loading up your pack with some picnic-style food and lots of water before heading to the bus that morning. I mean, I don’t ever need an excuse to load down with chipas.

5. Puerto Iguazu is a Convenient Snooze

I stayed in Puerto Iguazu for three nights while I visited the Falls. It’s relatively small, though I’d highly recommend staying within walking distance to either the main bus station or near a bus stop that heads toward the national park.

On my final morning, I had some time to spare before heading to the airport, so I walked to the Hito Tres Fronteras. Now I can say my eyeballs witnessed three countries at once: Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay!

6. Explore the Park Strategically

This was a key part of my experience, and a tip someone gave me ahead of time, so I’m sharing the wisdom with you in these Iguazu Falls tips.

When visiting the Argentine side, you’ll notice there are a few sections around the park for exploring. My advice? Start at the bottom.

Most people are going to enter and immediately get on the train (or trail) and head right for the Devil’s Throat viewpoint. If you start at the inferior circuit, you’ll likely have the place to yourself before the tour groups catch up to you. Then you can catch the train or hike up to the top (where there are likely always going to be crowds, so why rush it, eh?).

7. Ask Your Hosts About Transportation

First, if you’ fly in’re flying in to visit this park of water-blasting wonders, you will likely be staying a bit away from the airport you arrive/depart through. Regardless of whether you choose to stay in Brazil or Argentina, I recommend speaking with your host about any transportation offerings they might have to and from the airport.

There were taxi options in Puerto Iguazu, but my host ended up having a slightly cheaper and more convenient option for me. 

Secondly, one of the reasons I love a hostel stay or a shared space is the ability to pick your host’s brain. Even though I didn’t end up loving my hostel in Puerto Iguazu, the hosts did offer a wealth of information in the form of transport and Iguazu Falls tips for the park and around their little town. 

8. Bug Spray and Sunscreen are your BFFs

Like in Machu Picchu, this is a steamy, jungly climate – I do love using proper English, don’t you?

I’m not someone typically prone to bites, but taking into account the humidity, especially in a park filled with waterfalls. Not to mention the odds of you getting wet and washing off any spray you started the day with (very high odds btw), you’re gonna need to apply and reapply throughout the day.

9. Don’t Forget Your Passport

If you plan to visit both the Argentina and Brazil sides of the park, but you are only staying in one country for the duration of your trip, the bus will take you through border patrol on your way to the other country’s entrance.

Make sure you have your passport with you. Otherwise, you won’t be able to enter the country (which would be hilarious for everyone around you but not for you). 

10. Your Bus Might Change at the Border

I almost missed my bus after I went through the border patrol, going from Argentina to Brazil on my first day. Luckily, a kind semi-English speaking stranger from my original bus saw me get on and came over and asked me if I was going to the Iguazu Falls because if so, I needed to get on a different bus.

I won’t lie – my stranger danger radar was questioning this, but turns out he was right. Keep an ear and eye out for people getting on your first bus who say they are going to the Falls, and notice the bus they get on after customs. Since I don’t speak Spanish or Portuguese well, I missed that note from the first driver, but thank the universe for kind strangers! 

This place is magic, take all the pictures and videos, but also… my most important of Iguazu Falls tips: take the experience in with your eyeballs. While I wish I had captured more stellar content on the boat ride just for my reminiscing later on, I have zero regrets about drooling over the sites in front of me in real-time and completely forgetting about (slash being afraid of ruining in the waterfalls) my phone and camera.

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