Have you ever been to a place that fills you with such awe that no picture or description could possibly convey the true power of what you've witnessed? A place that must be experienced firsthand to be truly known?
Well, I would say this is pretty accurate for almost 100% of the places we’ve been to so far on this trip, but it’s especially true of Iguazu Falls. Just be sure to keep that in mind when looking at these pictures😜. You’ve been warned- these pictures will in no way do justice to the experience of being at the falls.
Iguazu is about a two hour flight north from Buenos Aires. The falls are located in a national park on the border of Argentina and Brazil. We had three nights in town, leaving two full days to explore the park. We intended to only visit the Argentine side but it was recommended to us to see the Brazilian side as well- which we’re glad we did.
I could have spent the entire day at the top just watching the water fall. It was mesmerizing, like watching a fire. The sound of the water drowned out the commotion of the hundreds of other tourists trying to capture the same view.
On the second day we traveled to the Brazilian side of the falls. Getting stamped out of Argentine Borders and Customs took a while (the line was long) but luckily there were short lines on the Brazilian side. Unfortunately the park felt swamped- maybe because the weather was nicer this second day. We had to wait in line to buy tickets, then wait in line to take a bus to the park- all of which took close to an hour and a half. Then at the park, we had to work our way through the large crowd to see any of the sights. It was definitely less to explore on this side, maybe only 1-2 hours (excluding time waiting for the bus), but it was absolutely worth seeing.
We booked a great Airbnb here that is worth mentioning. The owner built himself a weekend home here on a large parcel of land in the jungle, bordering the river. For whatever reason he decided he’d rather rent it out than use it, so now it’s the Riviera Jungle Luxury Villa.
It’s a beautiful property right on the river. Very private, very quiet, a small slice of paradise.
Of course, privacy and solitude comes at a price. The villa didn’t really have an address, as it’s on an unnamed road. It would take us a full 20 minutes each way just to get to pavement (yes, that’s 20 full minutes of bouncing around on dirt roads until semi-smooth relief).
Our only regret was not having an extra day here to enjoy the villa!
DWNTGB (Do We Need To Go Back) Rating
Ryan - 
I really enjoyed the falls- it was my second time coming here. It was different coming to see them as an adult versus when I was a teenager. That being said, I feel like I’ve seen everything there is to see here, and I don’t have a burning desire to return just to do the same thing again.
Mollie -
Iguazu is beautiful and probably a must see. I would come back in a heart beat if someone told me there would be very few tourists. The crowds kind of ruined it for me, honestly.