South America : Argentina : Puerto Iguazú
Puerto Iguazu
Puerto Iguazú is a tourist city in the Northeast of Argentina at the Triborder with Paraguay and Brazil. It mainly serves the needs of the tourists visiting the Iguaçu Falls close-by.
Get in
By Plane
Aeropuerto International Cataratas del Iguazu (IATA: IGR) (ICAO: SARI) is close to the waterfall and to the city of Puerto Iguazú. There are daily flights to Buenos Aires.
By Bus
Direct buses to Buenos Aires (many companies), Salta (Andesmar), Mendoza, Cordoba (Mercobus, Cruzero del Norte), Posadas and other places.
Get around
- A bus leaves twice hourly from the terminal to the entrance on the Argentine side of the falls (4 Pesos). Most hotels have the timetable.
- Frequent buses cross the border to Foz do Iguaçu where you can change to a bus to the Brazilian side of the falls
- Some buses cross to Ciudad del Este without stopping in Brazil (hence, no need for Brazilian im- and emmigration)
- There is a ferry crossing directly to Paraguay (look for the sign on the corner Av. Missiones and Brasil). About once hourly during daylight. 6 Pesos for foot passenger. On the Paraguayan side walk up to the main street and take any bus going to the right (don't believe "Taxi" drivers telling you there is no bus, they are just up to overcharging you). You can pay the ride in pesos (2 Pesos). When you arrive at the roundabout about half an hour later you are in the centre of Ciudad del Este, for the bus terminal you have to get off earlier.
- Taxis operate with fixed prices which makes the distance to both parks from your hotel irrelevant. A trip from your hotel in or near Puerto Iguazú to the Argentine park or vice versa costs 60 AR$. Round trips are advertised as double but most taxi drivers will do the trip for 100 AR$ if asked. Do not be amazed if the very same driver waits for you for hours. Taxi drivers will store your luggage in their taxi while waiting. A round trip from your hotel to a supermarket in Puerto Iguazú costs 10 AR$.
See
- Three Frontiers Landmark, (walk down Av. Tres Fronteras). Have a look at Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, all in the same glimps of the eye while there are cargo freighters making slowly their way along thw water.free.
Do
Get a sweet tan.
Buy
- Souvenirs are sold in the street as well as in many shops
- There are two Money changers on Av. V. Aguirre (downtown)
Eat
- La Rueda, Av. Cordoba. Excellent food, and probably the nicest restaurant in Puerto Iguazú esthetically. The Pollo al Diablo (Chicken Devil's Style) is delicious. English spoken.
Drink
- La Barranca, nice place near both rivers and the Three Frontiers Landmark (Marco das três fronteira), nice people and live music at weekends.
Sleep
Budget
- Hostel Inn Iguazu, Ruta 12 Km 5, Puerto Iguazú, ++54-3757-421823, [1]. Dorms 11 US$ (members). Has a pool and tiki bar, air-conditioned rooms, a young, partying crowd, nightly events, daily sports games, free internet, free breakfast, bar and restaurant. You can get there by taking the bus that goes to the falls (leaving from the terminal).
- Residencial Uno, Fray Luis Beltrán 116, Puerto Iguazú. +54-3757-420529. (residencialuno@gmail.com). Warm and comfortable hostel in the heart of Puerto Iguazú. It offers private rooms, breakfast, free internet access & wi-fi area, swimming pool, air conditioner, BBQ area, Cable TV & DVD lounge, among others services. Two blocks from the bus station and less than 5 minutes from downtown. Dorms from u$ 9. Doubles from u$ 25.
- Pousada Timbó, Av. Misiones 147, Puerto Iguazú(5 min. walk down Av. Misiones from the bus terminal.), ☎ ++54 3757 422 698, [2]. Good and centrally located hostel with dorms on the rather big side - number of beds as well as space. Free internet, welcoming, breakfast included. 10 US$.
- El Viejo Americano, Ruta 12 Km 5, Puerto Iguazú, (03757) 420 190,[3]. Very cheap and great for camping. There are also bungalows and normal rooms. You can get there by taking the bus that goes to the falls (leaving from the terminal). There are pools, a restaurant, convenience store and soccer fields, which are all very well maintained. Many fire pits for barbecues and other niceties. Bugs galore so bring plenty of repellent.
- Hostel El Güembé [4]. El Urú 120, Puerto Iguazú. 03757-421035. (info@elguembe.com.ar). Small, friendly and relaxed hostel, offering both shared and private rooms. In a very nice, tranquil and green part of town, only 5 min. from the bus terminal.
Mid-Range
- Hostería Los Helechos, Paulino Amarante 76, Puerto Iguazú. 03757-420338, [5]. Excellent and comfortable hostel. Very centrally located, just two blocks from the bus station. Lots of facilities including swimming pool.
- Hotel Tierra Colorada, El Urú 28, Puerto Iguazú. 03757-420649. Pleasant and friendly small hotel, comfortable rooms.
Splurge
SecretGardenIguazu B&B - A three room affair, conveniently located in the town of Puerto Iguazu. High on concept the secret garden is populated by tree ferns and other shade-loving plants salvaged from the slash and burn rural and logging activities decimating the surrounding rain-forest. Our location allows you to get a feel of living in a small South American frontier town and has easy access to urban amenities - supermarkets, restaurants and public transport to the Iguazu Falls and the two neighboring countries of Paraguay and Brazil.
Contact
Get out
- You can visit the Itaipu Dam - one of the largest dams and the biggest hydroelectric powerplant in the world on either the Paraguayan side (Ciudad del Este) or the Brazilian side (Foz do Iguaçu).
- On the way to Posadas the red sandstone ruins of the Jesuit mission of San Ignacio Miní are well worth a visit.
This page was last edited at 02:06, on 12 March 2009 by Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. Based on work by Roland and Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel.