Iguassu Falls on our own

[jc719]

We are on Oceania Dec 9 Rio-BA and it has an overnight in Paranagua for Iguassu Falls (arr 8AM, lv 6PM next day). The shorex is something like $900 pp and I saw elsewhere that they only visit the Argentine side.

It seems like I ought to be able to go independently flying RT to Foz do Iguassu, stay overnight and fly back for about 1/2 that much. I don't really want to do it pre or post from Rio or BA and there doesn't look like much else to do in Paranagua for 2 days.

 

Any thoughts or recommendations?

[xpcdoojk]

We are doing the falls on our own from Rio for pre cruise. It was very difficult to make arrangements in Brazil. I tried to book my own airline tickets, and I finally found the times and flights and prices I liked, went to book online, and they required a Brazilian issued Credit Card. They told me I could call the Miami office, and book on the phone, the price was 3 times as high as online. Yikes. I finally got it all worked out, but it was not easy. I gather that you are trying to do this on your own from the Argentina side? If you would like to know the travel agents that handled my details for the hotel, let me know by emailing me at the address in my signature. If you are doing this from Rio, I can definitely help you on flights and hotels. Good luck. You will be able to save some significant money. We are doing 2 days at the falls both sides with english speaking driver with hotel at the Sheraton in Argentina with falls view rooms for 1 night for less than $800 for each couple. We are doing it with another couple. The cruiseline's excursion for us was $1750 per couple for similar itinerary.

 

We found the same thing for Machu Picchu at the end of our cruise.

 

jc

[Splinter]

A number of people in the group we were with in BA booked through http://www.southstartours.com prior to leaving home. They saved about 1/3 over the ship's trips. I did not get to go that time, but when I had to return to Brazil on business the next year, I booked a private tour to Iguassu through them. I had a great time, and they got me a great package (Brazilian flights, hotel, private guide and car) through Varig (combined with my RT LA to Sao Paulo flight). Having traveled in Brazil, I can tell you that domestic flights are VERY expensive there. You would do much better using a travel agent familiar with South America who can arrange a package for you.

[BCHappyGal]

We did a post tour to Iguazzu Falls on our own this year in February. We used http://www.defrantur.com Ricardo was very professional and did a great job for us and saved us lots of money compared to the ships port tour. Plus he put us on a direct flight whereas the ships tour particpants had a connecting flight with a change of planes (they did the scenic route).

 

If you want the internet contacts for all of the private tour operators that we used in all the various ports check out my review of our South American Crusie on this board.

 

Enjoy it is wonderful trip.

[dileep]

I got a good quote from Ricardo too. Asked him if it was worth spending the $100 pp for the Brazilian visa to see the Falls from that side and he said NO.

 

We will book our trip with him for our pre-cruise in January.

 

He had a guided tour of the Falls. Do you really need a guide?

 

We took a 15 minute helicopter trip in Zambia over Victoria Falls. Is there anything similar at Iguazu?

[xpcdoojk]

I believe that there are helicopter tour operators at Iguasso. Have you done a quickie internet search? I have read about them being controversial in one of the travel books I bought. You know nature and quiet, like the waterfalls are not noisy!:rolleyes:

 

I did a quick search and found one operator (there are probably several) that did a 10 minute(I can't imagine a 10 minute tour being worth much) and a 35 minute helicopter tour of the falls. So there is something there for you, most likely.

 

jc

[dileep]

I believe that there are helicopter tour operators at Iguasso. Have you done a quickie internet search? I have read about them being controversial in one of the travel books I bought. You know nature and quiet, like the waterfalls are not noisy!:rolleyes:

 

I did a quick search and found one operator (there are probably several) that did a 10 minute(I can't imagine a 10 minute tour being worth much) and a 35 minute helicopter tour of the falls. So there is something there for you, most likely.

 

jc

 

My search failed to find an operator.

[xpcdoojk]

Well since you asked, I believe I can post a link that I have found.

 

email helisul@foz.net

 

web page www.helisul.com

 

I have no idea about the quality of this company or anything else. The link works, and it appears they have been operating for about 30 years at the falls. I am pretty sure that like most tourist spots, that there are probably multiple operators, but who knows. It is difficult to deal with companies directly in Brazil because of the language problem for most of us. Let me tell you nothing has been harder in all of my travels than making Brazilian arrangements. Not impossible, but definitely a little harder than most places in the free world.

 

jc

 

I have never understood the google hype, I have much better success with Yahoo....:D

[Splinter]

I am so glad I got to do both the Argentinan and Brazilian side! It is very different, and the Hotel Cataratas on the Brazilian side is a fine old style hotel that I am glad I did not miss. Hiking the trails on the Brazilian side on my own was the perfect prelude to see the Argentina side the next day with my guide. I personally would not go all that way and spend all that money and only go to one side!

 

The helicopter company above operates out of Brazil, so you would still have to get a visa to use them.

[dileep]

The helicopter company above operates out of Brazil, so you would still have to get a visa to use them.

 

I was told that helicopter service is only available from the Brazil side. Also heard that the Brazil visa requirement may go away soon. They charge $100 because that's what Brazilians pay for US visa!

 

Has anyone dealt with this travel agency that operates out of Miami

 

http://www.argentinatravelhelp.com/iguazutours.htm

[Suzy Q]

dileep

 

May I ask where you heard that the Brazilian visa requirement may be going away? We travel next March so we have plenty of time but this would be one less headache.

[dileep]

A Brazilian friend who lives in Miami told me that there is a bill in the Brazilian parliament. He thinks it will pass. Hopefully that will be the case when we visit in 2006.

[Suzy Q]

dileep

 

Thanks for the info--could you post the outcome of that bill when you hear? That would be great. Meanwhile, I'm going to keep a close eye on the Brazil visa information web site.

SQ

[dileep]

I am rooting for it to go through by the end of the year. We will be in Iguazu in January.

[Hau'oli]

I am rooting for it to go through by the end of the year. We will be in Iguazu in January.

We will be going to Iguazu Falls in January as well, after our cruise ends in Santiago/Valparaiso, Chile. What dates will you be in Iguazu Falls? Ricardo ~ http://www.defrantur.com ~ has arranged our travel (thanks BCHappyGal!!). We originally were planning to fly from Santiago to Rio and go from there but checking the prices from Buenos Aires changed that very quickly. We saved over $300/person on airfare going from BA vs. Rio. That allows us to stay an extra day in Iguazu Falls. Ricardo has been able to get us fabulous rates at hotels that are much more costly from other tour operators. It sometimes takes a week or so to get responses and then some of the questions aren't answered so more emailing time takes place, which can be frustrating. However, we feel it is worth our time and effort and the company has been very accomodating.

 

Question: For those of you who have been to Iguazu Falls, is there enough to do to warrant staying 3 nights with an early return to BA?

 

We will have our Brazil Visa (if it is required...please keep us updated on changes) so plan to see the Bird Park and Falls from Brazil side as well as do a helicopter flight. Ricardo has said they will make arrangements once we get to the falls for us to fly in the helicopter. We did a similar flight over Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe last year and you can see quite a bit is a short period of time. Must have taken over 100 pictures from the helicopter that came out fabulous.

[Splinter]

For me, I think 2 nights and 3 days would be enough. You can also take the boat ride from either the Brazilian or Argentina side that takes you right into the base of the falls. Highly recommended. There are also some trips you can take into the jungle (with a guide only) if you want to see more flora and fauna in the area.

[dileep]

We will be going to Iguazu Falls in January as well' date=' after our cruise ends in Santiago/Valparaiso, Chile. What dates will you be in Iguazu Falls?

 

Ricardo has said they will make arrangements once we get to the falls for us to fly in the helicopter. We did a similar flight over Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe last year and you can see quite a bit is a short period of time. Must have taken over 100 pictures from the helicopter that came out fabulous.[/quote']

 

We only have limited time before our cruise. We are flying out in the morning on 21 Jan and returning the next afternoon 8 hours before we sail away.

 

We took the helicopter over Victoria Falls too 3 years ago from Zambia and loved it. I ran my video camera for the entire 15 minute flight! My wife took lots of pictures.

[Traveling Fools]

BA’s international airport is at least 45 minutes outside of town. Depending on what time you arrive and how many other passengers are being processed, it can take you more time to clear Immigration and Customs than you expect. We found that most international arrival schedules don’t give you enough time to clear formalities and get to the domestic airport downtown in time for any scheduled flights to the Falls. This means you should plan on spending a night in BA.

 

If time is an issue, I would recommend booking the earliest flight out of BA to the Falls. The domestic airport is relatively easy to get to so you don’t need to worry about leaving your hotel at 3:00 A.M. for a 6:30 departure.

 

Because doing the Falls is generally an all day affair, many tour operators won’t take you there the day of your arrival, especially if you arrive in the afternoon. For this reason, I recommend staying at the Sheraton inside the park. This will give you extra time to wander around the park that afternoon and give you an early start the next day. It is spectacular and it will take most of the day to do the Argentine side—you can’t do both sides in one day. Take the boat ride into the Devil’s Throat.

 

Another option is to attempt to visit the Brazilian side the afternoon of your arrival. It doesn’t take nearly as long to see as the Argentina side. If you can do this you will be able to shave some time of this excursion.

 

The next day we visited the Brazilian side. We are glad we saw both sides as they are unique in their own right. We were finished with the Brazilian side by noon and stopped at local place, along with all the other tourists, for lunch. We flew back to BA that afternoon arriving back at our hotel at about 6:30 P.M. (We were staying at the Marriott and they stored our bags while we were at the Falls.)

 

We did this in Feb. 2004 and the Brazilians required visas and were fingerprinting ALL Americans.

[DrFUN]

We're on HAL's Rotterdam 6-22 December from VP to Rio, and we'll stay on our own for four days and then fly home from Rio on the evening of the 26th.

 

Can anyone offer advice about seeing the Falls from Rio? We'd want to spend a day or two in Rio (our first time there)--so we'd only have time for just an overnight at the Falls--but it's also Christmas.... Is this do-able or something for another time?

 

THANKS!

[Splinter]

I went to Iguassu from Sao Paolo, which is about an hour by air closer to Iguassu than Rio, but I arrived at the Iguassu airport about 10AM, was taken by my guide to my hotel (Cataratas das Iguassu on the Brazil side inside the national park), hiked the trails from the hotel all the way to the Devil's Throat and back, then took the park shuttle to the boat ride under the falls and walk through the jungle. Since I had flown in on a red-eye the night before, I then crashed for a 2 hour nap, had dinner (only $11) beside the pool at the hotel, and had an early night. The next AM my guide picked me up at the hotel at 9AM, we drove to the Argentina side, took the narrow gauge train to the last stop and walked to the top of the Devil's Throat falls, then rode back one stop, hiked some more, back one stop and hike a little more, then back to the car, stopped at a souvenier store for a few purchases, and he had me back at the airport for my plane back to Sao Paulo by 3:30PM. I would have preferred 2 nights, but I was able to see what I wanted to see, and since I was on a business trip, this was all the time I could allow.

 

I should mention that I got my package through my travel agent, but we used a Varig airlines package that included my RT from Sao Paulo/LA, the airfare RT for Iguassu, the hotel, and my guide there for less than $350 more than the airfare RT Sao Paulo/LA...air travel within Brazil on domestic flights is VERY expensive, so this saved me a lot. My flight to Sao Paulo was actually a code sharing Varig flight...it was on a United plane with a United crew.

[DrFUN]

Thanks so much for the info, Splinter!

 

Sounds as if it might be pretty costly to do from Rio, especially as we've already booked our American Airlines flights from Phoenix to Santiago and then Rio back to Phoenix.

 

Also sounds as if you had a great trip!

 

Thanks again!

[gerena]

A Brazilian friend who lives in Miami told me that there is a bill in the Brazilian parliament. He thinks it will pass. Hopefully that will be the case when we visit in 2006.

 

 

Any word on this yet? We travel January 11, 2006. Hope your friend is correct.

[greatam]

The bill in Parliment states that they will do away with FORMAL visa requirements, BUT the bill also states they will institute a fee, much like Chile's airport fee. Do you really believe that a South American country will give up all that American money? NO WAY. My advice, and I am a frequent South America business traveler, is get the Brazilian visa when the time requirements allow. It will definitely be cheaper than any fee they institute. Chile charges $100.00.

 

As an aside, if Brazil does away with the visa, I wonder if they will quit fingerprinting and taking pictures of Americans? I doubt it-they love the harrassment.

[dileep]

I talked to my Brazilian friend and he has not read about any progress on the bill reported in the local papers. He thinks that they are too busy dealing with the other corruption issues.

 

Also, as the previous poster says a new fee may not be any cheaper than a visa; just more convenient to do it when you land.

[DaisyGal]

I visited the falls in 2004 and flew on Varig from Rio to Foz do Iguacu (via Sao Paulo of course - our flight was cheap too, $246 p/p, as it sounds like this cost has gone up). While we were told to only spend 2-3 days there max, we stayed 4 and loved every minute of it. We also did all of the activities, except for the overpriced 10-minute helicopter ride over the falls. The Bird Park was fantastic, the Maruco Safari ride and rafting was great (its on the Brazilian side), plus we saw Itaipu Dam and Tres Frontiers (where the 3 countries meet). You do not need a guide to see the Brazilian side of the falls, but we did use one to see the Argentina side (mostly needed for the ride over the border). The Argentina side and trails is just about an all day event and the Brazilian side is not. We stayed at the Tropical das Cataratas on the Brazilian side and it was fantastic as well. This trip was such a nice and relaxing way to end our busy vacation in South America.We used a travel agency to book things, I believe http://www.brazilnuts.com or http://www.brol.com, can't remember which.Have fun!