I will be at the Falls in about 2 weeks and am wondering what are the best kind of shoes to wear. Are the trails paved, do I need hiking boots? Thank you.

Hey, nephew santiagov, the lady has asked TWELVE MINUTES ago a question you should be able to answer and we are still waiting!!!!!!

Maura ; Hi , hot over there ?

Guarani Indians did it on barefoot, but i wouldn´t recommend it !
guess regular sneakers are just great definitly no hiking boots unless some Jungle exploration , not commom in Iguazu but possible.

Sorry uncle av but need to P..

You took THIRTY THREE minutes to answer the lady's question!!!!!!

What about the "are the trails paved" question?

yes they are paved , and the park has nice grass cover. Not as Kew Garden in UK , of course .

Time for Maura to say "thank you", now!

Not to butt in on this family discussion, but...

Maura, I was worried about footwear, as well. It is paved with the bridge areas being "grated". The ground does get wet in some areas so I suggest something with traction. Though, if you are like me, tennis shoes are a HORROR. I brought them to be safe, but we arrived late afternoon and took a quick walk before 2 full days of walking. I determined that I could wear the sandals I had brought. There are flip flops with a sort of rugged bottom. Boy, how bad does that sound?!? They are Steve Maddens - does that sound better??

Hiking boots aren't necessary & will be too hot. Of course, we were there in Dec/Jan, but I am from South Louisiana & it was HOT.

hi neworleanslady
We'll also be there in Dec/Jan. How hot?? What about Tiva type sandals?

mvpl:

30 / 40+ Celsius and very humid . Jungle like weather...Not as bad as in the Amazones river.
Skipp it on January , gets crowded and with many families w/ kids as its summer holidays in SA. Nothing against F+Kids, buy hate shouting and noise in such a wonderfull place as the Falls.

Thank you very much for your responses. A special thank you to santiagov ! It was hot in New York but now it's much more comfortable, around 20 degrees C. I know what you mean, neworleanslady about sneakers - I only usually wear them to work out! I do have teva type sandals as I have done river hiking in Costa Rica so I think those will work fine.
Thanks again to everyone for your help!

Maura

I belive you might be interested :

While in Iguazu falls take 1 more day to visit Jesuit ruins , both in Paraguay and Argentina ( San Ignacio) . You will need to hire a cab ( not expensive ).
Remeber The Mission ?
For culture and history oriented travellers it might be breathtaking. Once a week a "son et lumiere" is played in San Ignacio.
Argentinian history started with a very strong influence of Jesuits , and very little has been left.

Another key spot for 2/3 days is Iberá Marshes , only for nature, wildlife lovers.

Well, I just looked up the dates we were there and according to wunderground.com, it was 91 with 61% humidity. Today, in S. La., it was 96 with 88% humidity - heat index right now at 9pm is 92. Lovely, huh? So, I guess it's just that I am in a cool, air conditioned office all day while I am home in August as opposed to walking around outside up & down trails. But, you get the point. Have you ever been to S. La? I'd compare it to August. Average high from Dec. 15th-Jan 15th is 87. If you aren't used to humidity, you'll find out what it is all about.

Wear shorts, tanks & yes, teva's are perfect. Bring bottled water with you. There are places to buy it, but you will be glad you have an extra bottle. DO NOT pass up an opportunity to buy another bottle. Again, this is coming from someone who lives in this environment. I read about people who can't stand the heat & humidity in New Orleans in May. Huh? It's quite pleasant in May! So, just be prepared.

BUT, by all means, go and enjoy every moment. When you walk to the end on the Argentine side, it is such a "WOW" moment in life. Just a truly amazing site. You'll forget how hot you are. Have the photographers take your picture and send it to your hotel if you are staying at Sheraton or somewhere close. It is worth it. We also talked them into using their ladders with our own cameras. It's such a better shot because you get a picture showing down the waterfall behind you. Wow. I still get the chills thinking about it.

If you intend to take the boat ride under the falls, from either the Argentine side or the Brazilian side, do bring some shoes that can get wet. Otherwise, don't overthink it. Just wear what's comfortable for walking in very hot, humid weather. You'll be on paved paths or bridge-like walkways over water.

Quite a jump in time here: 2002-2016. But then, Iguazu is Iguazu - always an incredible treat. Important advice today = DEET.

I meant 2005 - 2016.

Iguacu is indeed Iguacu, and the questions about the place remain similar over many forums and years, the answers valid, same.
One of the most amazing experiences I have had there has been of butterflies repeatedly landing on my skin to sip the salty sweat. To experience this again, I would not choose to wear DEET or repellent of any kind; as a mosquito magnet usually, I never saw or felt any while at the falls area, nor saw/felt any evidence of bites on my skin.
In fact in over 20 years of regular time spent in Brazil, much of it in less well kept areas than many tourists (where there are more water-holding nooks for mosquitos to breed), I have not had dengue or any other common disease borne by those mosquitos or others. YMMV, but IMO the foreign media reportage is not accurately portraying the likelihood of exposure for most tourists.

>>similar over many forums and years, the answers valid, same.<<

Yes -- but this is an eleven year old thread. Seems posting the info to one just a <i>teensy bit</i> more current might be more useful . . .

Is there a current thread on Iguacu?
(The most "current" thread on Brazil that I responded to recently......well the OP hasn't even gotten back to comment. Six of one.......hmmmmm?)
And you yourself seem to have plenty of time and enthusiasm to put into the same old thread.

bookmarking. Thanks for the info, no matter how old.

How many days would you recommend for the falls? It seems like at most one day on the Brazil side. Hiking for one day on the Argentina side? The boat trip and/or helicopter trip? and then the side trip to the Jesuit ruins? How long would that side trip be? Any info would be appreciated. I am going in February and can stay up to 4 days if there is enough to do. Have not yet booked my flight yet and this will be the end of my trip.
Thanks for all of the help.