Iguazu Falls Argentina side vs Brazil side, or both

Key Takeaways

• Iguazu Falls sits on the Argentina-Brazil border, and the two countries do not split it evenly: close to 80% of the individual falls are on the Argentina side, across a wall that runs 2.7km with drops up to 82 metres high.
• The Argentina side is a full day of walkways in among the falls. The Brazil side is one trail facing the whole thing from across the river, done in about half a day.
• The Devil’s Throat walkway, the closest view of the biggest drop, has been closed since 3 August 2026 as a preventive measure tied to El Niño, with no reopening date confirmed.
• A Brazilian e-visa is required for US, Canadian and Australian passports, in place since 10 April 2025. UK and EU passports stay visa-free.

Iguazu Falls Argentina side vs Brazil side, at a glance

	Argentina side	Brazil side
What you see	Walkways in among the falls, at river level and from above	One trail facing the whole wall of falls from across the river
Circuits open now	Circuito Superior (1,850m), Circuito Inferior (1,750m), Sendero Verde (650m), Sendero Macuco (3,500m)	Trilha das Cataratas, about 1.5km, ending on a catwalk facing Devil’s Throat
Closed	Devil’s Throat walkway, since 3 August 2026	None reported
Typical time needed	A full day	Half a day
Entrance fee, foreign visitors	AR$60,000, up from AR$45,000 since 1 June 2026	R$134 (R$131 plus a voluntary contribution)
Lati Travel tour	Full Day Iguazu Falls Tour, from US$25pp	Brazilian Side Panoramic Experience, from US$25pp

What you actually see on the Argentina side

The Argentina park is built for time spent close to the water, not for one photograph. Its circuits total several kilometres of raised walkway: the Circuito Superior runs along the top of the drops, the Circuito Inferior takes you down to river level and underneath some of them, and the Sendero Macuco is a forest trail to a smaller waterfall away from the crowds, per the park’s own visitor page.

What is missing right now is the one everyone asks for. The Garganta del Diablo circuit, the boardwalk that runs out over the Devil’s Throat itself, has been shut since 3 August 2026 as a preventive measure while the El Niño pattern affects the river. The park has given no date for reopening. If that view matters to your trip, check iguazuargentina.com the week you travel rather than assuming it will be running.

Foreign visitors pay AR$60,000 to enter, up 33% from AR$45,000 since 1 June 2026, and that fee is separate from any tour price. Lati’s Full Day Iguazu Falls Tour covers transport and a guide for the day; the park ticket is paid at the gate.

What you actually see on the Brazil side

Brazil’s park is a single trail, the Trilha das Cataratas, about 1.5km long, and it does the opposite job to the Argentina circuits. Instead of walking among individual drops, you walk along the opposite bank looking across at all of them at once. It ends on a catwalk that runs out into the spray with a straight view of Devil’s Throat, the same drop the Argentina walkway would put you above if it were open.

The park opens earlier on weekends: 09:00 to 16:00 on weekdays, 08:30 to 16:00 on Saturdays and Sundays. Entry for foreign visitors is R$134, made up of a R$131 ticket and a R$3 voluntary contribution to the Iguaçu Fund, in place since 19 December 2025. Lati’s Brazilian Side Panoramic Experience runs as a half day from Puerto Iguazú hotels and is suitable from age 3.

Do you need a visa to cross into Brazil?

It depends on the passport, not on whether you are only crossing for the day. US, Canadian and Australian citizens have needed a Brazilian e-visa since 10 April 2025, applied for online, with a processing fee of US$80.90 and stays of up to 90 days once granted. It is not sold at the bridge, so it has to be sorted before the trip, not on the morning of the crossing.

UK and EU passport holders do not need one. Brazil’s Decree No. 12,864, issued 2 March 2026, keeps EU citizens visa-free for 90 days within a rolling 180-day window rather than a fixed six-month block, and the UK’s separate exemption is unaffected. Most Latin American passports also travel visa-free under Mercosur rules. If your nationality is not one of these, check with a Brazilian consulate before booking the crossing. This is separate from entering Argentina itself; our Argentina visa requirements guide covers that side of the border.

Crossing the border if you do both

Puerto Iguazú and Foz do Iguaçu sit either side of the Iguazu river, connected by the Tancredo Neves bridge, with a customs post on each bank. A guided crossing is more predictable than doing it independently: Lati’s Brazilian side tour stops at Argentine customs for an exit stamp, then at Brazilian customs, which is only required for passport holders outside Mercosur, per its own booking notes. Bring a passport, not just a national ID that would work for the towns alone.

One operational detail matters for flights. If you are flying out of Puerto Iguazú the same day as the Brazil-side tour, Lati only confirms the booking when that flight departs after 19:00. The crossing and the trail together run most of the day.

Iguazu Falls Argentina side vs Brazil side: which to book

One day only, and no history with the falls: go to Argentina. It holds most of the water and the walkways that make the visit memorable, even with Devil’s Throat closed. Add the Best of Iguazu city tour if a second half day opens up, for the Three Borders Landmark where Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay meet.

Two days: do both, Argentina first. It is the fuller day, and the walk on the Brazil side reads as a summary of what you saw the day before rather than a preview of it. Sort the e-visa, if your passport needs one, before you book either tour. Prices on the two sides come in different currencies at different park gates, which is its own small complication: our paying in Argentina guide covers cards versus cash on the Argentine leg.

Deciding on three days instead of two, or building the whole trip around the falls rather than a single stop: our Iguazu Falls in 3 days guide covers the fuller itinerary, including where to sleep and what the boat ride adds. The Iguazu Falls place guide has the rest of what is nearby, from the bird park to the town itself.