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Iguazu Falls before cruise?
Heading there next year and would like to see Iguazu Falls before the cruise. Anyone know of a private tour you'd recommend ?
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Heading there next year and would like to see Iguazu Falls before the cruise. Anyone know of a private tour you'd recommend ?
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I don't have any recommendations for a private tour company, but we went to Iguazu Falls in 2017 and it was worth seeing.
You can take a boat that will take you under the falls. They give you rain coverings, but your shoes get filled with water. Even with the covering we got all wet.
You've probably researched Iguazu Falls but if you want some additional pictures and commentary, go to https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/2017SouthAmerica-11.htm where I blogged our visit.
We're going to Antarctica again and I'm looking at going to Easter Island.
I do not have any recommendations, but be aware if you want to go to see it from the Brazilian side, Brazil has reinstated visas for US citizens again.
We went to Iguazu Falls on our own after the Patagonia trip this past October. We did not need a visa at that time, and made arrangements for it with a travel agent. We decided to stay on the Brazil side at the Belmond hotel, also used by Tauck, having been persuaded by our travel agent who believed it was much nicer than the Gran Melia on the Argentine side, which is a popular hotel due to its location inside the park. The Belmond is located directly at the viewing areas and entrance to the elevated pathways along the Brazilian side, and the pathways are open all the time, are free, and give you a fantastic panoramic view of the falls and a few closer views. Our tour package included a guided tour of the falls on the Argentine side, which requires an admission ticket as this is a national park. The driver who picked us up at the Iguazu airport was the guide who took us to the Argentine side the next day, and also who took us back to the airport on departure. We could have booked this service directly through the Belmond. There were lots of guides working at the hotel. I’m sure the Gran Melia has a similar network of guides that you could book through the hotel. I believe you can also book a guide directly at the park on the Argentine side. Unfortunately, I don’t have a specific guide to recommend. We enjoyed meeting our guide and while he was very courteous and a careful driver, and answered all our questions, he did not offer any commentary unless he was asked. We would have preferred a more traditional running narration as we were going through the park, although I will say that it gets pretty crowded there and most people just want to get close to the railing and snap as many photos as possible, because from the Argentina side you are really up close and personal with the falls, and there are the other possible activities such as the boat ride.
Regarding staying on the Brazil vs Argentine side, we loved the Belmond and wished we had another day there, but it was not a convenient location for the Argentine side or the airport. (We were told that the airport on the Brazil side is much smaller, and we were returning to Buenos Aires.) Crossing the Brazil-Argentina border apparently used to be easy, but now you have to exit your vehicle and go into the border office to show your passport every time you cross, and there could be a very long line with only 2 agents working. Also, there is a major road construction project in the area that requires a 20-minute detour, projected to last for another 10 years we were told. It is thus at least 1.5 hours from the Belmond to either the Argentine park entrance or the Iguazu (Argentina) airport. The Belmond is really beautiful and relaxing, and the restaurant is excellent, and might have been worth it if we were staying a whole extra day just to relax and enjoy it. We never saw the Gran Melia so I cannot comment about that hotel.
I had really wanted to take the Essence of South America tour in addition to the Patagonia tour, because it includes a stay at the Belmond and visits to both sides of the falls, but my husband had no interest in the Brazilian cities on that itinerary. That might be another option for you!
The falls are incredible. I know you will enjoy your visit there, best of luck!
Back in 2014 at the last minute before a cruise to Antarctica, we flew to Iguazu for one night and stayed on the Argentinean side of the falls at the Sheraton, now Gran Melia. We did not use a travel agent, nor use a guide or take a private tour. The room we had was one of their cheaper rooms. It was small and plain and ok for one night. After settling in at the hotel, we walked the upper trail circuit from the hotel. The next morning, we checked out and the hotel held our luggage for us until we got back. We then walked along a path from the hotel to the train station, then road the train to “Estación Garganta” and walked the Devil’s Throat circuit on catwalks to see the falls from various vantage points. The Devil’s Throat circuit is the main attraction on both sides of the falls and you get the closest to it from the Argentinean side. After the train ride back, we walked the lower trail circuit, then retuned to the hotel, had lunch, then headed to the airport for the afternoon flight back to Buenos Aires. Iguazu Falls at the Devil’s Throat circuit was one of the most incredible sights we have ever seen and we’re so glad we made the quick trip.
We stayed at the Loi Suites Hotel - https://loisuites.com.ar/iguazu.html on the Argentine side. Nice hotel.
I often flew from Sao Paolo to Asuncion, and we routinely would deviate from the flight plan to ‘avoid weather’, and descend to a ‘lower’ level over the falls to avoid ‘turbulence’. Everyone got a pretty good view from overhead.