Hostel Paudimar Campestre

The folk at the site can arrange excursions to the obvious must-see spots: a particular fave is a trip combining drives through the national park looking out for tapirs, howler monkeys and ocelots with a boat ride round the Iguazú Falls and river swims. If you prefer doing things under your own steam, it’s around 20 minutes’ drive from the site to the park visitor centre, where a shuttle train runs to an observation deck at the head of walking trails around the falls and surrounding park, all designed for wheelchair access. For inner peace after all that rushing water, it’s worth the half-hour trip to the Chien Tien Buddhist Temple, a hilltop sanctuary with 120 statues and views over the Paraná river towards Paraguay. If you really can’t get enough watery antics in your life, the Acquamania waterpark in Foz do Iguaçu has slides and chutes on a scale almost as grand as the falls, and those in search of further thrills can get up close to the animatronic monsters at the town’s Vale dos Dinossauros theme park. For real wildlife in the city, Zoo Bosque Guarani combines a handsome collection of animals in a wooded park with lakes, a playground and a cinema, while Parque des Aves (15 minutes) has 143 species of rare feathered friends, many rescued from the nearby national park.