Iguazu Falls Waterfall Boat Tour with a Toddler
- andrew
- May 8
- 5 min read
Updated: May 9
The Igauzu Falls is an incredible waterfall system made up of about 275 individual waterfalls that is 2.7km long and spans across Brazil and Argentina. The waterfall boat tour offers you the unique experience of getting up close and personal with the falls and the opportunity to go directly under them for a proper soaking. We teamed up with Macuco Safari and Visit Iguassu to show you exactly what it looks like to have a waterfall shower with a toddler (GoPro footage at the end)!
Where to choose: Macuco Safari in Brazil or Gran Adventura in Argentina?
The two main operators for waterfall boat experiences are Macuco Safari in Brazil and Gran Adventura in Argentina. We partnered with Macuco Safari and one of the main reasons is that it permits children (0-6yrs free, 7-11yrs half price) whereas the Gran Aventura experience does not allow children under 12yr olds.
The trip will last about 2 hrs in total and includes a jungle safari and the wet (or dry) boat tour experience which is about 20 minutes. You will ride in a boat with a capacity of 20 people which depart every 15 minutes.
Park Entry and Transportation
Remember to factor in time to enter Iguazu National Park as it can take some time to enter. The park's internal bus system will then transport you to the Macuco Safari area. The buses are about every 15 minutes but are popular so you may end up waiting for several buses until you get to ride on it
Fortunately we were able to bypass all of this as we had a certified tour guide who was able to drive us directly to the Macuco Safari entrance point. The certified tour guides are able to enter Iguazu National Park from a side entrance which has no queue and they often have connections which mean you have preferential treatment (which for us meant very little queuing!)
As well as saving us a huge amount of time it meant that Malva could comfortably sit in the car without having to transition between different buses. The time we saved meant that we were able to experience the Helicopter tour, Brazilian side of the waterfalls by foot, Boat tour and the Bird Park all in one day! We don't normally choose tour guides however I would highly recommend you doing so because this is an extremely popular tourist destination and you will be able to save lots of time waiting around.
Macuco Safari: The Jungle Journey
There are changing rooms and lockers at the reception where we left our valuables and critically towels and a spare change of dry clothes. I would recommend bringing swimwear and changing into it at this stage. The only things we brought with us were a few snacks for Malva and our cameras in a waterproof wet bag. For this trip I would not advise bringing a pram or carrier and I would encourage your toddler to walk or carry them if they are tired.
You begin the Macuco Safari experience with a jungle shuttle from the entrance into the jungle. The journey is about 10 minutes long and at the end you can choose to either continue in a 4x4 to the to the port or walk there on foot. On the walk the guide showed some native plants and animals and it took about 10 minutes on foot as a group. The walk was on boardwalks but there were some steps ā if you have children I would recommend taking the 4x4 all the way to the port as it means you will spend less time queuing.
Getting Ready for the Boat Tour
Once you arrive at the port you queue for a funicular to take you down and when you reach the bottom you and your children will receive your life jackets. If you have a poncho this is your time to put it on under the life jacket, but honestly ours did nothing so I would skip the poncho and simply embrace the fact you will get wet! A tip would be to leave your shoes and socks on the jetty and to go onto the boat barefoot.
If you are really against getting wet then there is an option for a dry boat tour, however the wait for this may be longer. Make sure you tell the staff when you receive your lifejacket and they will help accommodate this request for you.
Your "Shower" Under Iguazu Falls
As we were at the front of the queue when boarding the boats we asked to sit in the front of the boat and were instead put in row 3 because of Malva- so if you're doing the boat tour without children that is the splash zone! The boat ride takes you along the Iguazu river which in Brazilian means "Big Water" and you will be treated to an exhilarating race along the rapids with the water crashing all around you.
For this section we started off by having Malva sat next to us but as the ride became faster, more exciting and more choppy, Minna put her on her lap. Holding her tight she was able to feel very secure and she could easily see the scenery along the boat ride. She did comment that it was fast but she seemed to be enjoying it!
After the speedy journey we arrived at a viewing point for the waterfalls where we stopped to take photos, before the driver did a few donuts and we accelerated towards them. This is definitely where things became interesting - we approached a small waterfall at speed and before slowed down to completely pass under it and get completely soaked by the water! Everyone was completely drenched - poncho or not and we repeated this a few times before racing back.
You can really feel the power of the waterfalls and it's no surprise that Malva was quite scared at this stage. She was completely safe and secure the whole time but wasn't a huge fan of being completely drenched by the waterfall. As a parent it can be difficult to enjoy this type of experience when your child is scared so whilst the "Wet" boat is a fun experience you need to consider if your child is old enough and how you think they will react to it. If you're unsure I'd recommend choosing the "Dry" boat experience as Malva definitely enjoyed the journey itself and the views of Iguazu Falls from the water give you an idea of how large and magnificent they are!
It's important to add that when we were heading back she calmed down quickly and even said it was fun - she still talks about it to this day so it was certainly a memorable experience!
Our Top Toddler Tips for the Macuco Boat Safari
This was an incredible experience and one I would highly recommend for you to experience as a family. Here are our top tips to make the most out of this experience for your toddler:
Wear swimwear and be ready to get wet!
Leave the pram and only bring a carrier if essential
Bring a towel and spare change of clothes (you can either leave this at the reception lockers or by the funicular before you go down)
If you want to take photos either use a wet bag or a waterproof phone protector
Take your shoes off before you get on the boat so they don't end up soaking wet
Choose if you want the "Wet" or "Dry" tour and if you choose the "Dry" tour make sure you inform the staff early on
Bring a few snacks for your toddler as it's a 2hr experience and they undoubtedly will get hungry
I would highly recommend booking a tour in advance to avoid disappointment and to maximise your time at the waterfalls (the private tour also means you have the comfort of knowing your toddler can relax in the car rather than having to navigate the internal bus system) - here are a couple of options:
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