Iguaçu Falls: tour explores the sunrise – 10/27/2023 – Tourism

Contemplating the Iguaçu Falls with the first rays of sunlight of the day appearing on the horizon is an experience that will remain etched in your memory. It is accompanied by flocks of birds, sounds of the forest, rainbows under the waterfalls and tones in the sky that gradually change.

This natural spectacle can be experienced during the Dawn at the Falls tour, an attraction in the Iguaçu National Park, in Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná, a reserve that occupies 185 thousand hectares in Brazil and another 75 thousand hectares on the Argentine side.

To see the sun’s rays slowly taking over the 275 waterfalls, visitors need to get up early. The bus leaves at 6am, when it is still dark in the region, from the Iguaçu National Park visitor center.

The journey to the viewpoint, an observation point, is short, 11 km, enough to wait for the first rays of sunlight to arrive. The time may change according to the seasons, such as summer, when the sun rises earlier.

The park gates open at 9am. But, for those taking the tour, access is allowed well before this time.

When disembarking, tourists have monitors at their disposal who give guidance for the next stage of the tour: walking along the 1,200 meter trail to the walkway that gives access to the Devil’s Throat, the main waterfall. At this time, daylight begins to show signs of arriving.

The trail is concrete and there are small steps in some sections, so attention is always welcome to avoid tripping or falling.

Along the way there are other smaller viewpoints to observe the jumps, take photos and videos. During the route, it is possible to notice the day gradually brightening, under an immense silence broken by the presence of birds and the noise of the waters.

Upon arriving at the catwalks, even before 7am, the light had already taken over the day. It is possible to see swifts fly over the waterfalls and notice the first rays of sunlight hitting the large streams of water that run down the rocks.

Close to the Devil’s Throat, the largest of the water jumps, the spectacle is completed with the view of the rainbow, which at this time begins to appear at around 7:20 am.

It is at this point that all the exuberance of the largest set of waterfalls in the world comes into its own. It is possible to listen to the symphony caused by the force of the waters, take a light bath on the walkways and enjoy the arrival of the sun.

The tour ends at the Porto Canoas restaurant, where breakfast is served from 7am with regional items, including the famous Paraguayan soup and Argentine mini-empanadas.

From there it is possible to continue enjoying the dawn at the falls and remain in the park until closing time, at 4pm.

As the park gates only open at 9am on weekdays and 8:30am on weekends, those taking the tour can enjoy the Falls exclusively until the turnstiles open.

Previously exclusive to guests of the Hotel das Cataratas, the tour now attracts people who like nature and calm.

Art teacher, widow Elza Aidar, 79, left São Paulo to, once again, visit Foz do Iguaçu and contemplate, for the first time, the falls in the morning.

She remembers when she went to the park for the first time, 44 years ago, and then returned with her husband and three children, but only now was she able to see the falls with different tones. “Nature is inspiring. We feel gratitude for being alive,” she says.

For the couple Marcus Teixeira, 38, and Thainá Texeira, 34, from Salvador, observing the falls with the sun rising is something unusual. “The waterfall, the waterfalls, the color are impressive,” he reports.

The sun reaching the falls was also what motivated Regina Ferreira, 60, from Rio to take the trip. “I’m enchanted by the sunrise and the falls.”

Administered by ICMBio, the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation, the National Park is managed by Urbia Cataratas SA.

The tour costs R$195 for the general public and R$156 for residents neighboring the park with a community pass. The price includes, at the end of the visit, breakfast at the Porto Canoas restaurant, from 7:30 am to 9:30 am, with a full buffet.

It is held every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Tickets are limited (maximum capacity of 250 people) and sold on the official website.