Top 10 Waterfalls in Argentina
Argentina holds the largest part of the Iguazú cascade system, the Andean Patagonian falls and several remote Misiones tropical curtains. The country's waterfall geography divides into three broad zones: the subtropical Atlantic forest of Misiones province in the northeast, the temperate Andean lakes district of Neuquén and Río Negro, and the cold Patagonian forests of Chubut and Santa Cruz farther south. All ten are pinned on the map.
1. Iguazú Falls, Misiones
The Iguazú system is the largest waterfall complex in the world by combined width. Some 275 individual cascades stretch along 2.7 km of basalt cliffs on the Iguazú River, with a mean flow of around 1,800 cubic metres per second during average water levels and far more in flood. The Argentine side — Parque Nacional Iguazú, a UNESCO World Heritage site — offers the most intimate access, with two main trail circuits: the Superior Circuit runs along the top of the falls, and the Inferior Circuit descends to the riverbank at the base of the lower drops. A separate electric train takes visitors to the Garganta del Diablo walkway. Nearest airport is Puerto Iguazú (IGR), roughly 20 km from the park entrance. Best months for volume are November through March; April to May is generally peak for water and thinner crowds. Entry fees are charged per person and vary for Argentine residents versus international visitors.
2. Garganta del Diablo (Devil's Throat), Iguazú
The Garganta del Diablo is the centrepiece of Iguazú Falls — an 82-metre U-shaped plunge that collects roughly half the entire river's flow into a single roaring crescent. The falls are accessed via a 1.1-kilometre elevated metal walkway built over the river from the train station at the head of the Superior Circuit. At the viewing platform you stand directly above the drop point, surrounded on three sides by hundreds of metres of falling water and permanent mist that creates double rainbows on clear mornings. Swifts nest in the mist zone year-round. The falls are a plunge type; the Iguazú River disappears into a churning white cauldron and re-emerges as a fast-moving canyon below. After heavy rainfall the walkway can be temporarily closed if the river rises above the platform level.
3. Saltos del Moconá, Misiones
One of the most unusual waterfalls in South America, the Saltos del Moconá are a 3-kilometre-long lateral waterfall where the Río Uruguay does not fall over its bank but instead drops sideways into a deep fault running parallel to the main river channel. The result is a curtain that runs along the course of the river itself, visible from the Argentine bank in Parque Provincial Moconá and from the Brazilian side in Parque Estadual do Turvo. Because the lateral fall is submerged when the Uruguay is in flood, the falls are only visible during low water periods, generally from July to October. The site is remote — El Soberbio is the nearest town, about 100 km away on unpaved roads — and boat tours from Argentine or Brazilian operators are the standard way to see the falls from the water. The falls are a rare example of a longitudinal waterfall, a geomorphic curiosity found in very few places worldwide.
4. Salto Encantado, Misiones
Salto Encantado is a 62-metre plunge waterfall set within Parque Provincial Salto Encantado del Valle del Cuñapirú, a protected area in central Misiones surrounded by Atlantic forest. The fall drops in a single clear free-fall into a deep green pool with red laterite walls. A well-maintained boardwalk and staircase descend from the park entrance to the base, taking about 20 minutes downhill. The stream feeding the fall runs year-round from the Misiones highlands, though volume is naturally highest in the wet months from November to April. The park also contains smaller secondary cascades along the Cuñapirú stream. Entry is a modest day fee. The nearest large town is Aristóbulo del Valle, roughly 30 km to the south.
5. Cascada Chachín, Neuquén
In the temperate rainforest of Lanín National Park, the Cascada Chachín drops around 20 metres in a clean horsetail over dark volcanic rock draped in native coihue beech and bamboo undergrowth. The trailhead begins at the western shore of Lago Lácar near the town of San Martín de los Andes, and the walk takes roughly 40 minutes one way on a well-marked forest path. The fall is at its best in spring (October to November) when snowmelt from the Andes swells the stream. Lanín National Park's area around Lake Lácar is also served by boat tours to Hua Hum on the Chilean border, which can be combined with the Chachín visit as a half-day excursion. San Martín de los Andes is the regional hub, about 1,600 km south of Buenos Aires and served by Chapelco Airport (CPC).
6. Cascada Inacayal, Bariloche
The Cascada Inacayal is a 50-metre horsetail waterfall in Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi, the oldest national park in Argentina, on the outskirts of San Carlos de Bariloche. The trail to the fall begins near Playa Bonita on the southern shore of Lago Nahuel Huapi and passes through dense lenga beech and ñire forest typical of the sub-Antarctic Andes zone. The round trip takes about two hours at a relaxed pace. The fall is fed by snowmelt and rain from the surrounding range and runs year-round, though spring flow in October and November is strongest. Bariloche (BRC) has a well-connected domestic airport, and the park entrance is within 15 km of the city centre. This is one of the most accessible Andean falls in Patagonia without requiring a full backcountry excursion.
7. Cascada Los Alerces, Chubut
Inside Los Alerces National Park — a UNESCO World Heritage site in the Chubut province of northern Patagonia — a series of cascades tumbles through one of the last intact stands of alerce conifers (Fitzroya cupressoides) in Argentina. Individual alerces here are documented at over 3,600 years old, making them among the oldest living trees on Earth. The standard access involves a boat tour departing from Puerto Limonao on Lago Futalaufquen, crossing Lago Verde, and continuing up the Río Arrayanes to Lago Menéndez, where passengers walk to El Abuelo, a celebrated ancient alerce. The cascades along the Río Arrayanes are visible from the boat and from short trails. The nearest town is Esquel, about 70 km east, which has the only commercial airport (EQS) in the region.
8. Saltos Eccaiwer, Misiones
The Saltos Eccaiwer are a multi-tier cascade in the northern reaches of Misiones province, in the red-soil Atlantic forest near the Uruguayan border. The falls are little visited by international tourists and require a 4x4 vehicle from the town of El Soberbio to reach the trailhead on unpaved rural roads. The cascade tumbles through a narrow ravine shaded by ceibo and pindó palms, with the red-iron laterite walls of the Misiones highlands providing a vivid contrast to the white water. The area is part of the broader Atlantic Forest Corridor, one of the most biodiverse — and most threatened — ecosystems in South America. The best time to visit is during lower-water months from July to September, when flow is stable and the roads are passable.
9. Cascada Escondida, El Bolsón
As its name suggests, the Cascada Escondida is a hidden fall tucked in the Andean foothills near El Bolsón, a small artisan town in Río Negro province about 130 km south of Bariloche. The trail is approximately 5 km return through mixed lenga and coihue beech forest with several viewpoints overlooking the surrounding valley and Cerro Piltriquitrón. The waterfall drops in a curtain over granite-streaked rock into a small pool. El Bolsón has no commercial airport; visitors arrive by bus or car from Bariloche. The town is popular with hikers and the regional microbrewery scene, and Cascada Escondida is one of several short half-day walks in the immediate vicinity of the valley.
10. Salto Yacui, Misiones
The Salto Yacui is a 30-metre cascade on the Arroyo Yacui, a clear-water tributary of the Iguazú drainage in southern Misiones province. The water runs an emerald colour due to the well-oxygenated flow through forested basalt terrain. The fall is remote even by Misiones standards and receives very little tourist traffic, making it a rewarding destination for travellers already exploring the lesser-known parts of the province. The surrounding forest retains intact Atlantic forest canopy, and the area has good birdwatching — toucans, parrots, and jaguarundi have been recorded nearby. Access is on provincial roads from Bernardo de Irigoyen or San Antonio, both small border towns.
Planning a waterfall trip in Argentina
Argentina's waterfall geography covers a huge north-to-south span. The Misiones falls — Iguazú, Moconá, Encantado, Eccaiwer, Yacui — are all in the subtropical northeast, and can be combined into a circuit based from Puerto Iguazú or Posadas. The Andean falls — Chachín, Inacayal, Escondida — sit in the lake district of northern Patagonia, accessible from San Martín de los Andes or Bariloche. Los Alerces in Chubut lies roughly halfway between the two zones and is best treated as a separate destination. The rainy season (November to March) produces the highest volume on most Argentine falls, but some Patagonian trails become muddy in the worst months; spring (October to November) often offers the best balance of strong flow, daylight, and accessible terrain. All ten falls are on the map.