Iguaza Falls NOW I FEEL LIKE AN IDIOT

[GottaKnowWhen]

DeeDee, you seem to have been pretty lucky. :-) You're the first person I've ever heard of to have their phone call to the Consulate answered. They usually don't answer their published number.

 

Our schedule included 3 days of travel + touring in Buenos Aires, 14 days aboard Infinity, 3 days on route to and then touring on the Argentine side of the falls, and then our half day in Brazil. So we needed to receive our visas before we left the States, about 3 weeks before we entered Brazil.

 

I got our visas through the Consulate in Chicago. No phone calls required, just email and Express Mail. They took the promised 10 days to process and return the passports complete with shiny visas. Plenty of time, still ten days until departure. But then the day before we were to leave, I got a call from a lady at the Consulate. "We have a problem with your visa, you need to return your passport to us so we can fix it." No way no how that was going to happen! Not enough hours to do a round-trip drive to Chicago, not enough hours to do a round-trip Express Mail or FedEx. So we talked over options (consulate in Buenos Aires? In Iguazu?) The lady said she needed to check with her boss. Called back and said that the Counsel said not to worry, since we were going into Brazil via Iguazu, the border staff wouldn't notice the problem. But we needed to have Chicago fix the problem before we did a trip involving Rio or other major entry. She gave me her address etc and a number to call if we had problems. We had no problems. A few weeks after we got back I sent my passport to her, she "fixed" whatever the issue was, and returned the passport to me.

 

Summary: the whole process can be a pain and it might be enough to convince some to stick with travel within North America and the Caribbean basin where they don't need passports etc. But I found the Brazilian system to work as promised and I appreciated the extra attention they gave to try to ensure that I didn't have an issue due to their own clerical (?) mistake.

[VidaNaPraia]

I wonder what the actual problem was. That one border control agent would notice and another not. Unlike the old visas, these 10 year ones have no handwritten info on them. The visa is one piece of paper (barcode, photo and data) glued into the passport, with a strip of clear holographic tape over the photo and most of the middle.

And what might have happened had you had a flight into Rio?

Edited May 1, 2015 by VidaNaPraia

[GottaKnowWhen]

I wonder what the actual problem was. That one border control agent would notice and another not. Unlike the old visas, these 10 year ones have no handwritten info on them. The visa is one piece of paper (barcode, photo and data) glued into the passport, with a strip of clear holographic tape over the photo and most of the middle.

And what might have happened had you had a flight into Rio?

 

I asked a couple of times in my conversations with my contact in the Consulate. Never got a clear answer. My wife's visa, processed at the same time, looked identical, they had sequential serial numbers. My guess is that the visa itself was ok but they neglected to scan it properly into their own database and so any border station trying to get authentication would have gotten a TILT! And that the Counsel knew that the Iguazu border crossing was not one that was going to be doing beyond a visual examination. But that is just my speculation. If correct, then an attempted entry into Brazil via Rio or other well-staffed entry point probably would have resulted in my entry into the in-transit lounge with a wait for a return flight to the States. In any case, whatever the issue, they identified the problem, immediately notified me, and made it as painless as possible on my part to get their problem corrected. Quite professional all around.

Edited May 1, 2015 by GottaKnowWhen

[KCKing]

I recently booked a SA cruise including the 5 day precruise to the Falls on Princess, we were so happy with the trip booking but then I starting reading the boards. Were we foolish not to do the falls on our own, we are staying in Cataractas Hotel on the Brazil side. Do you think this land part is worth booking with Princess??

How did it go, I am thinking about doing the princess cruise and tour to the falls and Rio as well.

[zelker]

We did the Falls (both sides) in January. Wont comment on whether or not you should do it on your own. We organised to do it with a tour company before we left Australia therefore we had transfers and everything arranged. Yes it probably was more expensive but we had a lot of peace of mind and also I believe we benefited from our guides etc 'knowing the ropes' at immigration etc. crossing borders. We stayed at the Saint George Hotel in Puerto Iguazu. Supposed to be a top hotel in this town but well not by Australian standards it isn't.

 

Personally though I would not miss out on doing the Brazil side. IMHO we thought this was as good if not better than the Argentinian side. The Falls was one of our top experiences on our South American cruise/holiday. Would not have missed it for anything. Just incredible.:)

 

We originally planned to visit the Falls post-cruise in mid-January next year but after reading several articles, forums, etc. that said it's not the optimal time to go due to higher than normal crowds of locals (Brazilians and Argentinians on summer holiday) and less than optimal weather conditions (longer/heavier rain, higher water levels leading to some trail or activity closures, etc.), we're rethinking it.

 

Curious what your experience was.

 

What company did you book your tour with?

 

Thanks!

[VidaNaPraia]

?.....it's not the optimal time to go due to higher than normal crowds of locals (Brazilians and Argentinians on summer holiday) and less than optimal weather conditions (longer/heavier rain, higher water levels leading to some trail or activity closures, etc.).....l

 

The flood conditions that closed some areas/walkways happened a few years ago iirc. Not every year. There was a drought one year iirc. You'd need a local view as the time gets closer to really know about the coming year's conditions.

Vacation schedules may effect anywhere you go in those two countries, particularly beaches though, not particularly the falls.

There's a contributor to the Trip Advisor forum on Brazil (goes by "olescrapiron"/Marty) who lives there in Foz do Iguacu, if you want first hand experience.

Edited August 8, 2015 by VidaNaPraia

[Floridiana]

We originally planned to visit the Falls post-cruise in mid-January next year but after reading several articles, forums, etc. that said it's not the optimal time to go due to higher than normal crowds of locals (Brazilians and Argentinians on summer holiday) and less than optimal weather conditions (longer/heavier rain, higher water levels leading to some trail or activity closures, etc.), we're rethinking it.

 

 

Will you have a chance to go back another time? If this is unlikely, go! We were there the week before Easter and it was fine. Start early in the morning. On Good Friday it was so crowded that there was a loooong line of cars waiting to enter the park on the Argentinian side. We saw it on our way back to the airport.

[zelker]

Thanks for the info. Yes, will likely be our only time to that part of the world unless DH talks me into an Amazon cruise.

 

Will definitely look for Marty on TripAdvisor.

[Floridiana]

An Amazon cruise is a whole different animal and nowhere near Iguazu Falls. It's like saying you will be in NY City and do a side trip to Alaska.

[zelker]

I get that. Same thing for people who do the Galapagos and then Machu Picchu. But in the scheme of things, it's "in the neighborhood". LOL

[Karennella]

I get that. Same thing for people who do the Galapagos and then Machu Picchu. But in the scheme of things, it's "in the neighborhood". LOL

 

It certainly is for us coming from Australia. For some reason, flights to South America are more expensive than anywhere else and there are only about three non-stop flights a week from Sydney to Santiago, being about thirteen hours. The rest stop off in New Zealand. We did all the icons on a tour and we were very happy with doing the falls in that way. Much as we enjoyed South America, I cannot see us returning to go to just one region in the way that we go to Europe or Asia, even though the flight to Europe is 24 hours.

I like good tours as they are efficient time-wise. The falls are amazing.

[NC-matt]

I did this in 2014 and it was great. I stayed at the Sheraton and found the hotel to be worth it in terms of being able to walk right out your door and be on the trails. The trails are very easy to navigate with the maps that the hotel provides. The rooms at the hotel are just good, not great. I found the food at the restaurants to be quite good, especially if you like black pudding. But the convenience is amazing. I found myself wanting to do more than 1 outing to the falls per day - to shower, eat, change camera lenses, etc. I don't think it would have been really possible if I wasn't staying at the Sheraton.

 

I didn't bother with the Brazil side, the visa seemed like a bit of a hassle, and after lots of online research the consensus seemed to be that the Brazilian side was a nice addition, but far from a necessity.

 

I would add that it doesn't take very long to see the falls and walk all of the trails. You could be very happy with just 2 full days there. More is always nice, but if cost is the issue and it was me, I'd stay one less day at the Sheraton rather than one more day at a hotel in time. Of course, that's just my two cents.

 

eta: I did this in late December and had no issues with the weather. It was hot and humid, but c'est la vie. It may have more bothersome if I didn't have the ability to go in and out of the hotel at my leisure.

I also enjoyed the spa at the hotel.

Edited August 12, 2015 by NC-matt

[scluvsrain]

Well, if you look at it as U$160 (US citizens) for 3 hours of walking and taking photos, maybe it doesn't sound like such a great value. However, the Brazilian side of the park has some unique features, including the iconic views for most photos you see online. There is a place where you can stand right next to a huge fall of water to feel its power. You can go out on a walkway on a plateau into the middle of the river, with a falls above you and one below. And one of the highlights of a trip can be the Bird Park, particularly the house where the macaws and parrots can approach you. The helipad for scenic flights over the falls is on the Brazil side. And since the Brazilian visa is good for 10 years, consider it an invitation for another trip to further explore the rich Brazilian culture, historical sights and spectacular natural areas. You've come all that way to see the falls.......explore all the possibilities while you're there.

 

I think the cost of the visa is well worth it, so you can see/do the things mentioned above. I visited there a couple of years ago with my Brazilian family and was lucky enough to see both sides, but Brazil was my favorite side. I also went to the Bird Park the next day, before my flight out from Iguazu back home, and it was really terrific!!! I highly recommend it.

[Cruiserageous]

Two Comments: 1st LAN Airlines do experience flight schedule incidents. I was in Peru in July and my LAN flight from Lima to Cuzco got delayed by many hours. Me and the group I was with was struck in the airport for hours.

 

2nd this is for Stan Halpin--I love your pictures. I have wanted to do a website of pictures for a very long time. Can you please contact me at ladyps@msn.com. I would like to discuss who is your website hosts and how you set that website up, if you are okay with disclosing that information. I would really appreciate that. Thanks.