The Brazilian side is the half day most visitors start with in Foz do Iguaçu. This guide is for you if you are choosing between a morning and an afternoon start, wondering what a high river means for the walkway, or working out what to carry on a walk that ends in spray.
What the Brazilian park is
Parque Nacional do Iguaçu was created in 1939 and protects about 185,000 hectares of Atlantic Forest. UNESCO listed it as a natural World Heritage Site in 1986. The falls themselves are a set of around 275 drops on the Iguaçu river, shared with Argentina's national park on the far bank.
The Brazilian bank gives you the long view. You walk along the canyon with most of the falls in front of you, and you finish on a walkway facing the Devil's Throat. The Argentine side works the other way round, with walkways over the top of the falls and down to their foot.
The park is managed by ICMBio, the federal conservation agency. A concessionaire runs the tickets, buses and restaurants. Private cars do not drive in: your driver parks at the visitor centre and the park bus does the rest, about 12 kilometres there and back through the forest. Animals cross the road often, so the buses keep to a low speed.
Morning or afternoon
We start at 07:00 or 13:00. The park opens every day, at 09:00 on weekdays and 08:30 at weekends, and the last entry is at 16:00. Tickets are sold online only, for a date and a time slot. The slot sets when you go in, not when you leave. Once inside, you can stay until the park closes completely at 17:30.
On the 07:00 start you reach the gate before it opens, so book the first slot of the day. On the 13:00 start you are at the visitor centre at about 13:30, so book a slot close to that.
The calendar matters more than the hour. Brazilian long weekends fill the park. On the eve of the Independence Day holiday in September, close to 16,000 people have come in on a single day. Over Carnival the park itself has advised visitors to come in the first half hour after opening or between 14:00 and 16:00. If your dates can move, keep away from Brazilian national holidays.
High water and the walkway
The river changes the visit more than the weather does. The park measures the flow every day, and every hour when the river is high. When it passes 8.5 million litres a second and is still rising, the walkway to the Devil's Throat closes. If the flow keeps climbing, staff lift out the walkway's metal grates so the water can pass through. It reopens only after the flow falls again and an engineer authorises it.
This is not rare, and in a wet spell it can happen more than once in a few weeks. On those days the Falls Trail has stayed open. You keep the views along the canyon, and the falls are at their fullest and loudest. What you lose is the walk out over the river. We tell you before the day if the walkway is shut.
How the four hours run
The drive from your hotel to the visitor centre takes about half an hour. Most of the time goes on the Falls Trail, about a kilometre and a half of path above the canyon with viewpoints along it. The trail ends on the walkway, and a panoramic lift links the walkway to Porto Canoas, the next stop of the park bus, above the falls. From there the bus takes you back to your driver.
The park calls this its classic visit and puts it at about two hours, so there is slack for the viewpoints, photographs or a drink. Porto Canoas has a buffet restaurant, Canoas Mirim, open daily from 12:00 to 16:00, which fits the afternoon start. There are food courts at Porto Canoas and at the visitor centre for anything quicker. The tour price covers the car and the driver. The park ticket and food are paid on the day.
Because the car is yours, you can end at a restaurant in town instead of your hotel. Tell your driver on the day.
On your own or with a driver
You can do this side without us. City bus 120 runs from the urban bus terminal in Foz past the airport to the park, and the same line brings you back. Inside the gate everyone rides the same park buses, so the visit itself does not change.
What a private car changes is the getting there and back: a pick-up at your door at the hour you choose, no timetable at the end, and someone who knows before you leave whether the walkway is open. The price depends on the size of your group; see it on the tour page.
What to bring
- A rain cape or a change of top. The park recommends capes rather than umbrellas, because a fine drizzle hangs over the trail. Near the walkway, the spray soaks people.
- Photo ID for everyone. The park checks a document with a photo alongside each ticket.
- Your ticket on your phone. You do not need to print it.
- Walking shoes, water, sun cream and insect repellent, all on the park's own list.
Watch your food. Coatis live along the trail and come up to anyone eating. The park asks you not to feed any animal and to watch them from a distance. Pets are not allowed in.
Park tickets are not refunded if you do not use them, but you can change the date or time from the account you bought them with.
Who it suits
This is the lighter of the two sides on foot. It fits a first afternoon after a morning flight, or a short stay with one free half day. The Falls Trail has stairs, and the park does not recommend it for wheelchair users or anyone who finds walking hard. There is a way round: stay on the bus to the last stop, Porto Canoas, and take the panoramic lift to the walkway. Standard wheelchairs can be borrowed free at the visitor centre.
With more time, add the Argentine side on another day. Or pair this side with the bird park on the falls and Parque das Aves day, which also has room for the Macuco Safari boat. Our guide to the Iguaçu Falls tours sets the five days side by side.
Questions people ask
Can we see the falls at sunrise or sunset?
The park sells separate visits outside normal hours: an early entry with breakfast on some mornings of the week, a sunset visit with drinks and live music, and a stargazing evening on Saturdays. Places are limited, they are not part of our tour, and the days change, so check the official site.
Is the walkway always wet?
Close to the Devil's Throat, nearly always. How much depends on the wind and on the river.
Can we cancel?
Yes. Cancel up to 24 hours before pick-up and you get a full refund. See our cancellation page.
Booking the half day
Pick the start that suits your arrival, avoid a Brazilian holiday if you can, and book your park slot to match. Timings and what is included are on the Brazilian side private tour page, where you choose the size of your group.
