Iguazu Falls tour info from B. Aires

[sandyss]

We're cruising Buenos Aires to Antarctica in February 2013, arriving early Friday morning before a 5:00 pm Sunday sailaway. I REALLY want to see Iguazu Falls, but am having trouble arranging the trip due to time factors. The best I've been able to find is a Saturday morning flight to Iguazu and return to BA Sunday morning. The earliest flight available on LAN arrives in BA at 11:45 am. Will we be able to make it to the ship in time to check in for 5:00 departure? How risky is this time frame considering the frequency of delays or flight changes on LAN? There is a ship excursion available, but it costs almost double the DIY version. Is it worth it for the security of knowing we won't miss the boat? Due to work schedules, we absolutely cannot come any earlier or stay after the cruise.

 

As Artemis said, that really isn't enough time to do justice to the falls. It will be very costly for a very short time at the falls. Save the falls for another trip when you can spend at least two full days there, seeing both the Argentine and Brazilian sides of the falls.

 

Logistically - Are you flying into BA on Friday morning? Be aware that domestic flights leave from a different airport, approximately an hour away from the international airport. Traffic could make it longer than an hour. You would need a minimum of three hours between flights.

 

I talked to one person who took the Celebrity ship excursion, and didn't think that it was worth it. If you decide to go that route, be sure to start a topic on how people liked the one-day ship excursion.

[Artemis]

^ good point about flight options. There are more out of the domestic, but there are some flights to/from the falls out of EZE international. Obviously, if they aren't timed in a way to make this happen, you simply don't have time to add an airport change to your schedule.

 

 

 

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[BettyRuth]

Arriving in B.Aires on a cruise in early Jan, 2013, and would like to consider taking a tour to Iguazu falls. Would appreciate any tour info/options on it. I do NOT have any time restraints, and would like an economical tour if possible.

 

Thanx

 

We are doing this in late December prior to our Jan 4, 2013 cruise departure. We booked with Diego at Discover Uruguay Tours. Price seemed good as did online reviews. Betti

[harcin]

Has anyone flown into GRU to get to Igauzu? We leave out of BA on the Infinity on 3/4 (may board on 3/3) but plan to leave from the states 2/27? Doesn't seem necessary to go to BA first, given the distance between the two airports. Thoughts?

Much appreciated,

Cindy

[sandyss]

Has anyone flown into GRU to get to Igauzu? We leave out of BA on the Infinity on 3/4 (may board on 3/3) but plan to leave from the states 2/27? Doesn't seem necessary to go to BA first, given the distance between the two airports. Thoughts?

Much appreciated,

Cindy

 

We flew out of GRU for the same reason. We avoided BA on the way home. (Our cruise was in the opposite direction.) In BA, there is usually a change of airports - which are around an hour apart, and can be horrendous in high traffic times.

 

You should definitely fly direct to GRU (avoiding BA) and then stay at either side of the falls. Then fly to BA from Puerto Iguazu to the Domestic Airport in BA, which is close to the Port. Allow enough time, in case your flight times are changed - LAN is notorious for that.

[harcin]

We flew out of GRU for the same reason. We avoided BA on the way home. (Our cruise was in the opposite direction.) In BA, there is usually a change of airports - which are around an hour apart, and can be horrendous in high traffic times.

 

You should definitely fly direct to GRU (avoiding BA) and then stay at either side of the falls. Then fly to BA from Puerto Iguazu to the Domestic Airport in BA, which is close to the Port. Allow enough time, in case your flight times are changed - LAN is notorious for that.

 

Thanks so much, just needed confirmation of my plan. What was the name of the B&B where you stayed?

[sandyss]

Thanks so much, just needed confirmation of my plan. What was the name of the B&B where you stayed?

 

We stayed at Secret Garden B&B. We definitely recommend it. The owner, John, arranged for transfers for us wherever we wanted to go - sightseeing or restaurants. In a few cases, we walked to close by restaurants.

 

Don't miss seeing the falls from the Brazilian side. That was definitely the best viewpoint.

 

Remember that you will have to obtain a Brazilian Visa ahead of time in order to enter the country. But you will probably (not positive) avoid the Argentina reciprocity fee, since you will be arriving at the domestic airport.

[4774Papa]

Try this company http://patagoniashorex.com/buenos_iguazu.html . Remember, you must have a Brazilian visa to go on this trip. I think it costs about $100

The website didn't have prices for the falls trip. How much was the trip?

[madera1]

As some of the previous respondents suggested I have been tryin to do this trip on our own after our cruise. I found that Expedia had a package deal for 2 nights at the Sheraton with the flight that was at a reasonable price. Has anyone had experience in booking flights/room using Expedia?

[me429sb]

I have booked both flights and hotel rooms on Expedia without any troubles. They send through flight updates religiously and if you have a problem and need to talk to someone they have a 24hr call centre. For some reason I found that Lan flights are much cheaper on Expedia than on the Lan website.:)

[madera1]

I went ahead and booked a package deal using Expedia for the flight and two nights in March at the Sheraton. I phoned the Sheraton and they will provide transportation to and from the airport. The car is $32 for four of us and then we also pay the entrance fees per person to the park. After reading CC posts we determined we did not need to hire a tour company/guide. We are in our 60's.

[clarkovitch]

Yes, the LAN website is always easily the most expensive place to book their flights - seems crazy!

[grayjay]

I was not able to book Iguazu Falls Airport (IGR) through the site you mentioned. All they offered was Foz de Iguazu (IGU)on the Brazilian side of the Falls and the package deals weren't chaper, either. So these things seem to change daily - I tried both the European and the international site. So I bit the bullet and paid 370 Euros for the return ticket to Iguazu (IGR) with LAN directly but was compensated by getting a nice senior rate at the Sheraton Hotel.

[madera1]

I just looked again at my reservation and we do fly in and out of IGR. Perhaps the site is only given so many seats per flight to sell?

[dmc511]

As some of the previous respondents suggested I have been tryin to do this trip on our own after our cruise. I found that Expedia had a package deal for 2 nights at the Sheraton with the flight that was at a reasonable price. Has anyone had experience in booking flights/room using Expedia?

 

I just booked the Expedia option for January 2013 as it was the only discount I could find for the flight/Sheraton combo. It was a $200 savings over booking the flights and hotel separately.

[dmc511]

I am flying in from the States and then changing airports to fly to IGR. Does anyone have a suggestion for how to get between airports? I have 5 hours between the scheduled arrival and the scheduled departure. Easy is more important than cheap to me as I will be exhausted from the international flight.

[Catamarca]

Arriving in B.Aires on a cruise in early Jan, 2013, and would like to consider taking a tour to Iguazu falls. Would appreciate any tour info/options on it. I do NOT have any time restraints, and would like an economical tour if possible.

 

Thanx

We lived in Argentina for three years and visited Iguazu on our own. We stayed in the hotel in the park on the Argentine side, and it was wonderful, you can simply walk out the door and explore on your own. That includes going right to the falls, taking a tour from the hotel that takes you in a boat under the water falls, etc. We went into Brazil as well, and frankly it was not worth it. The best part of Igauzu is on the Argentine side!

[Catamarca]

I am flying in from the States and then changing airports to fly to IGR. Does anyone have a suggestion for how to get between airports? I have 5 hours between the scheduled arrival and the scheduled departure. Easy is more important than cheap to me as I will be exhausted from the international flight.

 

 

 

#1 Check with your main airline to see if there is a shuttle between Ezeiza and Jorge Newbery, if not just hire a car (known as a remis) or take a taxi - there are stands in the airport as soon as you exit the customs hall. You get a ticket and the driver will identify himself to you, do not accept "invitations" from unauthorized taxi drivers roaming the arrivals hall! It's a straight drive down the autoroute and up the Costanera road to the city airport, which is reasonably small and easy to navigate. There are a few shops and some places to eat inside while you wait for your flight.

 

Enjoy it! While you are up in the Igauzu area, if you have time, go to see the ruins of the Jesuit missions in the southern part of the province, simply gorgeous! You can probably arrange an excursion while you are at the Sheraton (and I agree with other posts here, you may save money by staying elsewhere, but then you miss the wonderful experience of being right in the park. Don't skimp on this!

[JNB]

I agree with the posters that suggested you book LAN on your own (and that the price you have seen is "normal") and stay at the Sheraton in the park on the Argentina side. Many resources suggest that you should see the Falls from both sides, but this is not economical. When we went two years ago, if you wanted to obtain a Brazilian Visa you had get a yellow fever vaccine (which after investigation into the potential side effects we decided against) in addition to the cost of the Visa. For Argentina, the yellow fever shot is only recommended if you are going to the "jungle".

 

If you are daring and really want to see the Falls from both sides and want to save money, you can find many internet search results that post about guides that will take you accross the border without a Visa and that the border guards simply let you through--we are not that adventurous.

 

There is not much to check-in or security checks with LAN and it was very quick. We left our luggage at our hotel in BA and took only an overnight bag. We did not splurge on the Falls view room, we faced the parking lot, but we spent our awake time on the various paths to the Falls.

 

It was a great addition to our trip to SA, worth the cost of the airfare and hotel. We found the Sheraton to be on par with Sheraton hotels around the world and what you would expect-- an upmarket chain hotel catering to American expectations.

 

I hope you enjoy.

 

We booked our airport transfers through an interent provider: http://www.iguazufallstours.net/?event=offer.detail&offerId=13934

[MalibuCA]

Dr. Dawggy posted:

 

"Ground transportation is easy enough to arrange in advance or on site."

 

We have booked our room at the Sheraton. We will need ground transportation from the airport in Iguazu to the Sheraton, and then, transport back again to the airport the next day. We are not going to the Brazilian side.

 

Is there any reason why we would need additional ground transportation than for r/t airport/hotel?

 

How do we arrange for our ground transportation in advance? Will the Sheraton arrange this for us, or is there someone else I should be contacting?

 

Thanks,

Shelley

[madera1]

We are arriving in February and I have contacted the hotel and was told that they could provide the transportation to and from the airport for a fee. We just need to contact them with our flight information. Our daughter stayed at this hotel a few years ago and said she did not need a car.

[Orlando Vic]

Dr. Dawggy posted:

 

"Ground transportation is easy enough to arrange in advance or on site."

 

We have booked our room at the Sheraton. We will need ground transportation from the airport in Iguazu to the Sheraton, and then, transport back again to the airport the next day. We are not going to the Brazilian side.

 

Is there any reason why we would need additional ground transportation than for r/t airport/hotel?

 

Absolutely no need for any additional ground transportation. You are inside the National Park. If you want to have dinner in Puerto Iguazú, you can take the local bus from the hotel and a taxi back.

[Catamarca]

You can easily obtain ground transportation by taxi, or private car (i.e., not identified as a taxi) known as a remis, at the airport. Don't use a gypsy cab! The hotel can arrange for a taxi or remis if you want to go elsewhere during your stay, otherwise everything is in walking distance - and you are in the Sheraton to enjoy the park! It's a fantastic experience.

[doktor]

Has anyone use Designer Trips in Buenos Aires?

 

Thanks for any info!

 

Sandy

[Rambo1985]

Hi

 

I am after a bit of advice, i am looking at going on Celebrity infinity next year and i have got my ta arranging a pre tour before the cruise.

 

I am looking at visiting the falls, but am slightly concerned incase the flight is delayed and i could miss the ship i have read on here about the flights being delayed or cancelled

 

Could you see the falls in 1 day??

 

Many Thanks