Both, if you have two days. If you have one, choose by what you want: Brazil gives you the whole panorama from a single walkway in half a day and ends in the spray of the Devil's Throat; Argentina gives you a full day inside the falls, on walkways above and below them, plus the train to the platform right over the Devil's Throat. They are two parks in two countries with two tickets, two currencies and two sets of rules, and no ticket covers both unless you buy them together.
In short
- Brazil: half a day, one walkway, the wide view. Argentina: a full day, three circuits and a train, close to the water
- Brazil sells online only with a time slot; Argentina sells online through the national parks system or at the gate, also with a time slot
- Brazil charges in reais, Argentina in pesos; the USD figures on this site are indicative
- Order for two days: Brazil first for the overview, Argentina second to get close
What each side actually is
The falls sit on the border and the river makes the split uneven. Most of the water drops on the Argentine side, which means the Brazilian side looks across at it. That single fact explains everything else: Brazil is the balcony, Argentina is the stage.
Brazil, Iguaçu National Park
- One main walkway, the Cataratas Trail, about a kilometre and a half along the canyon rim with balconies facing the Argentine falls
- It ends on a walkway at the foot of the Devil's Throat; lifts bring you back up
- The ticket also includes a park bus, the cycling route and four more forest trails
- Most visitors are done in three to four hours including the bus
Argentina, Iguazú National Park
- Three circuits: the Upper Circuit along the crest of the falls, the Lower Circuit down at their base, and the Devil's Throat walkway across the upper river
- A park train, included in the ticket, links the three areas
- The park itself gives ninety minutes to each of the two circuits; with the train and the Devil's Throat, plan the whole day
- The Lower Circuit has steep stairs; the other two are flat and fully accessible
How you buy, and why it is not the same
Brazil sells tickets exclusively online, for a specific day and entry time, through the park concessionaire's site. The ticket is issued in your name and the gate checks a photo ID against it. You can change the date or time on the same site. If the purchase fails, the only fallback is a support desk at the visitor centre.
Argentina sells online too, but the purchase is completed on the national parks administration's own system, and it is also sold at the gate in pesos, by card or cash. Sales open thirty days before the date. The ticket is valid only for the day and time slot you select and cannot be modified after purchase; in case of force majeure it keeps its validity for seventy-two hours. Show the first day's ticket at the gate and the second consecutive day costs half.
What each side costs
The official prices below are what each park charges today, in its own currency, with an indicative conversion at the rate and date shown. Brazil prices in reais and Argentina in pesos, so the Argentine figure in dollars moves more from month to month.
| Ticket | Official price | What it includes | Time | How you buy | Our price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil Side Ticket | R$ 134 ≈ US$ 25.66 | Falls Trail, park bus, lifts and 5 more routes | Half day | Online only, day + time slot | Not published yet |
| Argentina Side Ticket | AR$ 60,000 ≈ US$ 39.39 | Upper and Lower Circuits, Devil's Throat walkway and train | Full day | Online (30-day window) or at the gate | Not published yet |
| Both Sides TicketTwo days · the full picture | R$ 134 ≈ US$ 25.66 AR$ 60,000 ≈ US$ 39.39 | Everything in both, one entry per side | Two days, one per side | Two official purchases, or one checkout here (soon) | Not published yet |
Indicative rates R$ 5.2225 and AR$ 1,523.0868 per US$ from open.er-api.com, 5 Oct 2026. Scroll sideways on small screens.
Which one if you only have one day
- Choose Brazil if you want the postcard, you have half a day, or you are staying in Foz do Iguaçu and flying out the same evening
- Choose Argentina if you want to be inside the falls, you have a full day, and stairs are not a problem
- Choose Argentina too if the Devil's Throat is the point of your trip: the Argentine balcony looks straight down into it, the Brazilian walkway looks up at it from below
- If the weather is bad, Brazil suffers less: it is shorter and the bus does the distances
The order for two days
Brazil first, Argentina second. The Brazilian walkway shows you the whole system from across the river, so the next day, when you are on the Argentine circuits, you know where you are. Doing it the other way round works, but the Brazilian panorama feels like a summary of something you have already seen up close. Both walkways to the Devil's Throat close when the river runs high, so leave some slack in the plan.
TicketSee the Both Sides ticketSee the ticketQuestions
Can I see both sides in one day?
Physically yes, if you start at opening time on the Brazilian side and cross the border at midday. You will see the Argentine side in a hurry and skip at least one circuit. Two days is the honest answer.
Is one side better for photos?
Brazil for wide shots of the whole falls; Argentina for close-ups and for looking down into the Devil's Throat. Afternoon light favours the Brazilian walkway, where the rainbow forms in front of you.
Do I need a visa or anything special to cross?
That depends on your passport and changes over time, so check both countries' official immigration pages before you travel. What we can tell you is that the two parks are in different countries and you pass a border control between them.