Iguazu National Park Access: Devil’s Throat Walkways Out

Argentina’s National Parks Administration said on September 17, 2026 that Iguazu National Park in Misiones remains open, after the Brazilian park closed its Devil’s Throat lookout and travelers began treating both sides of the falls as shut. In a government notice, officials said extraordinary Iguazu River flow tied to El Nino matched recent forecasts, but that the Argentine park’s other circuits and Area Cataratas services are still receiving visitors.

Do not cancel an Argentine park day solely because the Brazilian lookout is closed. The Upper Circuit, Lower Circuit, Green Trail, Macuco Trail, Yvyra Reta visitor center, and Territorio Yaguarete exhibit remain in service, while the Garganta del Diablo walkways have been out since August. For trip context beyond the falls, use Deep Arrival’s Things to Do in Argentina guide, then confirm the day’s open circuits before you leave Puerto Iguazu.

Argentina Confirms Iguazu National Park Stays Open

The September 17 notice is a status correction, not a new shutdown. Midway through the month, and after the park recently received its one millionth visitor of 2026, officials said Iguazu National Park “sigue activo” and that the Upper and Lower Circuits are showing the falls at an extraordinary volume.

Ambito reported the same clarification later on September 17, attributing it to the National Parks Administration after the Brazilian park closed its Devil’s Throat lookout. The independent account matches the government page on the core traveler point: the Argentine park is receiving guests, and the main Cataratas-area services remain in operation.

That matters because Iguazu is a two-country visit. The Argentine park protects more than 67,000 hectares of Paranaense forest in Misiones, was created in 1934, and has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1984. A closure rumor on one bank can empty hotels, transfers, and day tours on the other even when the gates are still turning.

Officials asked readers to repeat the actual status to people still planning a visit. If your voucher, hotel, or guide is for Parque Nacional Iguazu on the Argentine side, the September 17 record is that the park is open. Treat social posts that flatten “Iguazu is closed” as unverified until they name the country, the circuit, and a dated authority.

Devil’s Throat Walkways Remain Out Since August

The missing piece on the Argentine side is the Garganta del Diablo circuit, the catwalk that usually takes visitors to the lip of Devil’s Throat. The National Parks Administration said those walkways were removed in August as a preventive step, to protect the structures and keep visitors off a span that high water can wreck.

That is not a park closure. Until the metal sections are reinstalled, you cannot walk the classic Devil’s Throat catwalk on the Argentine side, even though the rest of the park is open. The official notice does not publish a reopening date. Reinstallation depends on river behavior and weather, including further El Nino-linked rain in the upper basin.

Tourism trade outlet Reportur, writing the same day, said river flow had topped 6,500 cubic meters per second after more than 300 millimeters of rain in Brazil’s Parana state, and that the Garganta circuit had already been taken down on August 3. Use those hydrology figures as Reportur’s reporting, not as numbers printed on the September 17 government page. If Devil’s Throat is the only reason you bought the ticket, wait for a dated restoration notice.

Brazil Lookout Closure Sparked Traveler Confusion

Argentina’s notice is explicit about why it spoke now. In recent days, the Brazilian park closed its lookout onto Devil’s Throat, and that step created confusion about the real status on the Argentine side. The government framed the Brazilian closure as a response to the same extraordinary rise that forecasts had already flagged under El Nino.

This desk is not restating a Brazilian operator’s own closure page. The load-bearing claim here is what Argentina’s parks agency said: the homologous park in Brazil had to close its Devil’s Throat lookout, and that measure was being misread as an Argentine shutdown. Until Brazil’s park authority publishes a dated lookout status you can open, plan a Brazilian park day only after you reconfirm that lookout and the rest of Parque Nacional do Iguacu on the Brazilian park’s own channels.

Do not transfer a Brazilian lookout closure onto Argentine hotels, transfers, or the Area Cataratas shops. A viewpoint on one bank is not a booking status for a property or tour on the other. If a listing, driver, or boat desk is named as unable to operate, that claim needs that business’s own notice or an authority naming the exact facility. This story names none.

Travelers splitting two park days should treat the countries as separate tickets. Keep the Argentine day. Recheck the Brazilian day against the Brazilian park, not against an Argentine press notice, and not against a headline that only says “Iguazu.”

Open Circuits and Services on the Argentine Side

The September 17 list of what you can still do is specific. Visitors can use the Upper Circuit and Lower Circuit, walk the Green Trail and the Macuco Trail, and enter the Yvyra Reta visitor center and the Territorio Yaguarete exhibit. Area Cataratas shops and services remain open with the park.

High water changes the view, not the ticket type. The Upper Circuit puts you on the rim above multiple drops. The Lower Circuit drops you closer to the spray. Pack a rain shell even on a forecast dry morning. Wooden and metal decks will be slick. If someone in your group cannot do stairs or spray, the Upper Circuit is the more controlled option while Garganta is out.

Reportur said nautical excursions that remain authorized are still running. Confirm the exact product with the operator that sold it. This story does not certify any named boat company as operating or halted. Arrive at opening if you want the Lower Circuit with less crowding. A million visits already in 2026 means the park is busy even with one signature circuit offline.

High Water Changes the Visit, Not the Booking

An Argentine Iguazu ticket for September remains a valid park day for every listed circuit except Devil’s Throat. A Brazilian ticket whose value was the Devil’s Throat lookout needs a fresh status check, because Argentina says that lookout is the facility that closed. If you are still inbound to Puerto Iguazu, keep the hotel and the Argentine park reservation.

If Devil’s Throat was the entire point of the trip, wait. The official Argentine record is that those walkways have been down since August, and the government did not attach a return date to the September 17 notice. A 40 day window appears in trade coverage, not on the government page. Do not treat either figure as a guaranteed reopen clock.