Paraguay Travel Forum

Hi, I am visiting family in Encarnacion in January and have never been to South America before. I would like to make this into a fun vacation. With plane travel time its actually less than 2 weeks. I have been reading tons of websites and other forums about things to see, but theres so much I want to make the most of my time.

I plan on definitely going to the Iguazu Falls, but thats as far as my planning has got me. I would really like to visit Patagonia, but I dont think ill have enough time.

Any ideas on how to make the most of my two weeks in south america by bus?

Thanks in advance :)

Near Posadas are the Jesuit ruins in Misiones. San Ignacio is the best known, frequented by a large number of tourists, but there are some lesser ones also worth visiting, in the middle of the jungle, not so much frequented.

Not certain where you are flying into and out of. If you are flying into Buenos Aires then definitely plan on spending some time there, but the distances are great so two weeks by bus would not allow you extra time to cover a wide area. Cordoba would be another city worth visiting for a couple of days and if you like nature then the Iberá marshlands might be of interest. It is one of the richest and most unspoilt areas in Argentina and the world, which occupies over 2,000,000 square kilometers.

Enjoy your visit

suerte
SAM

Thank you that is very helpful. I will be flying into Buenos Aires. Would it be better to see the Jesuit Ruins on the Paraguay side or the Argentina side? I also heard that Argentina has some of the best wine? Would it be easy to travel to wine country with my limited amount of time? Or would I just have time to try some of the wine at a restaurant?
Traveling by bus will definitely take longer, but I am trying to save money. I heard that it is a good idea to buy bus tickets in advance, but all of the sites in Argentina are in Spanish.

Personally I feel the ruins are better on the Argentine side. As for traveling to Mendoza just how tight are you for cash? If you are arriving on a One World carrier, ie American, LAN, British Airways etc you can purchase the Visit South America pass and use that to fly to Igauzu and Mendoza and save you a lot of money. And unless you visit is over a major holiday don't worry about buying tickets in advance, they are not cheaper.

You can take a bus to Mendoza but you would be looking at two overnight trips from and to Buenos Aires, you will already loose two travel days from BA to Iguazu so your two weeks has just declined by four days. So unless you can spare the money to fly, forget Mendoza.

Suerte
Sam

I was in Argentina in the spring of this year. We took the bus from BA to Puerto Iguazu and I believe it was around 18hrs. We spent 4 days here and could have spent longer. We were fortuate to be able to go on the guided full moon walk to see the splendor of the falls under the light. If you are able to have your return flight changed to Santiago Chile then you would be able to visit the vinyards of Mendoza in Argentina. I traveled this route by bus but beware of the weather as the route can close for several days due to snow.

I was in Argentina in the spring of this year. We took the bus from BA to Puerto Iguazu and I believe it was around 18hrs. We spent 4 days here and could have spent longer. We were fortuate to be able to go on the guided full moon walk to see the splendor of the falls under the light. If you are able to have your return flight changed to Santiago Chile then you would be able to visit the vinyards of Mendoza in Argentina. I traveled this route by bus but beware of the weather as the route can close for several days due to snow.

@Porteno
I checked out one world and they seems much cheaper for flights than I thought. I am trying to stay under US$700 for the whole trip, I might have more available not I wont know for another week. I might be able to fly to Iguazu that only would be US$300.

@thetcheese
It will be summer in January so I wont have to worry about winter weather. I cant change my fly because I booked it through Orbitz. How were the bus rides? Did they use up most of your vacation time? Was your trip only in Northern Argentina?

The things that I would like to do on my trip are:
Tango show, steak, wine, Patagonia, Iguazu, Paraguay (Encarnacion) for family

If I could some how do all of that I would be happy, but without plane it might e difficult getting to the southern tip of Argentina.

My ideal trip would be:
Buenos Aires 1-2 days
El Calfayete 1-2 days
Iguazu Falls 2-3 days
Encarnacion 3-4 days
bus, plane, both?

Optional:
Mendoza
Posadas