Iguazu Falls Boat TourIs the Devil's Throat Open at Iguazu Falls?
Last reviewed September 2026
Is the Devil's Throat open Iguazu Falls visitors keep asking, and for the Argentine circuit the answer is no: it has been closed since 3 August 2026, preventively, with the walkway decking removed ahead of forecast flooding and no reopening date published. This page sets out what happened, what is still open on both banks, what replaces the view and what refunds do and do not apply. The tours are compared on our Iguazu Falls boat tour page.
Quick answer Closure status, why it happened, and the three views that replace it
The Argentine Devil's Throat circuit has been closed since 3 August 2026 and no reopening date has been published. It is a preventive closure rather than damage: hydrological projections tied to El Nino pointed to major flooding through September and October, and the concessionaire lifted the walkway decking and handrails off the catwalk before the river could take them. The removal protocol alone was planned as roughly forty days of work, which is not a reopening estimate. Everything else on the Argentine side runs normally, and the Brazilian panorama walkway below the same gorge is open, which currently makes the Brazilian bank the closest view of the Garganta available.
Key takeaways
- Closed since 3 August 2026, preventive, no reopening date published
- The rest of the Argentine park is open: circuits, the train and the boat
- The Brazilian walkway below the same gorge is open and is now the closest view
- Iguazu Jungle's calm-water Paseo Ecologico is suspended too, because its station sits inside the closed area
- No refund exists for a closed circuit inside a park ticket, so plan around it rather than expecting compensation
- One listing prints the closure on its own page; most do not
What Happened, and When
The sequence
The circuit had already closed briefly in late July when the river rose, and reopened after five days. On 30 and 31 July the concessionaire and the national parks administration announced a longer preventive closure from Monday 3 August, citing projections of extraordinary flooding through September and October linked to the El Nino pattern.
The protocol was not simply to shut a gate. Crews removed the metal decking and handrails from the catwalk so that a flood would not carry the structure downstream, work planned at roughly forty days. Argentine press reported the plan clearly at the time, and also that the forty days describes the removal work rather than the date visitors get the walkway back.
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| Late July 2026 | Circuit closed for five days as the river rose, then reopened |
| 30 to 31 July 2026 | Preventive closure from 3 August announced, citing flood projections |
| 3 August 2026 | Circuit closed; removal of decking and handrails begins |
| Around 40 days | Planned duration of the removal work, not a reopening date |
| September 2026 | Still closed, no reopening date published |
Why a walkway gets taken apart
The Garganta catwalk crosses more than a kilometre of open river to a platform on the lip of the gorge. In an extraordinary flood the water does not merely rise, it carries trees, and a metal walkway standing in that current is both a hazard and an expensive thing to lose.
This has happened before at Iguazu, most memorably in the flood of 2023, when a rebuilt section was needed afterwards. The 2026 decision was to remove the vulnerable parts in advance rather than repair them afterwards, which is why the closure is measured in months rather than days.
What Is Still Open on Both Banks
The Argentine side
The Upper Circuit, the Lower Circuit and the Tren Ecologico all run as normal, and so does the boat. The Lower Circuit is the one that matters most now: it drops to water level and passes directly beneath several cascades, which is the closest the Argentine park still gets you to falling water on foot.
San Martin island opens when the river allows it and closes when it does not, on the same logic as the boat. Nothing about the closure affects the park's opening hours or its ticket price, which remains AR$60,000 for international visitors.
| What | Status | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Devil's Throat catwalk | Closed since 3 August 2026 | Argentina |
| Upper Circuit | Open | Argentina |
| Lower Circuit | Open | Argentina |
| Tren Ecologico | Open, included in the ticket | Argentina |
| San Martin island launch | Opens when the river allows | Argentina |
| Gran Aventura boat | Running, subject to river conditions | Argentina |
| Paseo Ecologico | Suspended, station inside the closed area | Argentina |
| Trilha das Cataratas and the Garganta walkway | Open | Brazil |
| Macuco Safari | Running every 20 minutes | Brazil |
The Brazilian side
Nothing is closed. The Trilha das Cataratas runs its full 1.5 km along the canyon and ends on the walkway built out into the river below the Garganta do Diabo, with water on three sides and a lift back up to the road.
That is now the closest anyone gets to the Garganta, and it is the reason a Brazilian day is worth more this season than in a normal year. Macuco Safari runs unaffected from km 25, every twenty minutes, at R$384.
What is closed besides the catwalk
Iguazu Jungle's Paseo Ecologico, the calm-water trip at AR$40,000 aimed at families and anyone who does not want the soaking, is suspended because passenger access to its departure point at the Garganta del Diablo station is closed.
That matters more than it sounds. It removes the Argentine park's gentle boat option at exactly the moment when the gentle walking option is also gone, which leaves families with under-12s looking across the river at the Brazilian boat, where children from seven ride at half price.
What to Do Instead, Depending on Your Trip
If You booked an Argentine day for the Garganta specifically
Add the Brazilian bank if you can. The walkway below the gorge is open and is the closest remaining view.
If You have one day and have not booked yet
Consider Brazil for the panorama plus Macuco Safari, rather than an Argentine day missing its finale.
If You are already committed to the Argentine side
Put the boat and the Lower Circuit at the centre of the day. The eight-hour listings now cover what is open without the twelve-hour schedule.
If You are travelling with children under 12
Brazil. The Argentine calm-water trip is suspended and the Argentine boat refuses under-12s at the dock.
If You want both banks
A two-day itinerary absorbs the closure comfortably, because the Brazilian day carries the view the Argentine one has lost.
The Latest News, and the Film People Remember
What the latest news on Iguazu Falls actually says
Through July and August 2026 the regional press covered one story: the river. The circuit closed briefly in late July as levels rose, reopened after five days, and then closed again from 3 August on the concessionaire's own protocol, with crews removing the walkway rather than waiting for the flood. Coverage since has repeated that the roughly forty-day removal window is not a reopening date.
Everything else reported as news this season is routine: tariff changes, seasonal experiences on the Brazilian side and the normal fluctuation of the boats with the water level. If you are checking one thing before you travel, check the circuit status and the river, in that order. Last verified: September 2026.
The film, and why the Garganta looks familiar
The falls carry a cinematic reputation that predates any of this. The Mission, released in 1986, was filmed here, and its opening sequence of a missionary lashed to a cross going over the falls is the image most visitors arrive with. Later productions have used the setting too, including Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which staged a chase in the region.
The practical footnote for 2026: the vantage most associated with those images is the gorge itself, and the Argentine walkway that runs out to its lip is the closed one. The Brazilian bank still delivers the panorama that most film audiences actually remember.
Refunds, Bookings and What Nobody Owes You
A closed circuit is not a refundable item
Park admission buys entry to the park, not to a specific walkway, and no concessionaire refunds a circuit that is shut. That is standard and it is not a scandal; it is simply the thing to know before booking a twelve-hour day around a viewpoint that is not open.
What is refundable is a tour. Every listing compared on this site cancels free up to 24 hours before the start, so a traveller who learns about the closure the week before departure can rebook onto the Brazilian side without losing money.
Which operators tell you
One listing here prints the closure on its own page with the expected duration. Most do not mention it, which means a visitor booking a full Argentine day may find out at the trail head.
That gap is the reason this page exists. If your booking is already made and the Garganta was the point of it, contact the operator: they cannot reopen a walkway, but they can usually move you to a different day or a different bank while free cancellation still applies.
When it might reopen
Nobody has published a date, and the honest answer is that it depends on the river. Reopening requires the flood risk to pass and the removed structure to be reinstalled safely, and the concessionaire has been careful not to attach a month to either step.
This page carries the date it was last verified. If the circuit reopens and this page still says otherwise, tell us and it will be corrected with a fresh check rather than quietly edited. Last verified: September 2026.
The Devil's Throat Closure: Questions
Is the Devil's Throat at Iguazu Falls open?
The Argentine Devil's Throat circuit is closed and has been since 3 August 2026, with no reopening date published. The Brazilian walkway below the same gorge, reached from the Trilha das Cataratas, is open and is currently the closest view available.
Why was the Devil's Throat circuit closed?
As a preventive measure. Hydrological projections tied to El Nino pointed to major flooding through September and October, and the concessionaire removed the walkway decking and handrails so the river could not carry them away. The removal work alone was planned as roughly forty days.
When will the Devil's Throat reopen?
No date has been published. Reopening depends on the flood risk passing and the removed structure being reinstalled safely, and the concessionaire has deliberately not attached a month to either. Any site quoting a specific reopening date is guessing.
Is the rest of Iguazu Falls still worth visiting?
Yes. The Upper and Lower circuits, the Tren Ecologico and the boat all run normally on the Argentine side, and nothing is closed on the Brazilian one. The Lower Circuit still passes beneath falling water, and the boat still drives into it.
Does the closure affect the boat rides?
Not directly. Gran Aventura and Macuco Safari both run, subject to the same river conditions that always govern them. What is suspended is Iguazu Jungle's calm-water Paseo Ecologico, because its departure station sits inside the closed Garganta area.
Can I get a refund because the Devil's Throat is closed?
Not from the park: admission buys entry to the park rather than to one walkway, and closed circuits are not refunded. A booked tour is different, because every listing compared here allows free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start.