Iguazu Falls Tours and Excursions in Brazil and Argentina

Whether you call them Iguassu, Iguaçu, or Iguazu Falls, the cascades of water spilling over cliffs on the border between Brazil and Argentina just might be the most spectacular waterfalls in the world. It’s best to make the effort to see them from both sides of the border since the view is very different from multiple walkways and viewpoints, but ideally you also stick around long enough to go on Iguazu Falls tours and excursions as well.

These famous waterfalls have shown up in plenty of movies, TV shows, and documentaries, along with the odd TV advertisement now and then. Parts of the region made it into The Black Panther, but the Oscar-winning film The Mission, with Jeremy Irons and Robert DiNiro is the best-known one actually placed there if you want to get a sense of history before you go.

On the Argentina side, the falls are located in the Misiones province because as that movie focuses on, this region was an important one for the Jesuit missionaries and one of the places that their eviction from Latin America met its most violent end. The falls were here long before the Europeans arrived though, with the name meaning “Big Water” in the local indigenous language. There are some 275 waterfalls in all, with most dropping between 35 and 82 meters (115 to 269 feet).

Although this is a rural area and the cities miles away, with only a few hotels by the falls themselves, you should have cell service. You don’t want to pay a fortune for roaming and leave it to chance though, so look into flexible eSIM plans. You can get one that covers many countries in South America, including both of these, for $9 to $65 over 30 days depending on how much data you need.

You’ll also want to pack clothes that dry quickly and some water shoes or quality hiking sandals if you’ll be anywhere near where the water is coming down. There’s a heavy mist at least on some of the overlooks. Then you’ll get very wet if you go on a boat tour, for example, so let’s start there.

An Iguazu Falls Tour on the Water

One of the most popular excursions, and the easiest to arrange, is a boat trip from the Argentina side that takes you right up to the thundering waterfalls. It starts downriver, where the water is fairly calm, then as the boat gets closer, the spectacular falls come into view and you get a perspective that’s very different than the ones high up on a ridge.

Eventually the sound of the waterfalls drowns out the sound of the boat motor and a light mist that feels refreshing turns into a full-on shower as the boat gets closer A closer to the cliffs. It’s best to bring a GoPro with a waterproof case or some other adventure camera for taking photos and videos because you and your phone are going to get soaked. A dry bag is essential if you have any electronics that are not waterproof.

There are storage lockers at the dock, so when you get back you can change into dry clothing and shoes if you want, or just let the sun and heat do their thing. See the tour options here.

A Helicopter Ride Over Iguassu Falls

If you’d like to get a more exclusive view of this great natural wonder, book a helicopter tour and see it all from above. You board in a dedicated area with plenty of space away from the falls on the Brazil side, then it only takes a few minutes before you’re soaring over top of everything, the crowds of tourists looking like ants below.

This view gives you a sense of how massive Iguassu Falls really are since you see the whole expanse at once instead of just portions of it from one overlook. You also see how large the jungle area around the falls is, with dense green foliage lining the river and tributaries that send this massive volume of water over the edges.

Nature Walks and Jungle Hikes Around the Falls

The falls are surrounded by protected national parks in both countries, Expanses of land covering 240,000 hectares (927 square miles). This area is large enough to host “tapirs, giant anteaters, howler monkeys, ocelots, jaguars and caymans,” according to the UNESCO World Heritage designation of one of the parks, as well as more than 200 bird species.

Years ago we ran a feature where one of our writers went on some excursions with tour company Aguas Grandes, exploring both sides of the waterfalls and walking with a naturalist in the jungle.

Very few of the millions of annual visitors stay in the area long enough to go exploring like this, which is a shame considering how many options there are. You could easily spend a whole week here, doing something different every day and then just leaving a day to relax by the pool and unwind.

The best hotel for this if you’re an active traveler is Relais & Chateau member Awasi Iguazu, which you can find a review of at that link. Our reviewer opted for an excursion at a private reserve an hour away but, “Other excursions offered by this luxury Iguazu lodge include jungle walks, visits to other waterfalls in the region, a long full-day trip to visit the Jesuit mission churches near the town of San Ignacio, and a bike excursion.” Iguazu Falls excursions are part of the all-inclusive package there, catered to your desires for how active and challenging you want the activities to be.

Other Iguazu Falls Tours

If you’re a country counter and you want to add Paraguay to your list, you can easily head upriver or up the road to that country, which is barely outside the waterfalls zone.

For a soft adventure that you can join grandma on, hitch an included 20-minute ride on the Rainforest Ecological train, a seven-kilometer trip one-way through the nature reserve in Argentina, from the visitors center to the Devil’s Throat observatory area, where the largest volume of water is discharged. (On the Brazil side, you’ll just board a bus.)

For a little more of a rush, head to Canoping Iguazú for an adventure playground near the city where most of the hotels are located. There you can go walking high above the ground on bridges along the canopy, zipline between them, and go rappelling straight down as well. All with helmets and safety harnesses of course.

To reach the area, you can fly into Foz do Iguaçu in Brazil or Puerto Iguazú in Argentina. With a little more effort, you can get there from Ciudad del Este in Paraguay.

Did you try one of these or some other Iguazu Falls tour when you were in the area? Tell us about it in the comments!