Planning a Visit to Iguazu Falls
Two countries, two national parks, two tickets and two sets of opening hours. Everything below is what those two authorities publish, with the date it was read, so you can plan a day that works on both sides of the river.
As of 13 September 2026
What is open right now
The Argentine Garganta del Diablo circuit is closed. Parque Nacional Iguazú suspended access on 3 August 2026 as the river rose and began taking the walkway apart to protect it; the park put the removal work at 30 to 40 days and has not named a reopening date, which depends on the flow dropping back. Every other Argentine circuit is open and the Tren Ecológico is running.
On the Brazilian side the passarela at the end of the Trilha das Cataratas closes at short notice on high water — it was shut at 13:00 on 11 September 2026 with the river above 8.4 million litres a second against a historical mean near 1.5 million. The trail and its viewpoints stayed open, and the park kept its normal 16:00 close.
Check both parks on the morning you go: iguazuargentina.com for the Argentine side and cataratasdoiguacu.com.br for the Brazilian.
Opening hours on both sides
The Argentine park is open every single day of the year, rain included. The Brazilian park is also open daily but keeps shorter hours and opens earlier at weekends. The number that catches people out is not the closing time but the last entry.
| Argentina — Área Cataratas | Brazil — Parque Nacional do Iguaçu | |
|---|---|---|
| Open | 08:00–18:00, every day of the year | 09:00–16:00 Mon–Fri; 08:30–16:00 Sat–Sun |
| High season | Same hours all year | Opens 08:00 from 20 Dec to 31 Jan |
| Circuits open | 08:20 | With the park |
| Last entry to circuits | 16:45 | 16:00 park close |
| Park train | First 08:20, last out 15:30, last back 17:30 | Panoramic buses run with the park |
| Parking | 08:00–18:00 | With the park |
If you are crossing the border in one day, the Brazilian 16:00 close is the hard stop and it should sit in the morning of your plan, not the afternoon.
Admission — what you pay
Each park charges separately and in its own currency: Parque Nacional Iguazú in pesos, Parque Nacional do Iguaçu in reais. Neither ticket is valid on the other side, so a day that visits both means two admissions.
Argentina — Parque Nacional Iguazú
The Argentine ticket includes the Tren Ecológico de la Selva, which is how you reach the circuits.
| Category | Price |
|---|---|
| International visitors | AR$ 60,000 |
| Residents of Argentina | AR$ 25,000 |
| Argentine students | AR$ 15,000 |
| Residents of Misiones | AR$ 8,000 |
| Under-6s, national pensioners, people with a disability, Malvinas veterans, local residents | Free, with documentation |
| Car parking | AR$ 12,500 per day |
Brazil — Parque Nacional do Iguaçu
The Brazilian ticket covers the Trilha das Cataratas, the park's other open trails and the panoramic buses. The tariff took effect on 19 December 2025.
| Category | Price |
|---|---|
| General and foreign visitors | R$ 134,00 |
| Brazil and Mercosul | R$ 121,00 |
| Passe Comunidade (14 neighbouring municipalities) | R$ 26,00 |
| Children up to 6 | Free |
The Puerto Iguazú eco-tourism tax
Staying on the Argentine side adds a municipal eco-tourism charge, collected through your accommodation under the town's own ordinance rather than at the park gate. Travellers under 12, residents of Misiones, pensioners and people with a disability are exempt. The rate is indexed and the municipality does not publish a current 2026 figure, so ask your hotel what it will add to the bill rather than budgeting a number you read somewhere.
Let a guided day carry the gate fee
A few of the guided tours here put the Argentine park entrance, or the Brazilian park ticket, or both inside the fare. Each card says which, so you can compare the real cost of a day rather than the headline.
Buying tickets — the three ways in
Online, in advance
Both parks sell online with a date and, in Brazil, a time slot. It is the only way to be certain of the hour you want in the Brazilian park, which caps tickets by the hour, and it removes a queue from a day with a fixed last entry.
At the gate
Argentina sells at the entrance without difficulty. Brazil keeps ticket windows and self-service terminals at the Visitor Centre, but treats online as the main route. Bring local currency if you intend to pay cash; one listing notes you will need pesos or reais rather than dollars.
Inside a guided day
Some of the Iguazu Falls tours here carry the admission and most do not. Where the fare excludes it, you pay at the gate and the total is the fare plus AR$ 60,000 or R$ 134. Reading that line first changes which day looks cheapest.
How long to allow on each side
Half a day in Brazil
The Trilha das Cataratas is 1.5 km of paved trail and most people walk it in two to three hours including the viewpoints and the passarela. A morning is enough, and it leaves your afternoon for the boat or the bird park.
A full day in Argentina
The upper and lower circuits together run about 3.5 km, the train moves at walking pace and the queues at the station are real. Allow six to eight hours if you want to walk both circuits without watching the clock.
Two days for both
One park each day, crossing the border once, is the version nobody regrets. If you only have one day and must do both, start in Brazil and cross at lunchtime — the Brazilian close at 16:00 will otherwise strand you.
What to bring, and what to leave
- Closed shoes with grip. The walkways are metal and wet, and the lower circuit has long flights of steps.
- A full change of clothes if you have booked a boat. Both operators say so and both hand out a waterproof bag for phone and camera.
- Sun protection and insect repellent. The Argentine park asks for low-impact sunscreen and repellent, and there is little shade on the upper circuit.
- Your passport if the day crosses the border, and a Brazil e-Visa if you hold a US, Canadian or Australian passport.
- Cash in both currencies if you are paying admissions on the day.
- Leave large bags behind. The Argentine park rents lockers at AR$ 13,500 for a small one and AR$ 21,000 for a large one, and one listing bans luggage outright.
Accessibility on the circuits
The accessible route
Brazil's Trilha das Cataratas is paved and largely level, served by panoramic buses, and the park lists accessible trails and walkways among its facilities. It is the easier of the two sides for a wheelchair or a stroller.
Argentina, circuit by circuit
The upper circuit runs flat across the top of the falls on built walkways, and one operator describes it as manageable with a walking aid. The lower circuit includes around 180 steps and needs more from you. The Gran Aventura boat is reached by roughly 300 metres of stairs and is closed to wheelchair users.
Transport that takes a wheelchair
One private departure here runs a wheelchair-accessible vehicle with infant seats, which solves the part of the day the parks cannot. Read its card before you assume any other transfer will.
Frequently asked questions
What are the opening hours on each side?
Do I pay twice to see both sides?
Can I buy tickets at the gate?
What is the Puerto Iguazú eco-tourism tax?
Is Iguazu Falls wheelchair accessible?
Can you visit when it rains?
More practical detail sits on how to get to Iguazu Falls, the Argentine side and the Brazilian side. If you would rather see the Iguazu Falls ticket prices beside the guided days that already cover them, everything is compared at Iguazu Falls Tours.
Sources
- Iguazú Argentina — tarifas (Argentine admission and parking, read 13 September 2026)
- Iguazú Argentina — horarios y consejos (Argentine hours and train timetable)
- The Brazilian park — 2026 ticket prices (effective 19 December 2025)
- The Brazilian park — passarela notice, 11 September 2026
- Administración de Parques Nacionales — the Argentine park
- UNESCO World Heritage — the Argentine inscription
Prices and opening times change. Verify both parks before you travel.