Puerto Iguazu is a fairly small town, surrounded by dense jungle and located along the border of northern Argentina and southern Brazil that’s become something of a tourist hotspot. The reason? It’s considered Argentina’s gateway to Iguazu Falls, the largest waterfall system in the world! So, if you’re looking to explore this magical corner of the planet for yourself, here’s 13 incredible things to do in Puerto Iguazu, Argentina.
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Things to do in Puerto Iguazu, Argentina
1. Visit Iguazu Falls on the Argentina side
Obviously, the most popular thing to do in Puerto Iguazu is explore Iguazu Falls on the Argentina side.
Iguazu Falls truly are impressive. With up to 300 separate waterfalls that span almost two miles wide, it’s considered the largest waterfall system on the planet. Plus, it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site AND considered one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.
My husband, Justin, and I were really pleasantly surprised about how many things there are to do in Iguazú National Park, from five different hiking trails (ranging from 600 meters to 7 km long) that offer different perspectives of the falls to wildlife spotting and even an adrenaline pumping boat ride under a section of the world’s largest waterfall system (yes, really!).
We wrote an entire article about everything there is to do in Iguazu Falls on the Argentina side, but, in short, you could easily spend all day there.
To get to Iguazu Falls, you can:
- grab one of the Rio Uruguay buses that run in Puerto Iguazu every 15-30 minutes (for 6000 ARS or $5.50 USD; cash only)
- hire a taxi (for 40,000-45,000 ARS; cash-only), or
- join a group tour, like this option, which includes the aforementioned boat ride to the fall, or this option, which includes a trip to both the Argentine and Brazilian side.
2. Visit Iguazu Falls on the Brazil side
If you have time, I highly recommend visiting the Brazilian side of Iguazu Falls (referred to here as Cataratas do Iguaçu) as well.
To be honest, the Argentine side of the falls has way more to do, in my opinion, than the Brazilian side, which really has two main attractions:
- A 3.2 km trail called the Waterfalls Path (Trilha das Cataratas), which offers a variety of different views over the falls, including Devil’s Throat. This platform juts directly over the tallest section of the falls, where water thunders 269 feet down a rocky gorge to the Rio Iguazu below, and
- A viewing platform over Floriano Falls.
Still, I actually think the view of the falls from the Brazilian side is WAY better. In Argentina, the view is often blocked by the dense jungle or eroding cliff sides. On the other hand, the views from the Brazilian side are panoramic and completely unobstructed. Accordingly, I think they’re both worth a visit (plus, who doesn’t love getting to check off a new country)!
To get to the Brazilian side of Iguazu Falls from Puerto Iguazu, you can visit:
By bus
Catch a Rio Uruguay bus to Foz de Iguaçu, Brazil (6000 ARS; cash-only). You’ll get dropped off at international bus station in downtown Foz and need to walk to the nearby local bus terminal to grab a #120 bus to Igaçu National Park (about 6 BRL or around $1 USD; cash only). Both of these buses run approximately every 30 minutes. This is definitely the cheapest way to get from the Argentina side, but also the most time-consuming and logistically challenging.
By taxi
If catching multiple buses and needing multiple currencies doesn’t sound like your jam, you can alternatively hire a private driver to take you to and from the Brazilian side.
When we visited in March 2025, we were quoted 60,000 ARS (approximately $50 USD) for roundtrip transportation to Igaçu National Park. However, Argentina’s currency fluctuates pretty wildly, so comment below if you were quoted something totally different when you visit!
By tour
Alternatively, if you prefer a low stress experience or would prefer to learn more about the falls during your visit, consider visiting with a tour, like this option or this option, where you’ll be picked up and dropped off at your hotel and led around the falls with a knowledgeable guide.
Regardless of which method you take to get from Puerto Iguazu to Igaçu National Park, you’ll need to pass through both Brazil’s and Argentina’s immigration, so be sure to bring your passport and be aware of any requirements your nationality may have when crossing the border.
Pssst... if you like hitting new countries as much as we do, I'd suggest visiting Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay from Buenos Aires. After a 75 minute ferry ride from Buenos Aires across the Rio de la Plata, you'll arrive in Colonia del Sacramento, which is one of the oldest towns in all of Uruguay and, as of 1995, in a UNESCO World Heritage Site, due to its unique fusion of Portuguese and Spanish architecture and culture.
3. Go for a helicopter ride over Iguazu Falls
If viewing Iguaza from the Argentina and Brazil side wasn’t enough, you can get an even more extreme view of the falls—from thousands of feet in the air! During your helicopter flight, you’ll zoom over the massive falls and fly over three different countries in just a few minutes—Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.
Helicopters actually aren’t permitted to take off from the Argentine side, but there’s a handful of operators that will provide roundtrip transportation from Puerto Iguazu to the Brazilian side so you can take flight, like this option or this private group option.
4. Stop by the Yerba Mate Club
So, Justin and I spent about two months in Argentina and, during our tenure in the country, saw lots of people drinking something we weren’t familiar with—a rounded metal cup, seemingly filled to the brim with dried green leaves, with a flat metal straw poking out of it. And people drank this EVERYWHERE—on the bus, in the store, on hiking trails. It didn’t matter where we were—people were guzzling this mystery drink.
Turns out this popular beverage is called yerba mate or mate, a caffeine rich herbal tea that’s popular in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
Justin and I had wanted to learn more about it and try it, but weren’t sure exactly how it was supposed to be prepared or drunk.
Luckily, our hotel recommended the Yerba Mate Club to us, a small “yerba mate bar” located in downtown Puerto Iguazu. There’s attendants here who speak a variety of languages and explain a bit about the history and production of mate, as well as how you prepare and drink it.
During our time here, we got to smell and pick between three different mate varieties to prepare our mate, as well as a large pitcher of ice water to refill our glasses as much as we wanted (mate is traditionally drunk hot, but the weather can only be described as an inferno while we were visiting).
It cost 6000 ARS (or about $5 USD) per person for the mate presentation and tasting, with food available to purchase as well. Given we were so curious about mate, it was well worth it for us!
5. Go bird watching
One of the popular things to do in the area is to stop by Parque de Avas (or “Bird Park”) in Foz de Iguaçu. However, most of the park’s birds are perfectly healthy and stuck in enclosures, which just isn’t something we’re big fans of.
So, instead, why not go see birds out in the jungle?
Puerto Iguazu is home to up to a whopping 400 species of birds, so you don’t have to go far to see some unique and incredible species.
If you’d prefer to birdwatch on your own, we saw quite a few beautiful birds in Iguazu National Park itself. Additionally, there are several hotels located in the riparian forest along Rio Iguazu, which are renowned for their abundance of birds, including Hotel Tré Iguazú, Panoramic Grand Hotel, or Selva de Laure. Or, if you’d prefer something a bit more formal, you can alternatively join a private tour with a bird-watching professional.
6. Brewery hop
One of our favorite things to do when we’re in a new city is to check out some of the local breweries, which often incorporate local ingredients into their beers and have a laid back vibe that’s perfect for hanging out in for a few hours.
There are two breweries in downtown Puerto Iguazu:
- Patagonia Brewery (my personal favorite!)
- Holy Brewery, which has a gastropub, a brewery where you can join a tour, and even a hotel inside the brewery
7. Stop by a tango show
One of our favorite things that we did in Argentina was attend a tango show.
Tango originated in the 1880s in Argentine port towns, and, over the years, has evolved into the sensual dance we know and love today. Today, one of your best options for seeing tango is at one of the nightly tango shows that are put on for visitors in places like Buenos Aires or Puerto Iguazu, where you have an opportunity to try traditional Argentine food and drink and see professional dancers take on the stage.
Puerto Iguazu is home to Madero, a dinner theater where you can attend a nightly tango show and enjoy cocktails or even a three course meal. It’s the perfect date night or fun way to cap off your trip to Iguaza—you can book your tickets here.
8. Spot a hummingbird at Jardin de los Picaflores
In my opinion, one of the most underrated things to do in Puerto Iguazu is spending a few hours at Jardin de los Picaflores.
Located right on the outskirts of the downtown area, this is a teeny garden that’s been run by a local family for over 40 years and has an impressive array of local plants and, more importantly, tons of hummingbird feeders. Accordingly, there’s usually dozens of hummingbirds (and other bird species) here at one time! If you’re looking for a relaxing way to pass the time, there’s some seats and benches in the garden, where you can use the bird identification sheet to try and figure out what tiny creatures are flitting past you.
Admission is currently 5000 ARS (a little under $5 USD) per person. It’s recommended that you make reservations ahead of time by messaging them on WhatsApp at +54 9 3757458498 or on their Instagram, as they limit the number of people in the garden at one time.
9. Get a photo at the Three Borders Monument
Want a quick and free thing to do in Puerto Iguazu?
From downtown Puerto Iguazu, you can walk approximately half an hour to the aptly named Three Borders Monument, where you can see three countries at once that separated by the Rio Iguazu—Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.
Each of the countries has an obelisk painted with the countries colors on their respective borders. To be honest, Brazil’s is definitely the best out of the three, with a fancy schmancy fountain around the obelisk and a nightly cultural performance with music and dances from all three countries (if you want to visit, here’s a tour from Puerto Iguazu).
Still, Argentina’s monument is totally free to visit (whereas Brazil’s costs!), with nice photo opps and a handful of merchants selling local handcrafts. Definitely a unique way to kill an hour or two!
10. Visit Aripuca
The land around Iguazu Falls has been inhabited by the Guarani indigenous people for thousands of years.
Their culture is very much still alive and well here today—one of the best ways to learn more about the Guarani people is to visit Aripuca, a park that’s dedicated to highlighting and sharing their culture and history. The park is named after a structure on the property that’s built to resemble a larger-than-life version of an aripuca, a tool that the Guarani people used to trap animals without killing them.
Plan to spend about an hour or so at Aripuca—there’s a handful of short hiking trails, children singing Guarani songs, and a restaurant and some snack stands where you can get authentic food, and yerba mate ice cream!
In full transparency, it’s definitely an experience that’s 100% aimed at tourists, but at 5000 pesos (or less than $5 USD) per person, it’s worth a stop, in my opinion.
Aripuca may be a bit of a far walk from the downtown area for some travelers (about 45 minutes), but you can either get a cab here or join a Puerto Iguazu city tour, like this option, that stops here, in addition to other sites around Puerto Iguazu (including so-touristy-it’s-awesome Ice Bar).
11. Visit a Guarani community
As mentioned above, Indigenous people have lived in the Puerto Iguazu area long before Argentina was colonized by Europeans. In fact, Iguazu means “big water” in the Guarani language!
There’s still many Indigenous communities in the nearby Reserva Iryapú, three of which welcome visitors to learn about their traditions and way of life—Jasy Porā, Yryapu, and Fortin Mborore. These visits will generally consist of a hike through the jungle to point out plants that are eaten or used for medicinal purposes and demonstrating traditional traps; seeing local handicrafts (which are usually very reasonably priced) or children singing traditional songs; and trying Guarani cuisine.
You can find information for each of these tours here, with most visits costing about $7-$15 USD per person. All of the money goes directly to the tribe, instead of some mega corporation, which is always a win in my book!
Insider tip: You’ll be hard-pressed to find any of these tours that aren't provided in Spanish. If you don’t speak Spanish or don’t have someone in your group that can translate, I’d recommend clarifying whether there’s anyone that speaks English available.
12. Cross into Paraguay for Monday Falls
I have a confession—I’m totally a country collector. If I’m in the vicinity of a new country that I haven’t visited before, I’ll use pretty much any excuse to cross over the border to explore it a bit.
So when in Puerto Iguazu, why not visit Paraguay?
The closest city across the river from Puerto Iguazu is Ciudad del Este. While it’s a popular destination for South American tourists to get cheap electronics, there aren’t a ton of other things to do for other visitors (electronics are way cheaper in the U.S. and Canada, for example).
However, there is a beautiful waterfall that’s worth visiting by Ciudad del Este—Monday Falls, a gorgeous 145 feet tall cascade along the Rio Monday. While it may not be able to compete with the grandiosity of Iguazu, it has something else going for it—hardly anyone visits it, so you’re likely to have one of the most beautiful sights in Paraguay all to yourself.
You can either get to Monday Falls on a tour, like this small group option or this private option, or by hiring a private driver.
13. Visit Mocona Falls
Can’t get enough waterfalls?
Mocona Falls may be Argentina’s second most famous waterfall, but they have some very cool claims to fame. For one, they actually run parallel to Rio Uruguay, as the falls actually cascade down a fault line, PLUS they run for three kilometers—so they’re actually longer than Iguazu!
The falls are famous for their length and not their height—they’re actually only 5-10 meters tall. Accordingly, the best time to see them is when the water level is actually low—if you visit during the rainy season when the water level is high, there’s no guarantee that you’ll actually see the falls. If you’re visiting during a rainier timeframe, I’d recommend reaching out to tour operators or the provincial park where the falls are located to confirm whether they’re visible or not.
Mocona Falls is a little under four hours from Puerto Iguazu. There’s a handful of operators that run tours from Puerto Iguazu, like this option or this option—just get ready for a loooong day!
How to get to Puerto Iguazu, Argentina
Puerto Iguazu is located in Northern Argentina, right along the border with southern Brazil and southern Paraguay. Despite receiving an estimated 1.5 million tourists every year, Puerto Iguazu is pretty remote, surrounded by the dense jungle.
Luckily, though, there’s a few ways to get here:
By air
The easiest way to get here is by flying into the town’s international airport, Aeropuerto Internacional Cataratas del Iguazú.
There’s three airlines that fly here—Aerolineos Argentinas, JetSmart, and Flybondi—all of which offer nonstop flights from Buenos Aires and, depending on the season, a handful of other cities around Argentina, like Salta.
Justin and I were staying for a month in Buenos Aires and scored roundtrip tickets to Puerto Iguazu on Flybondi for just $90 per person. We heard horror stories about this budget airline (there’s literally an entire website dedicated to how many cancellations and delays they have!), but, other than a minor delay on our return flight, our experience with them was pretty seamless.
The airport is about half an hour from downtown Iguazu. You can catch a shuttle, like this option that we took, to get dropped off at your hotel.
By bus
If you don’t want to fly and happen to already be in Argentina or Brazil, you can get to Puerto Iguazu by bus—it will just be way longer and generally more expensive than flying.
Here are some bus routes that you can take to Puerto Iguazu:
- Buenos Aires to Puerto Iguazu, which typically takes between 17-20 hours
- Sao Paolo to Foz do Iguaçu (across the river on the Brazilian side), which typically takes 16-18 hours
- Rio de Janeiro to Foz do Iguaçu, which typically takes between 28-30 hours (that is a loooong bus ride!)
If you take a bus to Puerto Iguazu, you’ll be dropped off at the Terminal de Buses De Puerto Iguazú. From here, you can either walk (the town is pretty small and walkable), take one of the Rio Uruguay buses, or grab a taxi to your accommodations. It usually costs less than $5 USD to get a taxi pretty much anywhere in Puerto Iguazu.
If you are dropped off in Foz de Igaçu, you can take a bus operated by either Rio Uruguay or Crucero del Norte across the border, which departs from the town’s bus station every half an hour or so. Alternatively, you can hire a private driver to cross the border, like with this company that has solid reviews.
By tour (flying from Buenos Aires)
If you don’t want to mess around with the logistics of getting to and around Iguazu, it’s worth mentioning there are tours that leave from Buenos Aires that handle all your travel, like this day trip option or this three day trip that goes to both the Argentine and Brazilian sides of the falls.
That being said, if your goal is to actually explore Puerto Iguazu, I don’t think these are really the best options—you’ll have limited time to check out the town and all the things it has to offer outside of the falls.
Where to stay in Puerto Iguazu, Argentina
Even though Puerto Iguazu is a pretty small town, there’s luckily a TON of accommodations to choose from, thanks to the volume of visitors Iguazu Falls receives.
To be honest, we had a bit of a tough time finding accommodations we were comfortable in Puerto Iguazu—we actually wound up switching accommodations twice while we were there, which is something we NEVER do. Accordingly, avoid the mistakes we made—don’t book the cheapest possible hotel you can find and be sure your accommodations has air conditioning, strong wifi, and a pool.
For example, I’d recommend checking out:
- Falls Iguazu Hotel & Spa: This hotel has an awesome location, tucked away in the jungle but just a 20 or so minute walk into downtown Puerto Iguazu. There’s a wide variety of spacious rooms, some of which offer balconies, terraces, or even hot tubs. Even if you don’t score a room with a balcony, all of the guests get to enjoy the two swimming pools with poolside bar, onsite spa, and complimentary breakfast AND dinner.
- Grand Crucero Hotel: For a midrange option, consider this hotel, with a rooftop pool, hot tubs, and poolside bar, spacious rooms that offer balconies with views of Puerto Iguazu, and complimentary breakfast.
- Posada del Jacarandá: If you’re looking for a good bang-for-your-buck option, this family-owned and operated hotel is a great option that offers everything you need, including a pool with a nice sun deck, complimentary breakfast, and extremely comfy beds.
We enjoyed exploring Puerto Iguazu—it definitely has a lot more to offer than just Iguazu Falls. Do you have any questions about visiting this town? Let us know in the comments below!
