Tips for visiting Iguazu falls from my recent trip
 

I spent 4 nights in Iguazu falls -- two nights in the Sheraton and two nights in hotel cataratas a hotel on the Argentina side.

I would recommend staying at the Sheraton. It is right inside the park which makes it very easy to get started early in the day. While you can't enter the park outside of park hours (8 am to 6 pm when I was there) you are able to beat the crowds for a short time. I walked to the garganta del diablo in the morning at had it to myself for about 10 minutes. This is the largest and most impressive water falls in the park.

I didn't have any status with starwood except what I got from their American Express card. However. I got upgraded to a falls view room for my first night. (They only had one night available). I had to ask -- they didn't to it automatically but were happy to do the upgrade once I asked. You also get late checkout at 4 pm with having the credit card.

The Sheraton is worth the extra money to be inside the park. One thing to be aware of is the hotel is under construction so they only have a very tiny swimming pool. I asked for extra starpoints to compensate and instead they took 100 US dollars off the rate (a discount of $50 per night) Since you are in the park for the night you have to eat at the restaurants in the hotel. I tried the room service the first night (about $30 argentine / $10 U.S.) and got pizza and a fruit dish which wasn't very good. The next night I went to their regular restaurant for the chef's special. For $80 argentine I got an appetizer pasta and dessert. The appetizer and dessert were both quite good but the pasta really wasn't that great. Overall overpriced food but you aren't staying there too long.

The second hotel I stayed in was the Hotel Cataratas. It calls itself a 5 star hotel but is clearly not. An overpriced hotel that looks much better on its website.

For someone going to Iguazu falls I would recommend staying 2 nights. I'd advise flying in during the early afternoon so you 'd have that afternoon to explore the Argentina side. If you had an evening flight the day of departure this would give you plenty of time to see both the Brazil and Argentina side. It takes about half a day to see the Brazil side and one to 1.5 days to see the Argentina side.

It is possible to get a visa for Brazil in Iguazu. I didn't have one before I arrived. They'll do it for you in about 30 minutes. It 's only good for 30 days though. Since you still have to pay the $100 U.S. to get the visa you're probably better off getting the visa in the U.S. where you can get a longer term / multiple entry visa for the same price. For those who want to get the visa in Iguazu the Brazil consulate is only open in the morning and you need a photo to get the visa. There are photo shops in town who can take an instant photo for you.

I had a good time in Iguazu and it is well worth seeing. If anyone wants any further info feel free to post here and I'll try to answer.

Awesome advice, thank you. I will be visiting Igauzu in August and am starting to make my plans now.

greg999 - Thanks so much for your post! This was exactly the info I was looking for. I have a couple of questions:

1. Did you tour the park on your own or did you do organized tours? Any tips or recommendations? I will be on my own, and I definitely want to do the Brazil side, so I will be getting my Visa first.

2. How was transportation to the Sheraton to or from the airport?

3. Any other comments on the construction at the hotel? Was it bothersome aside from the pool?

Thanks!

I took the taxi from the airport to the Sheraton for 35 pesos (about 15 US dollars) I didn't find the construction to be too bothersome, but I wasn't in my room during the day so I don't know about the noise. The construction did block a little of the view from the restaurant, but otherwise it wasn't too bad.

I didn´t take any tours on the Argentina side. You really don't need to take a tour as it is very easy to walk around with clearly marked trails. It may be worthwhile taking one of the boats trips that take you close up to the falls. (I decided not to)

I'd highly recommend booking a tour to visit the Brazil side. I didn't and just took the bus. It was very time consuming by bus (about 1-2 hours each way) as you have to take two separate buses and wait for each. It is extremely cheap, however. The round trip by bus was about 4 dollars US, but I'd only take the bus if you have much more time than money. I think you can book a half day tour at the hotels for around 30-40 dollars that will take care of all the arrangements for getting to Brazil. As you only need about two or three hours to look around the Brazil side the tour is the most efficient use of your time.

I visited the falls from the Brazilian side.

The boat trip under the falls is fantastic, well worth the money, and can be takin in either country. I went with three colleagues and we took a tour which inculded the boat ride. I cannot remember how much it cost but a travel agent in the town we were working in arranged it for us.

When we visited the Argentinian side we took a cab, negotiating a fare in advance. It saved being on a bus full of people all trying to clear passport control at the same time. Our big mistake was not to ask the same driver to come back for the return trip as we waited ages for an Argentinian cab to turn up and take us back to brazil.

However you do it, I strongly suggest that you do see both sides. They are different enough to make it worth the effort.

I might be visiting from the Brazilian side as well. My wife needs a visa to Argentina while I do not. Is one offered at the border? Do they even check? On the other hand her Brazilian visa will only cost me $20 compared to the $100 for mine.

Trying to plan a one night trip to Iguazu Falls from EZE mid-next week.

The concierge at my hotel is quoting $545 for flights and hotel at the Sheraton on the Falls for Tues AM-Weds PM.

Seems a bit pricey to me. Is it peak season or is this just a bad deal? Any idea on where to book for less?

First off, are you really flying from EZE? Most domestic flights leave from Aeroparque (AEP), which is in the city. That could be one reason for a high price.

Second, when I was booking my flights, Aerolineas Argentinas was starting to sell out economy about a month ahead of time. So you might be buying a business class ticket. I'd suggest checking with Lan Argentina as well for availability.

The Sheraton can definitely top $200 a night. I stayed at the Hotel Esturion, which is about 1.25 km from the city center (in a direction away from the falls). It was $66 a night. My room was little worn, but it was comfortable and clean, and all the staff were very friendly and helpful. A taxi from there to the falls is about 30-40 pesos and about 20 minutes. There are other hotels between the falls and the city; see the thread on the Cataratas Hotel.

I was being too Flyertalky I think :) I simply meant Buenos Aires to Iguazu. The concierge did say from the local airport but he also did say one way was in Biz class.

I should be looking AEP-IGR correct?

If so it would appear I've found a nearly identical set of flights (one hour off coming back) for $217 each from Carbone Travel in Queens. That would sure beat $545 each no matter how much the hotel is ;-)

I'm going to try Carbone tomorrow to see if they can book it as a package with perhaps a discounted rate at the Sheraton as well.

Assuming IGR is the "correct" airport - on the AR side - how much and how long from the airport to the Sheraton? Any caveats about taxi selection there?

I was travelling on a UK passport and got the visa at the border crossing without any problem. I cannot remember how much it cost but IIRC it was just a matter of filling in a form, paying and getting a stamp in the passport.

Well, lesson learned. Don't wait for a response from people here if you even THINK you found the right deal. AEP-IGR *is* the right airport pair, I now know, but the fare from 2am to 10am went from $217 to over $440. Doesn't look good for a trip to Iguazu now :(


Does anyone know if Aerolineas Argentina plays "games" where they appear full during the business day and open up in the middle of the night? Could it be "held" seats being cleared?

It's just baffling that yestedary during the day, the travel agents were finding over $400 fares, then at 2am I found $203, then at 10am they are magically over $400 again.

Update: All's well that ends well :) Magically, the flights became not sold-out again and I booked for $203 each all in on Expedia. Kept checking all day and saved $500 by not giving in ;-) Only real moral here is that if you find a low fare, even if groggy and unsure if it is the right airport, book it ;)

Now to find a cheap site for booking the Sheraton ^

Question: Is the $100 Brazilian visa truly necessary? I've heard from others that a taxi driver can cross with passengers and not deal with visa issues.

Gleaned from a travel website:

"The taxi driver picked us up at the hotel at 8:00 AM and we departed for the Brazil border. The taxi driver explained to the Brazilian customs agent that he was taking us on a tour and we were allowed to go through. The customs official did not stamp our passports so it would appear that we never entered Brazil. Rodrigo, our taxi driver, speaks no English but is eager and carried a big smile. "

Any comments?

Are any shots recommended, e.g. yellow fever or others, for visitors to Iguazu Falls?

No additional shots on top of those recommended for Brazil/Argentina generally.