The pictures, at least those I take, don’t do justice to this marvel.  They say it used to be one of the seven wonders of the world, and I can see how these falls have inspired many.  When you turn the corner and see them for the first time they simply take your breath away.  I’ve not seen Victoria which I hear are higher, but Iguazu make up the largest set of falls in the world.  The sound of the water crushing down is overwhelming.  We’re fortunate to have had a chance to visit – it’s been one of our favorite trips so far this year.

Our adventure was particularly special because we got to go with Grandma and aunt Niki (who had been there before).  Experiencing not only the falls, but also the jungle as a whole, including all the animals, plants, and birds was much more fun in a larger group with kids’ excitement running through us at each new sighting of a capuchin monkey.   We all enjoyed watching these little creatures outsmart humans at each turn, stealing food, or simply having fun playing with each other.

But while monkeys were fun, the millions of butterflies were the highlight, particularly on the second day when the sun was out in full force.  They danced around us as we hiked, fluttering their wings in an array of colors, landing on every kid as if to show off.  It was exhilarating.

Kuba loved having these ‘pals’  as we hiked and Ella had fun kissing them.  Maya enjoyed the butterflies landing in the palm of her hand multiple times.  That’s the thing about the jungle.  There are so many new bugs, birds, and species of animals to enjoy with something exciting to see everywhere.  We had no complaints despite miles and miles of hiking each day, mosquito bites, and the heat.

If you want to go – check out details below the pictures:

Logistics:

where to go:

We only spent a couple of days in the park, but you could do more if you wanted to go to visit smaller falls and get off the main paths away from all the tourists.  There are also farther excursions of kayaking and so on – but many take hours to get to.  I also saw some advertisements to visit native populations / villages but I tend to be a bit skeptical of these, often uncertain whether it is all simply a way to exploit the local population.

The park itself is quite big and consists of multiple trails to get different views of the falls.  If you want to walk less, you can take a train (inside the park) that can bring you a bit closer to viewing points, but there is always some walking involved.  We did not take the train and the kids were able to walk several miles each day but it helped that the first day was wet and on the cooler side.

We also did not go to the Brazil side of the falls from which you get a different vintage point, I’m certain equally as stunning.  There are a couple of reasons for this:  1) as USA citizens we require visas which are not that challenging to obtain, but do require extra work and steps and 2) at the moment this part of Brazil is affected by yellow fever which then would require yellow fever shots prior to our arrival.  Again, possible to do, but generally there is a substantial shortage of yellow fever vaccines in Argentina so it seemed easier to skip Brazil altogether (you can get them in the US, but most insurances do not cover them and for our family of five I got a quote of $1800 which seemed ridiculous).

One other thing – be prepared for crowds.  We were there during the shoulder season (mid November) and every morning there were lines at the park entrance.  Once inside, if you wanted to, you could find a quiet spot but seeing the main falls and attractions required fighting through hundreds of people.  Still, many trails were not packed where we enjoyed shade and respite from tour groups.

where to stay:

We stayed at Loi Suites Iguazu which was pleasant.   The hotel was in the jungle about 20 mins from the airport and about 15 mins from the park entrance.  It had fantastic pools and a comfortable indoor-outdoor bar / restaurant by the pools where we spent a lot of time drinking yummy cocktails to cool off.  There were several small trails as well to get a taste of the jungle and a kids’ playroom, all of which made the hotel family-friendly.  There are a few hotels in this class, and some considerably more expensive (check out Awasi Iguazu which looks stunning!).  You can also stay in town which offers all range of accommodations from hostels to airbnbs to luxury hotels.

There is one hotel in the park itself – Melia Iguazu.  It looks like the hotel is a bit tired, but I must admit, having the chance to see the waterfalls all day including sunrise and sunset is enticing.

We did not rent a car because it was very easy to get to and from the park or town using taxis or pre-arranged transportation with the hotel.  Even excursions outside the park usually include transfers.

where to eat:

We mostly ate at the hotel, though we did have an excellent dinner in town at Aqva in Puerto Iguazu.  The fresh-water fish was fantastic.  We did not spend much time in town but we did see several restaurants catering to tourists throughout our short drive there.