Iguazú Falls

[Kiwi Afloat]

Has anyone done the pre-voyage trip to Iguazú Falls with Seabourn? We’re going to Antartica in February and seriously thinking about it. Would appreciate any feedback if you’ve been. 

[marazul]

3 hours ago, Kiwi Afloat said:

Has anyone done the pre-voyage trip to Iguazú Falls with Seabourn? We’re going to Antartica in February and seriously thinking about it. Would appreciate any feedback if you’ve been. 

It was a while back but yes, we went post-cruise.  By all means, don't miss the Falls.

We stayed at the Sheraton (now the Gran Melia Iguazu) at the park and walked the trails, took the boat under the falls (got soaked), saw wonderful scenery and animals.  

[markandjie]

We did iguazu on our own in 2015. It's very straightforward to fly there, there are several great hotels, and even renting a car is easy. IMO it's one of those destinations where I wouldn't pay a large premium for an organized tour. 

[galeforce9]

2 hours ago, markandjie said:

We did iguazu on our own in 2015. It's very straightforward to fly there, there are several great hotels, and even renting a car is easy. IMO it's one of those destinations where I wouldn't pay a large premium for an organized tour. 

Agree.  Have also done diy.  Flew in from Rio. Flew out to BA.  Copacabana Palace, Hotel das Cataratas then Alvear Palace.   Lovely start to a six week RTW trip.  

[hoya68]

2 hours ago, galeforce9 said:

Agree.  Have also done diy.  Flew in from Rio. Flew out to BA.  Copacabana Palace, Hotel das Cataratas then Alvear Palace.   Lovely start to a six week RTW trip.  

We did DIY last year. Stayed at Hotel das Cataratas. It was an amazing hotel right at the Falls. Our luggage was delayed a day and the hotel was amazing with amenities for wife and I and arranged to retieve luggage from airport when it finally arrived. Couldn't recommend the hotel and the Falls more.

[lelak]

We too did the Falls a few years ago when it was the Sheraton on the Argentina side.  Iguazu puts

every other waterfalls to shame because of the sheer variety and number.  The advantage of the

Argentine side is that you have immediate access from the hotel to walking trails both upper and lower as well as a train-like shuttle to the one single huge fall.  But the Brazil side has a lot more hotels and dining spots so I'm sure you'd enjoy either.

 

As others have stated, doing it yourself is easy--lots of flights from in-city airports in Buenos Aires

and Rio.

 

Don't miss Iguazu, it really is one of the modern wonders of the world.

[markandjie]

6 hours ago, lelak said:

The advantage of the

Argentine side is that you have immediate access from the hotel to walking trails both upper and lower as well as a train-like shuttle to the one single huge fall.  But the Brazil side has a lot more hotels and dining spots so I'm sure you'd enjoy either.

 

Porque no los dos?

 

Seriously, easy to rent a car and do both sides. 

[hoya68]

Cataracts hotel is on the Brazilian side and less than a minute to the Falls which can hear from your room.

 

[Kiwi Afloat]

Cataratas hotel is fully booked for the time we would go but agree the location is spectacular!
 

Renting a car is not an option as it’s a 15 hour drive each way from Buenos Aires on the back of flying from New Zealand. Also flights are not as readily available as I thought.  Should’ve planned earlier but will try and make it work somehow as we really want to see the falls. 

[marazul]

2 hours ago, Kiwi Afloat said:

Cataratas hotel is fully booked for the time we would go but agree the location is spectacular!
 

Renting a car is not an option as it’s a 15 hour drive each way from Buenos Aires on the back of flying from New Zealand. Also flights are not as readily available as I thought.  Should’ve planned earlier but will try and make it work somehow as we really want to see the falls. 

I think Hoya meant renting a car at the falls to look around, not to drive there from BA. If Cataratas is not available,  check on the Gran Melia. You won't be sorry you did.

Instead of renting a car we hired a taxi driver to take us around.

Edited December 18, 2023 by marazul

[markandjie]

18 hours ago, marazul said:

I think Hoya meant renting a car at the falls to look around, not to drive there from BA.

 

This is what I meant as well. Def not driving from BA. From what I recall it was very easy with many options to fly into Iguazu (we flew from Rio) and then we rented from Hertz and saw the falls from both sides on our own. We stayed in a smaller hotel outside the park because it featured a large kids water park, important as we were traveling with our then 6 yo. We also practically burned out the hair dryer in the room trying to dry our soaked shoes after being in the park!

[The-Inside-Cabin]

You may find these posts helpful.   They describe in detail my two-day trip from a cruise ship with tips and tricks

 HERE and HERE and HERE

Edited December 20, 2023 by The-Inside-Cabin

[BasandSyb]

Kiwi Afloat, the other option is to contact your local travel agent. We ended up doing Iguazu after a cruise and a few days in BA by purchasing a package with air, transfers and accommodation. Most of the TAs in Aust/NZ have various options and price points available.

 

Took the thinking out and it was a reasonable price to stay at the then Sheraton in a falls view room for 4 nights. A secondary reason for booking a package was the argy bargy between the border countries at that time.  Argentina was intermittently not letting visitors to the Brazilian side back over the border. 

The stay was great. All the local transfer companies worked around the issue by changing cars at the border. There was an airline strike (apparently not uncommon) on the return trip but we were kept in the loop and the local contacts sorted out changes. We took a taxi a few nights into Paraguay for dinner which was fantastic. The whole stay is so memorable, you will love it.

[Condocat]

My husband and I traveled to the Falls this past Feb and planned everything ourselves, it was pretty straight forward.   I would recommend at least 3 full days to fully enjoy this beautiful area.  We stayed for 5.  I would also suggest staying on the Argentina side for ease in getting there, better exchange rates and better view of the Falls

 

A few important tips: 

 

Remember there are 2 different airports in Buenos Aires.  You will need to book from AEP which has the most direct flights to IGR.  From there, taxis are plentiful, inexpensive and hotels are close by.

 

Wherever you decide to stay, be sure to book your reservation in Argentine Pesos at the blue rate not American Dollars!  This is very important and will save you a lot of money.  Not all hotel web sites offer this option.  We stayed at the Loi Suites Iguazu Hotel which was wonderful and by using the Argentine Peso rate saved us nearly 1/2!   

 

Once at the hotel, they immediately connected us with a driver who drove us to the Falls entrance each day (10 min drive) and picked us up.  We arranged to use him exclusively during our visit and he was was happy to do so.  Some evenings he drove us into town for dinner even on the Brazilin side.  We paid him at the end of our visit which was very reasonable (trying to remember...all 5 days weren't more than the equivalent of $200US).

 

The Falls are magical and the people are lovely.  Also forgot to mention, the food is fabulous!

Enjoy your planning!

Mary 

[hoya68]

The boat ride to below the Falls is great fun with great views and you will get wet.

[cruisr]

I also went after a cruise which ended in B.A.  It was wonderful and after Antarctica I wasn’t t sure I would be impressed but I was blown away.  It was amazing.  I stayed two nights at the then Sheraton in a fallsview room and just loved it.  I did it all on my own and super easy, not to mention I used Sheraton points for the room so it was free.

[alainciao]

Does time of year make any difference in visiting the falls?