The Upper Circuit (Circuito Superior) is the Argentine park's walk along the top of the falls. From Cataratas Station a network of walkways of 3.7 kilometres there and back runs along the crest, so you look at each fall from the point where the water leaves the rock: Dos Hermanas, Ramírez, Bossetti, Eva, Adán, Bernabé Méndez, Mbiguá and finally the San Martín fall, the park's second largest, with a balcony beside it. The park rates it low difficulty, fully wheelchair-accessible, and gives it ninety minutes. It is included in the Argentina Side ticket and in the combo, and it pairs naturally with the Lower Circuit, which shows the same falls from below.
In short
- 3.7 km there and back, flat, fully accessible, about 90 minutes according to the park
- You walk along the crest: the falls are seen from the point where they drop, not from a distance
- The San Martín fall and balcony are the highlight; do not turn back before them
- Open 8:00 to 16:45; reach it by train to Cataratas Station or on foot along the Green Trail
The walk, stop by stop
!Opening subject to weather; the park may close walkways when the river rises.
Stop 1 · ≈ 0 min inServiceapprox.
Cataratas Station: start of the circuit
Get off the Rainforest Ecological Train at Cataratas Station, or walk there from Central Station along the Green Trail in about fifteen minutes. From the station, follow the path past the fire department building until the start of the circuit appears. The Upper Circuit is 3.7 kilometres there and back, rated low difficulty and fully wheelchair-accessible, and the park gives it ninety minutes. It opens at 8:00 and closes at 16:45.
Tip · Most people do the Upper Circuit first, then the Lower. Doing it the other way round means climbing at the end of the day.
Photo pending
Stop 2 · ≈ 10 min inViewpointapprox.
Dos Hermanas fall
The first fall on the circuit, two twin drops seen from a balcony set in the forest, as the park puts it. It is also the first place where the walkways of the Upper Circuit do what they are famous for: they run along the very lip of the falls, so you look at the water from the point where it leaves the rock rather than from a distance.
Photo pending
Stop 3 · ≈ 18 min inViewpointapprox.
Ramírez fall
White sheets of water that melt into the green, in the park's description. From here the walkway begins to reveal the pattern of the Argentine side: a long line of separate falls, each with its own name, rather than a single wall.
Photo pending
Stop 4 · ≈ 26 min inViewpointapprox.
Bossetti fall
Seen from above, with rainbows in the mist and lush vegetation, per the park. Bossetti is one of the falls you meet twice: here from its crest, and later on the Lower Circuit from its base, where the spray reaches the walkway. It is a good place to understand why the two circuits are complementary rather than repetitive.
Photo pending
Stop 5 · ≈ 35 min inViewpointapprox.
Panoramic views of the San Martín fall and the circuit
The park singles this out as the most outstanding view of the circuit: the walkway you have been following, the line of falls behind you and the great San Martín fall ahead, all in one frame. Across the water, the Brazilian walkway is visible on the far rim; on a clear day you can see people on it.
Tip · Morning light comes from behind the Brazilian side, so the falls are backlit early; from midday the light turns in your favour.
Photo pending
Stop 6 · ≈ 45 min inViewpointapprox.
Eva and Adán falls
Two neighbouring falls that the park lists one after the other: Eva, cascades in a paradise setting, and Adán, drops of water dressing the forest. They are smaller than what came before and what comes after, and the walkway between them is where the crowd usually thins.
Photo pending
Stop 7 · ≈ 52 min inViewpointapprox.
Guardaparque Bernabé Méndez fall
Named after a park ranger, this fall sits where, in the park's words, the water sings and the forest is heard. It marks the point where the circuit turns toward the two biggest views of its second half.
Photo pending
Stop 8 · ≈ 60 min inViewpointapprox.
Mbiguá fall and San Martín island
A panoramic view of San Martín island and, as the park says, the roar of the fall. The island sits in the middle of the river below you; boat trips to it run from the Lower Circuit when the water level allows. There is a rest stop right after this point.
Photo pending
Stop 9 · ≈ 72 min inViewpointapprox.
San Martín fall and San Martín balcony
The second largest fall in the park, in the park's own ranking, and the climax of the circuit. The San Martín balcony hangs beside the crest with an immensity you breathe, as the official description has it. This is the last big view; from here the walkways lead back through the forest and over the river to the station.
Tip · If you are short on time, this is the one balcony not to skip.
Stop 10 · ≈ 90 min inSegmentapprox.
Walkways through the forest, back to the station
The return leg crosses the forest on raised walkways over the river, which the park lists as an attraction in its own right. It is flat and shaded, and it brings you back to Cataratas Station, where the Lower Circuit begins and the train to the Devil's Throat stops.
Practical
- Opening subject to weather; the park may close walkways when the river rises
- Light clothing, walking shoes, hat, sunglasses and a light rain jacket, per the park's advice page
- Free Wi-Fi and charging points exist in the Falls Area, but not on the walkways
- Drinking water points are at the stations; carry a bottle on the circuit
- Do not touch or feed wildlife and stay on the enabled walkways