Iguassu Travel Forum

Hi,

I am due to be doing a family trip to South America at the end of Feb 2012 and we are planning to visit the Iguassu Falls area. However, whilst I definitely want to see the falls from both sides and see the Itapu dam, I am wondering if someone could recommend where it would be best to stay?

I've heard that Ciudad Del Este is not a particularly nice place, but assumed that I'd need to stay here at least one night to make it easy to go and see the dam - but now I believe it is possible to do this from the Brazilian side too (thus meaning there'd be no need to stay in CdE)... is this true?

Also, is it worth trying to stay in just one place and do all of the sightseeing and waterfall viewing from that place as a base.... or is it worth splitting our time between Foz do Iguazu and Puerto Iguazu just in order to (a) see both places and/or (b) make it easier to visit certain things?

Finally, can anyone recommend either any places to stay in these towns or any other worthwhile sightseeing activities other than the dam and the falls?

Thanks in advance,
Darren

Hi Darren.

From my experience, I would advise basing yourself in one place. The public bus system gets you around pretty easily, and you can always get a taxi (including to go over the border), or even arrange a tour,(though that is not really necessary). If you have a US passport, remember you need a visa for Brazil (since you don’t say where you are arriving from.) Some people like the Argentine town of Puerto Iguazu, and others find more accommodation and food choices in the Brazilian town of Foz do Iguacu. IMO it doesn’t really matter, but I would avoid Ciudad Del Este.

You will probably spend a few hours in the Brazilian side of the park taking photos, going out on the mid-river platform, watching coatis, and walking the path. The highly recommended Bird Park is near the entrance (budget 2-3 hours), as is a helicopter ride option. There are boat rides under Devil’s Throat from both sides, perhaps cheaper from Argentina. In Argentina, you can walk the catwalk over the tops of the falls, with many butterflies, and also the lower trail. There is a pleasant place to sit in the shade by a small river, and even swim there, and watch more bold coatis. Also more hiking on that side.

I personally didn’t feel it worthwhile to shlep to see a dam, so I can’t comment, nor did I care to waste time on seeing Chinese knock-off junk in Ciudad Del Este.

For accomodation suggestions, you really need to give a rate range (in reais, if for Brazil).

Hello.. how are you?, really recommend you stay in hotels on the Brazilian side are inexpensive and very nice. On the Argentine side there are good places to eat and economic.

Represa of Itaipu You can see the bird park, hiking and Macuco Safari Boat, Well Preto Trail, Trail Banana, Banana Trail, Trail Banana, Banana Trail, Foz Tropicana Bird Park, 10 minutes Helicopter, Helicopter Flight 35 minutes, Rafting, Safari + Rafting Macuco, Rapel, arborist. I recommend these restaurants, the food is very good ... Restaurante Porto Canoas, Steakhouse Fogo Dourado, Churrasqueria Rafain.

Iguazu is beautiful, we loved the trip I recommend our travel agent can help maybe http://twitter.com/RAVINUTRAVEL gave me a good rate and had a good time.

Hello--

When we were last in South America we had planned to go to Iguacu National Park and see the falls but it had to be cancelled at close to the last moment. Sigh.

Doing extensive research however I had booked a room at the Hotel das Cataratas by Orient Express which is the only hotel located in the national park. The rooms were expensive but here is what made me make the reservation. While the park closes daily at or before sunset after hours you have the Brazilian side of the park entirely to yourself and for the first many hours in morning before the park opens. Figure in also the cost of ride back to town that expense is spared.

In addition, from what people who have visited the falls have told me seeing the falls is like visting the Grand Canyon in the United States. An outrageously beautiful experience. When we go back to Brazil we will definitely stay here.

Because of the cost of the hotel($ 380 US at the time) you may want to consider staying there for just one night if they allow single night reservations. Then staying in town to visit the dam.

Please also check the reviews in VT from folks who have been to the falls. Here is the link to the hotel which is one of the most incredible web sites for an hotel I have ever seen with its panoramic view of the falls;

http://www.hoteldascataratas.com/web/ogua/hotel_das_cataratas.jsp

The Brazilian side of the park opens at 9.
The Argentine side of the park opens at 8.

Official sites:
http://www.cataratasdeliguazu.net/pnIguazu.htm
http://www.cataratasdoiguacu.com.br/portal/

My take on staying in the park is that it leaves you isolated. If you want dinner after the park closes, you have to eat at the expensive hotel restaurant. And then,yes,you have the park....until darkness falls. So unless you are a particularly early riser, staying inside the park doesn't buy you much for that outrageously expensive (IMO) rate. You have to go outside the hotel to get the view (past the trees) anyway, which is the same that any other visitor gets. The path was not so crowded, even at high season, that there is so much advantage in having the touted "after hours privacy" to balance the cost (again IMO).

As a tour director, my tours were quite high end, and I always stayed with my group at the Cataratas so I definately second that option. You my already have the site but here it is anyway. From the photos you can see just how close to the falls the hotel is.

I considered moving tours to the Argentinian side, but decided against it. There are several pretty good hotels in Foz, and the above advise from the others is quite good. Bahaiana is right on the money.

http://www.hoteldascataratas.com/web/ogua/hotel_das_cataratas.jsp

For visiting the Itaipu dam i can only recommend it.
I found it really intersting.
I have visited the place while staying on the brazilian side and that is quite easy to do on a daytrip.

I have been to Iguazu both as an independant traveller and as a tour leader for groups and have visited Paraguay as part of a tour and alone where i just walked across the border and both things are doable.

I would not recommedn staying overnight in Ciudad del Este as it´s a bit of a ramshakle town, but it´s certainly worth a visit for a day.

Hi,

Firstly, thanks ever so much for all of your replies! It's a much better response so far than I could ever have hoped for :-)

In terms of hotels then I'm not looking for anything too expensive - just clean, safe and in a decent location... especially as there'll be me and my parents and so we'll need to get 2 rooms (i.e. a double and a single), so paying crazy prices for a single is definitely not the plan! Also, with any luck, we'll be out sightseeing for most of the day anyway so it's pointless paying a lot for an empty room.

The options I've seen so far in Foz are Marica B&B, Aguas do Iguacu Hotel Centro and maybe Hotel Rouver... anyone know anything about these?

I'm certainly now thinking that just basing us at Foz sounds like the best plan. It'll be easy to do the dam (allocate a full day?) and both sides of the falls from there, and it also sounds like there's perhaps slightly more in terms of shops/restaurants/etc... right?

Is the bird park worth doing? Can it be done later in the day after doing either the falls or the dam?

I think the idea of taking a look at the other places (CdE, Puerto Iguazu) during the day sounds a better plan - although CdE would need a dedicated journey and so might give it a miss!

Finally, from the Iguassa area we'll be heading on to Asuncion... do you know if it's easy enough to get the bus straight from Foz? Or would we need to cross into CdE first?

Thanks again so much in advance for any info!!
Darren

Personally I would recommend staying in Puerto Iguazu.
We liked it MUCH more than Foz. Puerto Iguasu was more authentic and Foz looked like one of these big(ger) cities. To be honest we didn't feel really comfortable/safe in Brazil.

Other worthwile sightseeing:
- walk the Macuco Trail in the national park; http://members.virtualtourist.com/vt/tfr/1/177164/4/1790b6/
- open mines of Wanda; http://members.virtualtourist.com/vt/tfr/1/177164/6/1790a9/

happy travels
Jaap

The Rouver is OK, don't know the others. Bourbon Hotel is good, but there is another one on Cataratas Ave, I cannot remember the name, but Claus (cachaseiro) above, knows it. I know he knows, as I have agreed with him on that hotel in the past.

There is one hotel called San Martin that often has good rates and that is located right before the entrance to the park.

I have also stayed at one called Bristol which is nearer to town and that was ok too, but i personally like San Martin the most.

I put a few thoughts about these two hotels on my Foz page in case you are interested.