Iguazo Falls?
The tour ends in Buenos Aires but does not include Iguazo Falls. Does anyone have a recommendation for a local tour coumpany to see this? I understand we will have to fly there and stay one or two nights. Should we fly on our own or pick a tour that includes air fare (economy seems to be only offering).
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If you are planning on staying inside the Iguazu Falls park, which is very popular, you can have the Gran Melia Iguazu Hotel book tours and transfers for you. It is really nice to have a personal guide as you go through the park. I have not personally stayed there, as we chose to stay at the Belmond on the Brazil side, but the Gran Melia has very positive reviews from people on this forum. If you can, stay 2 nights, that way you will have time to tour both sides of the falls. Just be aware that there are 2 airports in Buenos Aires. The AEP is close to the city center and is mostly used for domestic flights like BA to IGR, the main Iguazu airport. The other BA airport is EZE and is further out of the city and is mostly used for International flights. 3 years ago we had trouble finding flights from Iguazu to EZE, so we stayed in BA an extra 2 days to avoid having to go from one airport to the other to get back home on the same day. I hope this makes sense.
I hope that one day Tauck will offer this side trip (and others) as an optional add-on, since it is such a popular post-tour destination.
That would be great. Unfortunately, Tauck does not seem to have that model on their radar, it may be because it’s extra work for them and they don’t know how many people in a group will want to add on. Plus less tips for the TD for a smaller group, they may need convincing.
I've been in Florida too long. I misread this a "falling Iguanas", like we have been having here.
LOL, That's a great comment.
I went to Iguazu Falls back in 2017 but I did it as a post cruise excursion with Regent, so I don't have any suggestions. But going to Iguazu Falls is a very popular excursion so I'm sure there are many companies who can provide you with service.
Dfinitely do the boat ride into the falls.
You've probably seen a lot of pictures of Iguazu Falls already but I'll put a link to pictures I took where we were there - https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/2017SouthAmerica-11.htm
Thanks for all the responses! Yes we will be careful of what airport in BA we use. Appreciate the hotel recommendations.
Not sure why Tauck just doesn't extend this itineary by 3 days to incluse the falls. Usually they are very up on comments.
I know to watch the airports. Was looking at Britich Air flights for a different trip. The listing flew from US to Heathrow but second flight was out of Gatwick. I don't think so!
Tauck told me there are no plans to have longer tours….straight from Jennifer Tombaugh. She just suggested doing back to back tours instead.
We just booked our December airline reservations today for an extension to Iguazu Falls after the Patagonia tour. We have a confirmed reservation for 2 nights at the Melia. We will be flying to Iguazu the day our tour concludes (Dec. 13) and staying 2 nights. Our outbound and inbound flights to/from Iguazu (outbound on JetSmart, inbound on Aerolineus are both at EZE, and although we will have a long layover in BA on Dec. 15 before our evening flight home, it was better for us than spending another day and a half in BA and getting home yet another day later.
We just did a Iguazo Falls trip on our own (Feb 8th and back on the 9th). We left our large suitcases at the hotel in Buenos Aires and flew out of the small airport (AGP) with carry-on only. (Note Aerolinas Argentina limits your carry on bag to 7 KG+ personal item, but it was not checked for anyone on any of the segments we flew with this airline). We had a 8:30 AM flight and arrived at the Gran Melia by 11 AM, taking the local taxi. We had purchased our park tickets online (and they did ask to see them when we passed the gates to get into the park (hotel is in the park). On arrival, our room was not ready so the concierge oriented us to the park and we changed and put on sunscreen and bug spray in the spa. We walked the lower falls and had lunch in the park. We came back to hotel to check in quickly at 1 PM and then did the upper falls and took the train to Devil's throat, returning on the last train from Devil's Throat. (Even the last train is very crowded). It was a lot of walking but definitely doable in one day if you are staying at the Gran Melia. The next morning, we did the Gran Adventura boat (and got soaked as you go into the waterfall) in morning and then hung out at the pool until our evening flight--again changing in the spa as check out was at 12. If you had 2 days, it might be a more relaxing. Apparently you can be the first on the train in the morning to Devil's throat which may make it a little less crowded. We took the hotel car back to the airport (which was the same price as the taxi).
If we stayed longer, it may have been possible to go over to the Brazil side. We heard so much conflicting information about if you need a visa or not --I still don't know what is true (eg there may be an exception just for a day trip with an official guide).
Gran Melia is a lovely hotel. The restaurant is nice, but with the same menu for lunch and dinner I would not want to spend more than 2 nights there.
We saw several groups and couples with guides--it would have been nice for more information about the fauna and flora, but we had no problems navigating taxis, planes, hotels, train in the park.....as english only speakers. All of the signs were in Spanish, English, and many in Portuguese. I was a little concerned when our flight was delayed back to BA (ended up leaving 2 hours late) as we had flights back to Miami in the morning.