rkkwan

Hi, long time Fodorite on my first trip to S. America this Sept. Three adults are arriving IGU on the Brazilian side at 6:05p on 9/21, and departing also from IGU at 12:43p on 9/24. So, we have two full days there, and are planning to spend one full day each on either side of the falls.

I've read arguments about going to which side first, but more importantly, where would you stay? With a relatively late departure on 9/24, I assume we can actually spend all three nights at the same hotel in Puerto on the Argentinian side - that way we don't have to switch hotels. Is that reasonable, and are we missing anything by not staying at least one night in Foz on the Brazilian side?

Second is transportation. I have seen all the taxi costs, and wonder if it makes sense for us to rent a car at IGU instead (which I know is okay to drive to Argentina with the Carta Verde but NOT Paraguay). Will it be a hassle if we just just taxis (or even buses) and go back and forth the border during our days? I have driven in various non-English countries with no issues prior.

Thanks for all information and tips.

tripplanner001

I would go with your initial thoughts of staying on one side of the falls, and spending one day on each side. If you have the additional time, then I would spend more time on the Argentine side, so staying there makes sense. I don't have an answer on the rental car question but taxis are relatively easy and can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour depending on traffic at the border crossing.

SambaChula

The buses are fine for getting around to both sides of the park.

Stay on the side you are leaving from.

rkkwan

I just figure if we stay on the Argentinian side, we will need to cross the border total of 4 times. Which is probably not a very big deal.

rkkwan

Now having read a few more comments, may switch to 9/21 and 9/22 nights in Puerto, then move back to 9/23 for hotel in Foz and visit the Brazilian side of the falls. This way, no need to worry about crossing the border on 9/24.

SambaChula

There's no need to worry about crossing the border AT ALL. Don't make it I to a bigger deal than it is. It's a local bus. Locals make this trip daily, routinely, like taking a local bus anywhere else, downtown to go shopping for example. It takes maybe 45 minutes from hotel in Foz to park entrance in Argentina; the border is not much different than a toll booth. In fact, I probably spend more time in line at the toll booth on my morning commute at home than I did at that border crossing. Shlepping luggage around to stay at two hotels is not necessary IMO.

thursdaysd

I used buses exclusively, but I was traveling solo. No problem at all crossing the border to go to and from the falls in Brazil. But the bus I picked up after arriving at the Brazilian aurport dropped me at the border and kept going with the locals. Since it was Sunday had a bit of a wait for the next. I stayed on the Argentinian side because the guidebooks suggested the Brazilian town was less safe. Click on my name for my TR for more.

rkkwan

Thanks all for the further comments.

SambaChula

There is no rationale for considering the city of Foz do Iguazu to be unsafe or less safe. At least one guidebook for Brazil was written by someone who famously never left home, you know, Foz is a small city, whereas Puerto Iguazu is a village. Some people prefer the village feeling, and the supposedly cheaper prices for housing.

thursdaysd

One of the guidebooks in question was Fodors.

SambaChula

I would respectfully disagree (both from personal experience and, unlike for Rio, the utter lack of crime reports for Foz on any of the travel forums) and would like to see the statistics on which any author based such an unfounded opinion. My own trusty guidebook, one of the ones you mentioned in the tr, brings up NO issues about safety in Foz. Although Foz has a population of 230K and Puerto 82K, a big difference itself in conditions, character and 'feel' anywhere in the world.

Our experience in Brazil has apparently been quite different though. Even one of your trip report readers commented on the "unusual amount of aggravation" reported, while in 20+ years of regular travel to Brazil, I have encountered little.

The main factor here IMO is unnecessarily shlepping luggage back and forth across borders. You were going on into Argentina iirc, but this OP is returning to Rio.

thursdaysd

Some of the aggravation was the bus driver cited above. However, Footprints also agrees that the Argentinian side is a better place to stay. Google it.

SambaChula

A "better place to stay"? As I mentioned, some people like the smaller town feel of Puerto, and (particularly during the past period when the dollar was not doing so well in relation to the Brazilian real) the supposedly cheaper prices in Argentina.

(Guidebooks take a long while to get to press. The dollar is doing quite well currently against the real, so prices in Brazil have gotten much lower for those with dollars, so "cheaper" may not be such a major factor. Foz also has hostels if cost is an important factor.)

Most importantly, I would never recommend dragging luggage across borders two times more than necessary, probably adding to expense by using a taxi instead of a cheap bus, nor moving hotels in such a compact and easy to get around area.

If someone flying in and out of the Brazilian IGU airport wants to get a feel of the vibe in Puerto, simply stop for a bit on the way to the park, or on the way back.

SambaChula

As there are places like Rio where there is sufficient reason for you the foreign tourist to be vigilant at all times, when you are in a smaller, more tranquil city like Foz, and in the park itself, take the time/thought to relax and appreciate that in Foz there is not significant crime against tourists.

Crime in this three country area tends to be largely against Brazilian small shop owners coming on the interstate bus to Paraguay with lots of cash and leaving with lots of cheap(er) merchandise for resale at home.

rkkwan

I am not worrying about safety. It's not a big issue for us, and I haven't said anything about it in my inquiry. And we will not be carrying luggage back and forth the border. Regardless, it will be one time with luggage to Argentina, and one time with luggage back to Brazil.

Only question is whether to spend 3rd night in Argentina, or move back to Foz for that night.

thursdaysd

I would stay in one place, but these days I am avoiding one-nighters as much as possible. Nothing I have read about Foz would suggest it is worth a move, and I didn't take time from the falls to take a look at it.

SambaChula

Exactly. How can you presume to comment on or compare a place you have never been personally?
Guidebooks are not infallible, just the opinion of one person who wrote the book, and may have spent little (or no) time in an area. (Brazil is, after all, a huge country.) And having looked a couple more major guidebooks I have in my library, I see no mention of safety problems in Foz. Some tourists simply think they might prefer the more village than city feel of Puerto, or are going on further into Argentina.

@OP
"One time with luggage to Argentina, and one time with luggage back to Brazil" IS back and forth.......needlessly IMO, but YMMV.
Do pay for a taxi across, rather than the bus, to make life easier.

The timing of your flight, check in lead times, and possible delays crossing the border should be taken into consideration when deciding where to spend the night before.

thursdaysd

And some people protest too much.

thursdaysd

You might try telling us why anyone would want to go to Foz. What's the attraction?

rkkwan

Samba - I am flying into and out of IGU. Because we will spend most of the time on the Argentina side, we will stay at least 2 nights in Puerto. So, we WILL take our luggage to Argentina once and back to Brazil once. That's not going to change. Maybe you are telling me to spend all three nights at Foz, so we don't need to haul luggage cross the border. But we won't do that.