Iguazu Falls: Argentina & Brazil Side Itinerary May 2024

 

Iguazu Falls: Argentina & Brazil Side Itinerary May 2024 

ITINERARY: FOR HI RESOLUTION ITINERARY AND LINKS TO TOURS WE TOOK CLICK HERE: 

We combined this trip with Buenos Aires, Argentina Itinerary and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Itinerary

PHOTOS: See photos here: Coming soon 

AIRPORTS & FLIGHTS: 

There are two  airports in Iguazu Falls area: IGR (Puerto Iguazu, Argentina) and IGU (Foz do Iguacu, Brazil) 

• Cataratas of Iguazu International (IGR) Airport in Puerto Iguazu, Argentina: 
• We flew via Aerolíneas Argentina airlines from Buenos Aires, Argentina (AEP) Airport → Flight to Puerto Iguazú, Argentina (IGR) Airport.

• Foz do Iguaçu International (IGU) Airport in Foz do Iguacu, Brazil:
• We flew via Gol airlines from IGU (Foz do Iguacu, Brazil) Airport→ Flight to Rio de Janeiro (GIG) airport

TRANSPORTATION: 

• Private transportation: We used private driver named Guillermo (Whatsapp #: +5493757673892). 
• Our itinerary for private driver was as follows:
• (1) Argentina IGR airport to Argentina hotel
• (2) Argentina Hotel --> Argentina falls (Guillermo picked up the suitcase from the hotel) --> Customs --> Brazil side hotel
• Our driver took us to customs on the Brazil side to get a stamp on our passport 
• (3) Lastly, he picked us up from Brazil side hotel --> Brazil side airport.  **We do not feel we needed this leg of private transport & uber would have worked instead** 
• Payment: We paid the driver in CASH USD - the bills MUST be crisp with no bends. Store between a book or two cardboard pieces. Otherwise, the US Bills are not accepted  

• Uber:  Uber is NOT available on the Puerto Iguazu City, Argentina Iguazu Falls side; however, it is used on the Foz do Iguacu City, Brazil side

HOTEL:  

Argentina Side: We stayed at Jungle Lodge Hotel. Very nice hotel with included breakfast buffet. We checked in & took a golf cart to our rooms. We stayed on the river. In the morning, we called for a golf cart to take us to breakfast. There are some hills on this property where you may have to walk uphill.  We left our bags with the front desk & our driver picked up the bags & brought to us after we were done with Argentina side Iguazu Falls. 

Brazil Side:  We stayed at Sanma Hotel & Resort. Extremely nice hotel with excellent service. The best part of the hotel was it is walking distance from both the (1) Iguazu Falls Brazil Side Entrance and (2) Bird Park. Cons are the rooms are very small and can only accommodate 2 people in one room. Highly recommend this hotel based on location alone! We were able to Uber back & forth into town for dinner. 

WEATHER: Although a bit humid, the weather was terrific both days in May!! 

PAYMENT METHODS: 

• Cash: 
• ARGENTINA: 
• Cash rates in Argentina pesos (arg) are complicated, but there's two main rates:
•  (1) Official rate - determined by the government and 
• (2) Blue rate - determined by supply and demand
• We were unable to get Argentine Pesos (arg) from Bank of America before leaving for our trip due to this instability in currency
• We brought CASH US dollars bill note (crisp and unbent - wedged in a book/two cardboard pieces) for payment for the private driver. We picked this up from bank of America a few weeks before our trip
• BRAZIL: 
• We brought $50USD of Brazilian Reals. Exchanged at Wells Fargo a few days before our trip. This wasn't absolutely needed; however, we always like to keep local currency as cash just in case. 
• Credit Cards: We used credit card to purchase our entry passes online for both sides of Iguazu Falls, lunches & dinners
•  Only use credit cards with 0% foreign transaction fee

SAFETY: Emergency phone number is 911 in Argentina. For Brazil,  dial 190 for police and 192 for ambulance. 

• We felt safe in Iguazu Falls especially the Brazil side. 
• While in Foz do Iguacu City, Brazil side , Poonam left her cell phone in the Uber car. The uber driver drove off and would not answer/turned off his cell phone. A local restaurant owner helped us and called the Tourism Police (Phone number 190). The tourism police was able to locate the Uber driver based off his picture, car license number and phone number & brought back the cell phone to Poonam at the airport right before the flight. 

WHAT TO PACK: 

• Passport & print color copies of passport to carry in wallet (just in case)
• Argentina-specific plug converter needed coming from the USA 

  

  Argentina specific converter from Amazon 

  
  
  
• Brazil-specific plug converter needed coming from the USA 






Brazil specific converter from Amazon



• Supportive shoes- lots of walking on the trails for Iguazu Falls 
• Reusable water bottle - We would routinely buy bottled water and fill up our reusable water bottles. ***DO NOT DRINK TAP WATER - BOTTLED WATER ONLY*** 
• Medication: Motrin/Tylenol, anti-diarrhea pills, gas-x, tums etc. 
• Clothing: shorts, pants, shirts - everything is acceptable. A light jacket is needed for evenings. 
• Waterproof pouch for cell phone and passports if doing the boat tour under the Iguazu Falls
• Poncho for the boat ride / Brazil spray of water 

COMMUNICATION: 

• Download WhatsApp App to communicate with tour guide/groups/hotels: This is the main way we communicated with any shuttle/tour/hotels etc. 
• We recommended downloading Google Translate App to help with translations 
• We activated the international AT&T plan ($10 usd/day) for one smartphone. The other smartphone, we just used for photos. 

RANDOM TIPS: 

• Download Google maps offline for any city you will be visiting
• If possible, avoid visiting any major tourist attraction on weekends / holidays due to heavy crowds. Morning & weekdays are much better to visit. 
• Time Zone: Both Brazil & Argentina is TWO hours ahead of Eastern Time Zone 

VEGETARIAN/VEGAN FOOD: On the Brazil side, plenty of vegan/vegetarian foods. We did not eat at Argentina side. Recommend bringing own snacks/food for when inside Iguazu Falls parks. 

• Brazil side: 
• Emporio Com Arte
• Cantina de Bea
• Cheriro Verde Restaurante Vegetariano

OUR RECOMMENDATIONS: 

**Argentina Side of Iguazu Falls:** 

(1) Argentina side: Hito Tres Fronteras - see three countries at once!! Have to see from the Argentina Side as you pay from the Brazil side. We didn't get a chance to see this, but was recommended stopping by!

(2) Argentina side of Iguazu Falls:

• Hours: 8am - 6pm: highly recommend getting to park early in the AM for better weather, less crowds & humidity

• Tickets: You must put in an email address before able to view pricing & purchase tickets

• (1) Iguazu Falls Argentina Side Tickets: Buy tickets online Argentina Side for Iguazu Falls
• **NOTE: Download tickets on phone before reaching the park & take a screenshot DUE TO NO WIFI at the park. You can also purchase tickets directly at the park after waiting in line.
• Things to bring:
• Bring a backpack with snacks & bottled water: food & water are very expensive inside the park
• Sunblock, hat, insect repellent, supportive tennis shoes

• (2) Gran Adventura Argentina side Boat Ride Ticket: If doing boat ride on Argentina side, purchase tickets beforehand if need a specific time. If flexible on timings, you can purchase at the park directly, day of. This takes 2-3 hours for entire experience.
• Things to bring: Need to take waterproof holder for cell phone & photos, recommend a poncho to wear on the boat, & change of clothes including socks. Bring plastic or Ziplock bag for change of clothes. They give you a dry bag for your shoes & backpack.
• There are facilities to change clothes & use bathroom
• **Do not recommend taking this boat ride if have difficulty walking uphill/downhill. You walk to meeting point inside the park, then take a 30-minute bus to a hill. Then, you walk downhill 20 minutes to the boat ramp. Moderate hiking up/down. We recommend the boat ride on the Brazil side if unable to walk uphill/downhill with all your items.

• Route to take:
• (1) Devils Throat - closed until 2025 when we went. If have the opportunity, this a must see!

• (2) Upper Trail aka Paseo Superior: (Takes one hour)
• As soon as you enter the park, you’ll see a counter for picking up train tickets. The price of the train is included in your entrance fee, so you won’t have to pay anything extra, but you do need a ticket to board. Simply ask for one at the counter then walk straight ahead to the “Estacion Central” building. 
• Skip first waterfall & rush to panoramic view of Iguazu Fall
• There are professional photographers that will take your photo for $10 USD (cash only)

• (3) Lower Trail AKA Paseo Inferior (1.5 miles - takes 90 minutes)
• There are professional photographers that will take your photo for $10 USD (cash only) 

**Brazil side of Iguazu Falls**

(1) Iguazu Falls Brazil Side Tickets

• Hours: 9am - 6pm: highly recommend getting to park early in the AM for better weather, less crowds & humidity
• (1) Iguazu Falls BRAZIL Side Tickets: Can buy tickets online or at the park. We bought tickets online to skip the lines. Be sure to screenshot the tickets just in case WIFI is not reliable at the park.
• Route to take: Take a shuttle from the entrance of the park to see the falls. 
• There are 3 stops on the shuttle. Stay on the bus until you hit the last stop where there is the restaurant & bathrooms. Then, take the stairs or elevator to Devils Throat.
• Upper falls → Also, make sure not to wait for the scenic elevator to open. You can access the lower walkway by a set of stairs.
• Lower falls - will become completely drenched here – USE A PONCHO!!! 
• Once done with the 3rd stop, go back to the shuttle & go back to the 1st stop for a beautiful photo opportunity. We did not do the trail in the park as we felt we saw plenty from the 1st & 3rd stop on the shuttle. 
• Things to bring: 
• Bring a backpack with snacks & bottled water: food & water are very expensive inside the park
• Sunblock, hat, insect repellent, supportive tennis shoes
• Bring a poncho & waterproof pouch for the lower falls as you will get drenched!
• (2) Macuco Safari Boat ride - we did not do the boat ride on the Brazil side; however, it is recommended especially for kids and those who may have difficulty climbing up and down and can't do the Argentina Side boat ride.
• Things to bring: Need to take waterproof holder for cell phone & photos, recommend a poncho to wear on the boat, & change of clothes including socks. Bring plastic or Ziplock bag for change of clothes. They give you a dry bag for your shoes & backpack.
• There are facilities to change clothes & use bathroom

(2) Parque de Aves (Bird Park) (1-1.5 hours to get through) 

• We did not get to go, but this park came recommended
• Can purchase tickets in advance Tickets for Bird Park (8:30am-4:30pm)