Things to do in Foz do Iguaçu
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Foz do Iguaçu
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
High water and full thunder, with peak heat, humidity, crowds and mosquitoes. Boats and walkways can close in extreme flow.
Best overall window: water still high after the rains, temperatures easing, crowds down.
Low water, driest and coolest months. Best spray visibility and birding, rock architecture shows, July school holidays spike crowds.
Spring shoulder: water rising, forest in bloom, pleasant temperatures and strong photography light.
What's on
- Carnival February or March, dates vary
Foz fills and prices peak. Book everything early and expect a festive city.
- Festival das Cataratas June
A major tourism trade fair that fills hotels midweek in an otherwise quiet month.
- Foz do Iguaçu city anniversary 10 June
Local festivities around the city's anniversary in an otherwise calm month.
Best things to do in Foz do Iguaçu
Cataratas do Iguaçu
The Brazilian trail gives the full panoramic view of the falls system and ends on a catwalk in the Devil's Throat spray.
Parque das Aves
Walk through huge aviaries of rescued macaws, toucans and harpy eagles in Atlantic Forest across from the park gate.
Itaipu Binacional
The panoramic bus tour shows the scale of the Brazil Paraguay dam, its spillway and its reservoir in about an hour.
Marco das Três Fronteiras
Sunset over the two rivers where Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay meet, followed by dances from all three countries.
Templo Budista Chen Tien
A free, peaceful hilltop temple with giant statues and one of the best panoramic views back over the city.
Mesquita Omar Ibn Al-Khattab
A short, welcoming visit to the white domed mosque at the heart of one of Brazil's largest Arab communities.
Yup Star Foz do Iguaçu
An 88 metre wheel lifting you over the river confluence and three countries, best ridden at dusk with the Marco.
Refúgio Biológico Bela Vista
A guided refuge of jaguars, tapirs and capybaras in forest by the Itaipu reservoir, the best mammal visit in Foz.
Where to stay in Foz do Iguaçu
Centro
restaurants, value and border logistics
The only walk to dinner base, with the Arab restaurants, churrascarias, terminals and best value hotels.
Avenida das Cataratas corridor
resorts, families and falls first trips
Big pools, gardens and parking along the park road, 10 to 20 minutes from the falls and airport.
Inside Parque Nacional do Iguaçu
the falls themselves
One hotel across from the trailhead, with falls access before opening and after closing, and nothing else.
Think twice about
- Vila Portes and the Ponte da Amizade perimeter
Tout heavy, gridlocked by day and deserted by night. Use the Friendship Bridge, do not base beside it.
- Far northern residential districts beyond Itaipu
No visitor infrastructure or restaurant scene, and long taxi rides to everything. A cheap rate there is false economy.
Best restaurants in Foz do Iguaçu
Ipê Grill
The Belmond's fire grill inside the park is Foz's fine dining address and its most romantic dinner.
Rafain Churrascaria Show
Rodizio meats and a huge buffet with a nightly Latin American folklore show. Go for the spectacle.
Búfalo Branco
The rodizio locals name for meat quality, endless picanha and a strong buffet with no show attached.
Bendito - Bar e Restaurante
Centro's modern Brazilian crowd pleaser, with comfort plates, cocktails and a room locals fill at weekends.
La Mafia Trattoria
A Godfather themed trattoria that eats like a serious neighbourhood Italian, with generous pasta portions.
Restaurante Porto Canoas
A broad Brazilian buffet on a terrace over the upper river at the end of the falls trail. Guard your plate.
Le Mir Comida Árabe
The Lebanese kitchen of Foz's Arab community, mezze, kibbeh and charcoal grills in a smart local room.
Restaurante Barracão
A family buffet house of 40 years near Itaipu, ribs and feijoada at the best value full meal price in Foz.
Outdoor things to do in Foz do Iguaçu
Macuco Safari
Forest ride, then a twin engine boat that runs the rapids and drives right under the falls. You will be soaked.
Helisul Experience
A ten minute helicopter circuit around the full horseshoe, the only way to grasp the true shape of the falls.
Poço Preto Trail
A quiet 9 km forest road by bike or on foot, with a birdwatching tower and a chance of wild toucans and monkeys.
Parque Nacional Iguazú
The Argentine day trip puts you on catwalks over the Devil's Throat and on circuits at the top and foot of the falls.
Itaipu Especial
The technical tour goes inside the powerhouse, along the gallery of twenty generating units, past the control rooms.
Iguassu Secret Falls
A small group guided hike to smaller falls outside the park, with forest trails, natural pools and swimming.
Cânion Iguaçu
Rappelling descents and climbing on the canyon wall, with the falls and the lower river in the frame.
Iguassu Falls Golf Club
An 18 hole par 72 Erik Larsen redesign at the Wish resort, open daily to visitors with advance scheduling.
Best hotels in Foz do Iguaçu
Hotel das Cataratas, A Belmond Hotel, Iguassu Falls
The only hotel inside the park, so guests walk to the falls before the gates open and after they close.
Sanma Hotel
A calm garden five star opposite the bird park, minutes from the park gate, with a large pool and spa.
Bourbon Cataratas do Iguaçu Thermas Eco Resort
The full service family resort, with multiple pools and an all day children's recreation programme.
Wish Foz do Iguaçu
A villa style resort built around the golf course, with a big pool complex and a quieter, greener feel.
JL Hotel by Bourbon
Centro's smart all rounder by JL Shopping, with hundreds of restaurants within a ten minute walk.
CLH Suítes Foz do Iguaçu
Apartment style Centro suites with kitchens at budget money, a base for longer stays and drivers.
Tetris Container Hostel
The famous shipping container hostel with a pool and bar, and staff who act as a falls logistics helpdesk.
Is Foz do Iguaçu expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | R$220 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | R$450 a person |
| Splurge | R$1,100 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Cataratas do Iguaçu: a few days ahead
- Parque das Aves: a few days ahead
- Itaipu Binacional: a few days ahead
- Refúgio Biológico Bela Vista: a few days ahead
- Amanhecer nas Cataratas: weeks ahead
- Macuco Safari: a few days ahead
- Helisul Experience: a few days ahead
- Poço Preto Trail: a few days ahead
- Book Itaipu Especial first: small groups, limited departures and ID registration, first to sell out on holiday weekends.
- Book the Belmond, corridor resorts and Amanhecer nas Cataratas ahead for December to March, Carnival and Easter.
- Buy the Iguaçu park ticket online in advance, and book Macuco Safari and the helicopter ahead in high season.
- Start the Argentine day early, because border queues build from mid morning.
Is Foz do Iguaçu safe?
- In Foz use ordinary city awareness: bags closed and in front, main avenues at night, ride hailing after dark.
- Carry your actual passport for Argentina and check your nationality's visa needs for both countries before the trip.
- In Ciudad del Este buy only inside established stores, test electronics in store, ignore street sellers and guides.
- Know your customs allowance before shopping in Paraguay. Excess above the land border quota must be declared on return.
- Emergency number in Brazil is 190. The falls park and Itaipu both have medical posts.
Foz do Iguaçu travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- The Dreamland and Wonder Park corridor complexes are small, per attraction priced filler. Spend at the falls and bird park instead.
- At Rafain go for the show, not the meat claim, and watch the wine markups. The meat crown belongs to Búfalo Branco.
- Ignore street guides offering special price shopping help in Paraguay. They route you to commission paying shops.
- Never feed the coatis at the falls. They open zips, snatch food and bite fingers that offer it.
- Do not do both falls sides in one day. Each side deserves its own day.
Getting around Foz do Iguaçu: public transport and more
- Everything is a ride, not a walk: Centro to the falls is 28 km, to Itaipu 12 km, to the bridges 5 to 6 km.
- Ride hailing with Uber and 99 is inexpensive and the default for couples and groups.
- City buses are cheap, including the 101 and 102 to Itaipu, but slow. Tour transfers suit park days best.
- Do not drive a rental into Argentina or Paraguay without the rental company's cross border paperwork arranged in advance.
Who Foz do Iguaçu suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Foz do Iguaçu your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App Store