Four Awesome Adventures at Iguazu

Get wet, stay dry, fly high — so many ways to discover South America’s legendary cascade.

Guests at the Iguazu Grand or Panoramic Grand hotels on the Argentine side can arrange a guided stroll along the boardwalks that overlook the falls, a sure-to-get-wet boat trip, a 4×4 drive through the rainforest that engulfs the falls, and even a panoramic helicopter flight.

Private tour guides who speak fluent English offer insights into Iguazu’s natural and human history far beyond anything you can glean from a guidebook or trekking the boardwalks on your own.

Iguazu National Park on the Argentine side protects 261 square miles (677 sq km) of pristine rainforest inhabited by a wide variety of jungle creatures. While every 4×4 drive may not include jaguar or giant anteater sightings, you’re almost sure to come across toucans and other colorful tropical birds, and ground-dwelling creatures like the coatimundi.

Flightseeing trips that take off from the Brazilian side might be short (around 12 minutes) but they offer an incredible bird’s-eye view of a raging wall of whitewater that stretches 1.7 miles (2.7 km) across.

But the ultimate encounter with Iguazu is getting totally soaked in a small safari boat at the bottom of the falls and how refreshing that feels in the intense jungle heat.