RIO to BUENOS AIRES

[Diva Onboard]

Anyone know how far Rio is from Buenos Aires? We are taking the Inifinity from Buenos Aires to Valparaiso and we are wondering if a side trip was even remotely possible. If it is, what airline/airports would work best?

 

We are considering the flight out to the Falls and understand that doing so would be an all day trip.

 

 

Any info will be much appreciated.

[dileep]

Anyone know how far Rio is from Buenos Aires? We are taking the Inifinity from Buenos Aires to Valparaiso and we are wondering if a side trip was even remotely possible. If it is, what airline/airports would work best?

 

We are considering the flight out to the Falls and understand that doing so would be an all day trip.

 

Rio is a short flight from Buenos Aires (about 3 hours). You did not need to fly to Rio to see Iguazu Falls. They are a 1.5 hour flight from BUE. Plan on spending one night in Iguazu. If you want to see the falls from just the Argentine side it is easy and can be done in a 24 hour stay. If you want to see it from Brazillian side, you will need a Brazil visa and I would plan on flying out one morning and returning the next evening.

[Diva Onboard]

Thanks Dileep -

 

Just the information I was looking for. So, I gather if we venture into Rio, as well as the Brazil side of the Falls, then we need a Visa. That will be something to consider.

 

Thanks again.

[dileep]

If you have not read my cruise report, check it out.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=293376

[Aussie Gal]

If I was doing our trip again I would do it differently. We boarded our ship in Rio so here is what I would do.

 

I would fly directly to B.A. and spend a couple of days there. Then I would fly to the Iguazu Falls and have two nights and then I would fly to Rio and have another couple of days there before boarding the ship. The falls were one of the highlights of a trip with so many different experiences.

 

You could do this in reverse if you were boarding in B.A. I loved our time in Rio but I wish we had more time in B.A. instead of the one day when the ship was in port.

 

If you go to Brazil you need a visa and you need to weigh up the expense. We enjoyed Rio, it was a city I have always wanted to visit and I wasn't disappointed. I knew about the favela so I wasn't shocked. They are amazing as they are placed on the side of the mountains with the best views.

 

Just be very careful when there and do not exhibit wealth.

 

Jennie

[xpcdoojk]

Well in Brazil the airlines to check out are TAM, Varig, and GOL. The GOL was the cheapest, but for us they had inconvenient flight times, TAM was the next cheapest and they had workable flight times. Varig had the best schedules and by far the highest prices. We booked with TAM and had a very good experience. Booking Brazilian airlines is a difficult matter from America to get the best prices. I needed a Brazilian issued credit card to book TAM online which I didn't have and I ended up booking with a Brazilian travel agent in order to get the flights and prices I saw on the website, they charged me an approximate 10% fee. My experience when I was researching the trip to Iguasso was that GOL was about $100 per person, and TAM twice that price and Varig twice that price. If you are doing more than just to the falls and back from Rio there are some segment flights that they advertise at a good rate for a certain number of flights airpass.

 

I loved Iguasso and it was a highlight of the highest order on our SA trip last year.

 

The visa is a problem that adds a bit over $100 if you can do it in person at the Embassey that serves your region of the USA. If not, then there are some additional fees of mailing or using an expediting service that can add up a bit more.

 

jc

[dileep]

I like Buenos Aires much better than Rio. Other than Sugarloaf and Copacabana Beach, there was not much to Rio unless you count being accosted by young prostitutes on the promenade after dark!

 

If I was time constrained and on a cruise that sails from Buenos Aires as the Infinity does, I would spend my time in BA. The Tigre Delta is a lot of fun as is the city. We only had a day and a half in BA and we spent another day and half traveling to Iguazu and have no regrets.

 

Our short time budget also meant that we had to skip a visit to the Brazilian side of the falls.

[Diva Onboard]

Thanks Xpcdoojk for the information on various airlines in/out of Brazil.

 

Aussie Gal, I appreciate your perspective - it certainly gives us something to think about. We may just be better off making the most of BA and skipping the idea of Rio all together.

 

Thank you everyone.

[xpcdoojk]

You are most welcome. I would, now that I have been to both cities return to BA anytime. I could spend a week there and not get bored. I think I might like having a little bungalow on the Tigre Delta. My kind of lifestyle, although, I don't know about belonging to a rowing club. ;) I am not ruling out a return to Rio, but I have no desire at this time to return.

 

jc

[sultan_sfo]

We are on Golden Princess 21-day in Jan 2007. I have come round a full circle thanks to flight information from xpcdoojk and information from Dileep . Only 44 lbs is allowed on Iguazu flights. So even if one returns to BA the luggage restriction is in play from BA to Rio. So for us what is feasible is to just go to Rio leave luggage there and go only to Iguazu. Another alternative: Just finished costing out a General Tours SF-Rio-Iguazu-BA-Rio / BA-SF. It would include deluxe 4 nights in Rio 2 nights in Iguazu 3 nights in BA. Total comes to about $3800. Just doing 1 nite pre-cruise Rio 1 nite post-cruise BA plus Air all from Princess will be $2000. Trying to figure out whether the extra $1800 is worth it. Advantage of combining an escorted land with our cruise is that we avoid all hassles. Normally, I am a do-your-own person. /Sultan

 

If I was doing our trip again I would do it differently. We boarded our ship in Rio so here is what I would do.

 

I would fly directly to B.A. and spend a couple of days there. Then I would fly to the Iguazu Falls and have two nights and then I would fly to Rio and have another couple of days there before boarding the ship. The falls were one of the highlights of a trip with so many different experiences.

Jennie

[dileep]

Only 44 lbs is allowed on Iguazu flights. So even if one returns to BA the luggage restriction is in play from BA to Rio.

 

We left our luggage at the hotel in BA for 2 days and picked it up when we got back from Iquazu before going to the docks to board the ship.

[sultan_sfo]

That is what we would do -- leave luggage in Rio. Although our cruise starts in Rio and ends in BA, our preference is to do both Iguazu and BA pre-cruise which we can do from Rio but not from BA because even BA to Rio has luggage restrictions. BTW thanks for the videos and other guidance you continue to give. /Sultan

 

We left our luggage at the hotel in BA for 2 days and picked it up when we got back from Iquazu before going to the docks to board the ship.

[dileep]

That is what we would do -- leave luggage in Rio. Although our cruise starts in Rio and ends in BA, our preference is to do both Iguazu and BA pre-cruise which we can do from Rio but not from BA because even BA to Rio has luggage restrictions. BTW thanks for the videos and other guidance you continue to give. /Sultan

 

You are quite welcome. I agree that doing it Iquazu pre-cruise is a good idea. Make sure that you have the time to see it from both sides. Since you will have the Brazil visa from the consulate in San Francisco, you should be all set.

 

Why are you not doing BA post cruise? It would be a nice place to wind down post cruise. We did that in Santiago.

 

Our next cruise is in the Med in Sept 2007. Join us, but you would have to get on Celebrity for a change!

[sultan_sfo]

After working out the costs -- you are correct! So now I am working on just Iguazu from Rio. How far ahead did you book Iguazu? The hotels in Iguazu are already showing full. The flights (including Rio-Iguazu-Rio) from SF would be only about $1800.

 

Why are you not doing BA post cruise? It would be a nice place to wind down post cruise. We did that in Santiago.

 

Thanks. DW's vacation quota for 2007 will be used up with our SA trip! However, if you and Ann are planning to visit SF, do let us know. My email is: karachi@speakeasy.net We passed Saratoga on our way to Solvang last weekend! /Sultan

 

Our next cruise is in the Med in Sept 2007. Join us, but you would have to get on Celebrity for a change!

[ruthslaughter]

Buenos Aires is one of my favorite cities in the world.

On this visit we stayed there for 2 days and then flew out to Iguazu Falls for 1 night. We stayed at the Sheraton at the falls. It is the only hotel within the park and you can see the falls from your balcony. Breathtaking.

We cruised with NCL Crown and it was exciting going around Cape Horn.

Let me know if we can help you further.

Ruth

ruthslaught@yahoo.com

[Aussie Gal]

sultan sfo,

 

We went in January this year and I booked out time in Rio and the Iguazu Falls 16 months before we left home. We were going to be there just after the New Year and the hotels especially in Rio are usually booked out.

 

My opinion is that the only hotel to stay in at the Falls is the Sheraton Hotel as it is within the actual grounds of the Falls. We had a View Room and it was amazing. The Sheraton is on the Argentinian side but that is no hassle as our guide took us there from the Brazilian airport.

 

We also went to the hotel on the Brazilian to have a look around and we were glad that we were at the Sheraton as I have never seen such an amazing view from a hotel.

 

Jennie

[dileep]

After working out the costs -- you are correct! So now I am working on just Iguazu from Rio. How far ahead did you book Iguazu? The hotels in Iguazu are already showing full. The flights (including Rio-Iguazu-Rio) from SF would be only about $1800.

 

/Sultan

 

The travel agents have rooms blocked off.We booked ours with Ricardo @ Defrantur in August or September for our January trip. Tell him that I recommended you and he will add my 5%:D . No, seriously, he is agreat guy and did a great job for us in BA. Of course, Sultan, you know all this after reading my trip report!

 

If he does not do trips from the Brazil side, he probably has contacts in Brazil.

[sultan_sfo]

Ruth / Dileep / Jennie:

Thanks for all the help. I have archived all your suggestions in a Word file. Once Lou and I work out our land preferences, I will get in touch again. When I enter in Expedia my date preferences for SF-Rio-Iguazu (IGU)-Rio / BA-SF, with even a slight difference in dates (or sometimes even no difference but about 10 min later!), Expedia gives me different air fares each time with "lowest" listed fare ranging from $1580 to $4,100! /Sultan

[dileep]

Ruth / Dileep / Jennie:

Thanks for all the help. I have archived all your suggestions in a Word file. Once Lou and I work out our land preferences, I will get in touch again. When I enter in Expedia my date preferences for SF-Rio-Iguazu (IGU)-Rio / BA-SF, with even a slight difference in dates (or sometimes even no difference but about 10 min later!), Expedia gives me different air fares each time with "lowest" listed fare ranging from $1580 to $4,100! /Sultan

 

We used frequent flier tickets for SFO-BUE and Santiago-SFO. We bought BUE to Iguazu and back tickets as part of our Iguazu package from Defrantus. The airfare part was $230 pp.

[sultan_sfo]

Thanks. Right now I am using the numbers to get a handle on the alternatives! Before we book, I will check back with you all about Defrantur and other Rio tour guides. /Sultan

 

... We bought BUE to Iguazu and back tickets as part of our Iguazu package from Defrantus. The airfare part was $230 pp.

[Jane110]

 

We may just be better off making the most of BA and skipping the idea of Rio all together.

 

 

That would be my recommendation. LOVE BA! don't like Rio.

[Aussie Gal]

eblielik,

 

We loved our time in Rio and are glad that it was part of our itinerary. One has to be careful in all South American cities. We know of friends that were robbed in broad daylight on the main thoroughfare of B.A. so one city is just as bad as another. Just be careful and have you wits about you.

 

I felt the scenery and beaches were so beautiful in Rio, it was just as I had imagined it.

 

B.A. is a sophisticated city unlike the rest of S.A. but it is very European and if you have been to Madrid, you are seeing something very similar whereas there is nothing like Rio in this world.

 

Jennie

[A Knitter]

We were in Rio during the Rolling Stones Concert with a million and half more people and felt safe. We hired a tour guide Peter with www.privatetours.com for two days and stayed at the Copacabana Palace Hotel, a little pricey but SAFE. I am so glad I flew to Rio from BA and got to see the sights I have longed for. We saw it ALL in two days, nonstop I might add, but well worth it. We left all jewelry in the safe, including costume. We actually took the bus because our guide was not allowed to return to the concert area and it proved to be one of the best experiences. I plan on returning to Rio next year. I was also warned not to see the penguins in Puerto Madryn because of the bus ride and was happy that I did go as it was packed with thousands and thousands more than in Punta Arenas. Enjoy your trip. Maria