Iguazu Falls Help

[The Anchor Banker]

Can someone please give some direction or advice on the Falls?  Celebrity offers a very costly day trip but it appears I can go before or after the cruise by booking flights on my own for about $50 each way from Buenos Aires.  Add taxi fare and admission to the park and I’m still $1000 per person cheaper.

 

Am I missing something?  Is it better with a guide or in a package?  Should I be booking through another vendor?  Can anyone provide some guidance?

[Shella73]

Hi there, 

My family and I were just at the falls in January 2023. We had faced a similar dilemma to yours. NCL offered a day and a half trip at the end of our cruise from Santiago Chile, that ended at BA for like $895 PP. 

We found a travel agency that for $300pp per day arranged a 1 1/2 days at the falls. Which was enough for us. We are a family of 6, age range 19-53. No real mobility issues, except me, I am slowest. We flew in very early to the falls, did a half day on the Brazilian side. Then we stayed overnight, and did the Argentine side full 6 hours, that includes a boat ride into the falls and 2 hikes. The  includes a bilingual guide and admission to the park. 

 

It was well worth it and I highly recommend the falls with the outside company. We used 

Enchanting Travels, Inc
(888) 263-2574

 https://g.co/kgs/Hft3Rt

[crafter188]

We just used the services of Diego K after disembarking Sapphire Princess on March 5. He provided excellent communication and we stayed two nights and three days in a beautiful resort in Puerto Iguazu.

 

Their website is http://www.discoveruruguay.com/about.htm and his email address is ecouruguay@aol.com. I never had any need to call, but here’s his phone number too 1-860-916-9777

[kathynorth]

10 hours ago, The Anchor Banker said:

Can someone please give some direction or advice on the Falls?  Celebrity offers a very costly day trip but it appears I can go before or after the cruise by booking flights on my own for about $50 each way from Buenos Aires.  Add taxi fare and admission to the park and I’m still $1000 per person cheaper.

 

Am I missing something?  Is it better with a guide or in a package?  Should I be booking through another vendor?  Can anyone provide some guidance?

 

This is a summary of our DIY when we traveled to Iguazu in Dec 2018. Prices may be a bit different these days, but I'm sure they'll be way less than the Celebrity tour. My advice is to stay for 2 nights. If you do book your own flights through Aerolineas, be sure to book through the Argentina site and not the US site. Prices for the same flights are significantly different.  

 

 

[The Anchor Banker]

Thanks for the feedback.  

I think we are looking at just a day trip to the Argentinian side.  The flights seem very reasonable online for early am departure and evening return.  

 

Can we safely do this on our own?  Such as finding a taxi around 4am from the Sheraton to take us to the airport?  Taxi from IGR to the Falls, etc.  Are the flights reliable?  Can we see all we need to see, do the boat ride to the falls, etc without a guide?

 

 

[kathynorth]

I suppose this could be done in a long day, but it would be better if you stay 1 or even 2 nights if possible. I suggest you take an Uber from your hotel. Some of the taxis we took were a bit sketchy. It’s my understanding that flights between BA and Iguazu can run late so beware if your schedule is tight. Not sure of the quality of taxis between airport and the falls, but there were plenty available when we arrived. Our hotel had arranged for a ride at a very reasonable rate. You probably won’t be able to do the boat ride with just the 1 day. The boat ride requires a reservation, takes time to get there and back, plus the ride itself, maybe 3 hrs in all. That time will be needed to visit all the trails to see the beauty of the falls. You don’t need a guide for the falls; you’ll receive a map when you enter the park. The trails are very easy to negotiate, but it is a lot of walking, so takes time to move between viewing areas, waiting for the train up to Devil’s Throat, etc. 

[Condocat]

You can book a trip to the Falls yourself!  Was just there last month. Plan on staying at least 2 nights.

 

Airfare is cheap.  Taxis/Ubers, restaurants are cheap.  As stated before, you don not need a guide at the Falls.  You need to stay on the Argentina side for the best value due to the exchange rate!

 

Best advice...when you book your hotel reservation, stay on the Argentine side and make your reservation in pesos, not US dollars!   When you arrive in BA, go to an exchange store and they will convert US dollars safely and closely to the "blue rate" which will nearly double the value of your dollars.  Have a great trip!!

[mcmarya]

If your trip begins and/or ends in Buenos Aires, there is no reason to book the very expensive cruise line tour.  With the "blue rate" available, everything is pretty cheap these days even when you use a US credit card--VISA and Mastercard seem to use the MEP rate which is not as good as the blue rate but much better than the official exchange rate.  Staying on the Argentina side will be the best value as a result.  Transportation is easy--taxis, Ubers, and even buses can get you to both sides of the falls.  I definitely recommend seeing both the Argentina and Brazil side if possible since they are quite different.  Brazil visas will be required again I think beginning in October so that might influence your options.  Depending on your style of travel, the trip can be very inexpensive but even the best accommodations should be cheaper when doing your own booking

 

Definitely plan on staying at least one night.  Flights can be canceled or late quite often for various reasons.  We ran into this with one of ours.  Fortunately we were not trying to do a one day trip.  Hope you have a great trip!

[Shella73]

If you really feel you need help I recommend the agency we used. They helped us do 3 days in Iguazu for 6 people. I just was not confident enough to do it for my 1st  international trip. We used Katie Sturges
+1 720-551-8432
katie.s@enchantingtravels.com

 

They were so amazing, thorough, and helpful.

The guide they provided for Iguazu, Wilson Pires,(wilpires777@gmail.com) was so fantastic we named our new puppy after him when we got him. (dead serious) Having a personal guide helped us make the most of our limited time in the area, navigated language barriers, and procedure issues, recommend restaurants, arranged Uber, etc...