Iguassu Travel Forum

I remember reading an article saying that the walk around Iguassu Falls is strenous. Can anyone comment on this?

From my experience, no, not at all.

On the Argentinian side there is a small train which takes you near several important spots inside the Park.

The Brazilian side is much easier to walk since it covers a much smaller area, but the trails go up and down several hundred feet, maybe like climbing up a 20 or 30 story office building in hot, humid weather.

The Argentina side has extensive trails that go up and down, I'm guessing maybe 8-10 miles of trails, even after taking the train to the major stops, going up and down hundreds of feet numerous times. There's also a boat ride out to a little island in the middle of the river where you have to walk up some fairly steep steps for a couple of hundred feet. If you have problems walking or a heart condition, you would be well advised to take it slow and easy.

On the Brazil side, the main trail is approx. 2.5 km long with multiple sets of steps. The trail is basically a concrete sidewalk, with an occassional metal catwalk; other than stairs, the terrain isn't challenging.

All the other trails require a guide; I don't know how difficult those are.


On the Argentina side, there are several trails.
The trail to the Garganta del Diablo (Devil's throat) is about 1 km long and wheelchair accessible (no stairs) - metal catwalks

The Green Trail is about .5 km and is wheelchair accessible

The Upper Circuit walk is about .7 km long and is wheelchair accessable

The Lower Circuit Trail is about 1.5 km long and has quite a few steps/stairs mixed in. The main part of the trail is primarily metal catwalks. However, if you take the branch that takes you down to the boat to San Martin Island, the trail changes and is less maintained. This trail has uneven surfaces, contains rock steps of various widths and heights and goes downhill towards the boat (all uphill back to the Lower Circuit trail).

The San Martin Island Trail is about 1 km and has many steps.

There's also the Macuco Nature Trail, which is 3.6 km (one way). I don't know about the surface of this trail because I was too tired to walk it once I had walked the other ones.


On both the Brazil and Argentina sides there are numerous benches and shady areas to rest and enjoy the view. There are also several concession stands where you can buy water, soft drinks, etc. along the way.