We woke to sunshine the morning of our visit to the Argentine side of Iguazu Falls. Talk about good luck with timing! Despite a deluge our first night in Puerto Iguazú, a cloudy morning had turned to blue skies for our previous day on the Brazilian side of the falls and now the cloudless skies and warm weather were about as good as we could hope for this day’s adventure.
With the national park entrance only 20-25 minutes from our jungle hotel, we arrived not long after opening and bought tickets on the spot. Moderate crowds were already gathering, but we picked up free timed tickets from a kiosk en route to the Estación Central for the open-air park train and were aboard a short time later. We bypassed the intermediate stop to head straight for the terminus of the train track, wanting to get to the top of the Garganta del Diablo (Devil’s Throat) before things got too crowded.
Snaking around groups in guided tours, we walked briskly on the raised metal walkway constructed over water and through small islands thick with vegetation. Beyond a open stretch of shallow moving water and rising above trees of yet another islet, we spotted the telltale column of mist rising into the sky that signaled Devil’s Throat ahead.
Stopping at a bench at a small rest area, we suited up in the rain gear we’d brought before continuing on. The distant roar of the falls grew louder as we approached. Ahead to the right, water streamed into a massive circular space truly looking like some leviathon mouth.
This was Devil’s Throat from above. And to the left at the end of the walkway, those towering columns of mist from a gorge where massive cascades spilled. Once again, we were drenched as we stood smiling and awe-struck at the top of these mighty waterfalls. It’s an experience I’ll remember the rest of my life.
Retracing our steps to the train, we could slow down as we passed the growing tour groups heading out to Devil’s Throat. Turtles sunned on rocks in the shallow moving water that flowed under the raised walkway. What looked to be a large catfish swam past. A sign stated that many of the fish on this upper portion of the Iguazu River are unique and evolved separately from the fish below, where larger predators could be found.
We rode the train back to a midway stop to begin our hike on the Circuito Superior (Upper Circuit) where walkways run along the upper rim of a long string of waterfalls. We’d seen people on the walkways the day before while on the Brazilian side of the Falls and now we could look back down and across to where we had been. Periodic viewing spots widened to allow visitors to stop and take in the spectacular view and roaring water as it spilled over the cliffs at our feet. The sheer power and scope of these waterfalls is mesmerizing!
After hiking the length of the Upper Circuit, we were hungry so stopped to eat outdoors at one of the small restaurants that dot the park. Before we sat down, I noticed several people looking upward and followed their gaze to see a monkey dining from a Styrofoam clamshell he’d stolen from below. We shooed a coati from our table and watched another coati swipe food from a nearby table, running off with its loot while some of his buddies followed on his heels. When they ducked through the fence, a veritable swarm of coatis appeared to follow the thieves further into the thicket.
The Paseo Inferior (Lower Walk) took much less time to hike than the Upper Circuit, as a portion of this circuit was blocked. Still, the views were spectacular.
Back at the mid-point train stop, we watched a large group of monkeys in a tree as we waited for the train. Their eyes searched for visitors with food who ventured out of a wire-enclosed dining area, ready to dart in to steal a prize.
Back near the main entrance, we spent our remaining time in the park in a free exhibit about jaguars. A woman told us she’d become a volunteer after learning about a project to protect the dwindling population of jaguars in the “Green Corridor” area that includes both the Argentine and Brazilian Iguazu National Parks. She invited us to watch a film in an air conditioned tent set up nearby. We readily agreed, intrigued both by the subject and the offer of cool air as the day had gotten progressively warmer. Impressive conservation efforts have seen the population of jaguars rise to over 100 jaguars in the Green Corridor up from a low of just 40 in 2005.
It was a beautiful day in the Parque Nacional Iguazú and an unforgettable experience at what is truly one of the great natural wonders of this beautiful planet. If you get the chance, don’t miss it!
September 2025