Quick trip to Iguazu Falls from Sao Paolo

[Flashback]

Alright, back to having a look at this again now.

What's the views on flying into IGU arriving at 11am (January - so weather should be less of an issue?) and then still being able to dump bags at hotel on the BR side and make it across to the AR side for some wondering around before the park closes (and then doing dinner on that side perhaps before crossing back?). The other option is a more exxy flight but arrives maybe 2 hours or so earlier, so 9am. Probably worth it if trying to do a tighter time trip like that.

Is it doable? We'll be HLO.

Another option is a night or two in Sao Paolo, fly down to Navegantes, a night or 2 there, then fly NVT-IGU, do the night or 2 there, then back to GRU to fly home.

 

[Flashback]

Right, ended up deciding on 3.5 hour transit in GRU when we fly in from MIA and then on to IGU. 2 nights, which allows for a full day in Argentina the first full day, then as much as we need for Brazil the 2nd 'full day', then fly back 5pm that evening.

Easy ..... or not, I forgot how painful it is booking and paying for things in Brazil as a foreigner! LATAM, even if you have a CPF, won't accept international credit cards. So you're forced to use their US, UK etc. website. That adds (in our case) £100 onto the cost of the flights (so ~$200 AUD).

Gerador de CPF - 4Devs can be useful if you're booking with GOL or Azul, but alas .... LATAM has the better pairings (or even broken down into 1 ways).

Expedia Brazil didn't give me much luck.

Any other tips/ways of doing it without paying the foreigner tax? Try book via LATAM Peru?

 

[RooFlyer]

Itinerary - personally, I'd do it the other way round, first full day on Brazilian side, but I guess you don't want to be potentially 'stuck' on the Argi side if something happens. Sunset at approx 6pm.

Any other tips/ways of doing it without paying the foreigner tax? Try book via LATAM Peru?

Travel agent via the GDS? But then there is the TA fee, but it wouldn't be nearly that much ...

 

[Flashback]

Itinerary - personally, I'd do it the other way round, first full day on Brazilian side, but I guess you don't want to be potentially 'stuck' on the Argi side if something happens. Sunset at approx 6pm.



Travel agent via the GDS? But then there is the TA fee, but it wouldn't be nearly that much ...

Brazilian side only really needs 3-4 hours anyway, including the bird park; so happy with our order of activities. Not too concerned about getting 'stuck' on the Argy side anyway, border crossing is open 24 hours and can always get a taxi for $30 USD if need be back to the Brazilian side if need be if the bus isn't running.

As we're quite...... adventurous anyway, considering fly into IGU, Uber to the bus station, bus from there to the Argy side, a night there; then next day full day on Argy side (and maybe walk over to that coughpy town in Paraguay to get a bonus +2 countries in total); then bus back to Brazil side at night, 1 night there, then day trip to the Brazil side, back and pickup bags around 2.30pm and off to the airport for 3pm for the 5pm flight.

Have reached out to a TA, they can only do via US POS but will see what price that comes back with.

Other option is 17,000 Avios + £28 one way going out 0.7p / Avios value (not great.... but not so bad when you have 600k+ anyway) and then nothing available coming back so cash 1 way for £195 or 15k AA miles + £12 (only 1 seat though, so we'd have to take diff flights back). So total outlay for 2 pax, 17k Avios + 15k AA + £40 vs £356.

 

[RooFlyer]

This was in 2018, so prob quite different now, but FWIW:

I took a hotel tour (actually just a driver) from the Brazilian side to the Argentine side because I was flying out later that day and I wanted someone to keep my luggage safe, and also to take me to the Sheraton on the Argentine side, so I could shower and change before my flight .

When I went there, Argentine park admittance was CASH ONLY. There is an ATM at the entrance, but I was told usually broken, and it was on the day I went. When you get in, there is a little train that takes you from the park entrance to a couple of stops along the extensive Argentine falls. From each stop, you can walk along good metal boardwalks along the brow of the various falls. One track descends to the river level where you can take boat trips. I didn't do these. When I was there, there was a plan to connect them all the walk segments up, but back then you had to take several segments on the little train. The final stop is for the Devils Throat; there is about 1km of metal boardwalk out across the river and little islands, till you are right above the major part of the falls.

On the Brazil side, make sure you go upstream beyond the high tower and visitors centre. You can take boat trips on the river upstream of the falls : ). Don't undervalue the time needed on the Brazil side - the best pano views are from that side.

 

[Flashback]

This was in 2018, so prob quite different now, but FWIW:

Yep, you can buy tickets online now (and at the gate - I THINK they take card at the gate now, but definitely do online; make sure you have an offline copy of the ticket it generates!).
Iguazú Argentina

Our plan was Devil's Throat first, then the inferior path (lower), then if time and/or effort permits.... the superior path (upper).

 

[Flashback]

Best I can find is booking via lastminute.com; drops £24.50 off so brings the overall cash cost down to £332. Unless anyone has any other bright ideas to get pricing closer to the 285 or so it charges via the Brazil website, I think that's as good as it'll get

Interesting, it says it includes a small bag onboard but not a small suitcase onboard. Now, that's true for their 'basic' fares in South America (Ticket fares | LATAM Airlines) however Brazil isn't included in the list of South American countries that offer that (and indeed has its own section), therefore meaning the lowest available fare is the 'light' fare which does include the small bag onboard as well as a small suitcase up to 12kg. That's confirmed on latamairlines.com (on both the Brazil version, and all other country versions including GB). So the question now is whether lastminute.com is indeed offerring the 'light' fare and just has incorrect details, or whether they're somehow offering a 'basic' fare that not even LATAM sells. If you remove the lastminute.com 'discount' that you see on the price, the price actually does match the LATAM 'light' price.

I might try call them in the morning and see what the call centre says re: underlying fare.

Is it giving you seats in GOL’s “premium” cabin?

Nope, LATAM's Y cabin.

22/1 - 23/1 (24/1 too, I don't think there's anything back on the 23rd).

I worked out what was going on - they only like offering 1 seat. Lots of flight options available, but only a single seat on all. Lots connecting via GIG/SDU too, so not really worth it. Looks like we got the cash fare as low as it can be, so have locked that in now.

I just reminded myself of what I did.

It's worth seeing both sides.

I stayed on the Brazil side and did a day trip to the Argy side, see post #141: A high and dry, wild and wet, majestic history medley – RTW 2018

Do you have details of the tour guy you used? $35 (AUD I presume, rather than USD?) seems quite cheap. Otherwise, we're happy (as always) to do it the adventurous way

 

[Happy Trails]

The Itaipu dam is worth a visit too while you're in the area.

 

[bPeteb]

We used a private guide booked through Tours by Locals in Iguazu when we visited back in 2016. Marcello picked us up at our hotel in Puerto Iguazu and we did both sides of the falls.

I detailed the trip up to Iguaza and to BA in my trip report Pictures could never do this visit justice.

Marcelo is still listed. We had an excellent day.

Best Local Tour Guide in Puerto Iguazu Marcelo d. | Private Tours by ToursByLocals

Explore Puerto Iguazu with Marcelo d. an experienced local tour guide from ToursByLocals. Book our top-rated private tours offered by Marcelo d. in Puerto Iguazu now

www.toursbylocals.com

 

[Flashback]

We used a private guide booked through Tours by Locals in Iguazu when we visited back in 2016. Marcello picked us up at our hotel in Puerto Iguazu and we did bot sides of the falls.

I detailed the trip up to Iguaza and to BA in my trip report Pictures could never do this visit justice.

Marcelo is still listed. We had an excellent day.

Best Local Tour Guide in Puerto Iguazu Marcelo d. | Private Tours by ToursByLocals

Explore Puerto Iguazu with Marcelo d. an experienced local tour guide from ToursByLocals. Book our top-rated private tours offered by Marcelo d. in Puerto Iguazu now

www.toursbylocals.com

$280 USD for a day tour, yowser! Think we'll stick with our original plans, but good info for others coming across this thread who like the more spoon fed option

We're not pushed for time so will either taxi over and bus back, or just book a taxi for the day, they'll wait for you while you're there no issues.

We're going to then get an Uber up to the International Friendship bridge (about £2) and wander over to Paraguay later in the day 2. 3 countries in 1 day, why not. Decided to just stay on the Brazilian side both nights, flights and accommodation is booked now. Easy enough in the end.

 

[Verbal]

I visited Iguazu almost 2 decades ago so my info may be a little outdated. Didn't fly there, I did a 30 hour bus ride from Buenos Aires to Puerto Iguazu (that's 30 hours one-way, did the return journey as well).

The previous posts were similar to my experience, but wanted to add:

• I found that the people in Foz do Iguazu don't speak any Spanish. I know it's on the Brazilian side of the border but given it's proximity to Argentina I thought my Spanish would be fine there but nope, Portuguese only. This isn't an issue if you're only visiting the Falls and bypassing the border town.
• Apparently it's popular for Mexicans to get completely naked and get their photo taken under the waterfalls on the Argentinian side, at least with the ones I was travelling with at the time. I helped out by taking their photos on each of their cameras, but declined the nudity part for myself but did walk under the falls with swimwear. It was well worth the experience at the time, feeling the power of nature/gravity wash over you, totally different to surfing and getting dumped on by a massive wave.

We're not pushed for time so will either taxi over and bus back, or just book a taxi for the day, they'll wait for you while you're there no issues.

At the time of my border crossing, the bus just drove through the border carrying mostly locals without stopping at the checkpoint and passport control unless you ask the driver to stop there. I remember my return journey into Argentina, the driver called out (in Portuguese) "Does anyone need immigration?" and I was the only one to shout out "Si!" and was also the only one to get off for passport control. Not sure what the arrangement is for locals crossing the border but they stayed on the bus and kept on going while I got my passport stamped and waited for the next bus.

It was a totally different experience to say the bus crossing between Singapore and Malaysia where all travellers have to pass through immigration and customs, so the bus will stop and empty out twice for border control for both countries.

Again my Iguazu experience was almost 20 years ago so maybe things have changed, but if you decide to take the local bus just be ready for the fact that it may not stop at the border unless you ask the driver to do so.

 

[Flashback]

I visited Iguazu almost 2 decades ago so my info may be a little outdated. Didn't fly there, I did a 30 hour bus ride from Buenos Aires to Puerto Iguazu (that's 30 hours one-way, did the return journey as well).

The previous posts were similar to my experience, but wanted to add:

• I found that the people in Foz do Iguazu don't speak any Spanish. I know it's on the Brazilian side of the border but given it's proximity to Argentina I thought my Spanish would be fine there but nope, Portuguese only. This isn't an issue if you're only visiting the Falls and bypassing the border town.
• Apparently it's popular for Mexicans to get completely naked and get their photo taken under the waterfalls on the Argentinian side, at least with the ones I was travelling with at the time. I helped out by taking their photos on each of their cameras, but declined the nudity part for myself but did walk under the falls with swimwear. It was well worth the experience at the time, feeling the power of nature/gravity wash over you, totally different to surfing and getting dumped on by a massive wave.

At the time of my border crossing, the bus just drove through the border carrying mostly locals without stopping at the checkpoint and passport control unless you ask the driver to stop there. I remember my return journey into Argentina, the driver called out (in Portuguese) "Does anyone need immigration?" and I was the only one to shout out "Si!" and was also the only one to get off for passport control. Not sure what the arrangement is for locals crossing the border but they stayed on the bus and kept on going while I got my passport stamped and waited for the next bus.

It was a totally different experience to say the bus crossing between Singapore and Malaysia where all travellers have to pass through immigration and customs, so the bus will stop and empty out twice for border control for both countries.

Again my Iguazu experience was almost 20 years ago so maybe things have changed, but if you decide to take the local bus just be ready for the fact that it may not stop at the border unless you ask the driver to do so.

From all the research I did it seems to be much more common, so should be fine. You can imagine that it's probably a lot more tourist heavy now compared to 2 decades ago!