Hello,

I'm going to Argentina in December and my friend and I are of course planning to visit the Iguazu falls. We know that if we want to cross to the Brazilian side of the park we have to get a Visa, which is a bit of a hassle. My question is do we have to cross to the Brazilian side? We're only going to be there for 2 days so I find that the hassle of getting a Visa might not be worth it, what do you think? I hear the falls are spectacular and definitely worth seeing but I wonder if we'll be happy staying in Argentina only.

Thanks.

We saw the falls from Argentina only and it's definitely THE right side to see them on. You won't regret it . it's absolutely spectacular. We were lucky in that we were the only people there at the time - if it's crowded it's probably less awesome but i'm sure you'll love it. If you can afford it the big hotel - sheraton i think - inside the park is the best place to stay and the only time I would reccommend that sort of hotel vs a small one in town. Enjoy it!

The Argentine side is great. I think there are some tours that take you to the Bazilian side for the day and back and does not require visa. Maybe you want to ask when you arrive there. But its not like you're missing something really different and amazing.

Hi, Once there try to visit both sides. It is worth it, being a different view.
In my experience if you hire a car in your hotel on the Argentine side he will take care of everything and you will be able to go and come back without a visa. One hundred per cent legal? guess not , but it is the way it goes. Once on the Brazilian side there is a nice old colonial hotel ideal for a pleasant lunch, on Saturdays they served the national dishe Feojada and great caipirihnas, also soft live music.
There are other things to visit which the taxi knows. We hired the taxi for several hours and it was worth it.Not very expensive.

Hi,

We just got back from Argentina. We stayed at the Sheraton Iguazu Falls for two nights. It was fine. They booked us into a suite because I am a Starwood premium member. The views were fantastic. The hotel is a bit dated and the food is lacking, but the service is good, the hotel is clean, and you can't beat the location.

We arranged to have a car drive us to the Brazilian side (we did this through a service in the hotel lobby). It did not require a visa--I think some money exchanged hands between our cab driver and the Brazilian Federales. We had a nice chat in the car with the driver (in Spanish--most don't speak much English). He drove us over the border and to the gate of the Brazilian Park were he waited for us for a few hours while we took a hike. The park on the Brazilian side was in better shape and it was nice to see the falls from a different perspective, but it wasn't a must-do. No passport stamp either.

Have fun! We hiked and saw tons of birds and butterflies. It was a great couple of days.

It is far more important to take the boat ride under the falls on the Argentina side than it is to visit the Brazilan side, although Brazil's park is nice and the perspective is different from that side. If you go, do so only after seeing all three circuts on the Argentina side and taking the boat ride...Then, time permitting, get a local cabbie to take you across and don't worry about a visa....

rozelle - I came here to post this <i>exact</i> same question. Thanks for beating me to it.

~gnr~