Travel bucket list idea:

Boat rides under the Iguazu Falls

Iguazu Falls National Park, Argentina

Bucket List Experience

Be prepared to get wet!

Last updated: 11 July, 2023

Expert travel writer: Alex Robinson

These tours begin with a ride along a forest trail in an open-topped electric bus, followed by a half-kilometre walk through the jungle to the river bank. Visitors then climb into a large inflatable boat and ride right under the San Martin drop, close to the most intense part of the Iguazu Falls – the Devil’s Throat.

With regular troops of vehicles on the paths, the safari offers little chance of seeing wildlife. But getting this close to the waterfall is thrilling.

Logistics

Price from: £50

Minimum age: Any

Age suitable: 12+

When: All year around

Duration: 90-120 mins

Getting there & doing it

Two companies offer the trip – Macuco on the Brazilian side and Iguazu Jungle on the Argentinean side. Macuco offer more time in the forest, Iguazu more time on the river, including white-water rafting some rapids. Rafting with Macuco is possible only on a longer, pricier tour, using paddle rather than motor boats. Prices are almost identical.

Iguazu Jungle do not take children under 12. Macuco have no age restrictions for their standard boat trip, though no children under-14 are permitted on their rafting add-on.

Be sure to bring sealable dry bags. The waterproof bags given by the companies are not substantial enough to protect electronic equipment.

When to do it

Tours run all year round, seven days a week. The falls are at their most spectacular when the river is high (usually April and May), though boat tours can be cancelled if the river floods heavily.

Avoid the busy Christmas and Carnival (Mardi Gras) periods when there is heavy tourism and tours get booked up.

Who to go with: organised tours

Our selection of the best Viator tours of this attraction or activity

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Destination guides

Destination guides including or relevant to this experience

Iguazu Falls

Iguazu Falls, Brazil

Two National Parks – one in Brazil, one in Argentina – created to protect an astonishing 3km-wide waterfalls in a vast area of protected rainforest. One of the world’s great natural wonders.

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