fluke

Hi, I am thinking of flying from BA to Iguazu Falls, seeing the Argentine side first then going to see the Brazil side and then flying to Rio or Salvador.

Questions: People seem to prefer the Lan flight but that doesnt get you to Iguazu till almost 2pm whereas Aerolinas has morning flights. Which would you take?

Can I then see most of the falls (argentine side) that day and then should i spend the night at the sheraton? the next day i would like to see the Brazil side so should I stay overnight in the BRazil side of the falls? if so, any recommendations?? or should i try to get the last flight out of brazil side to salvador or rio?

thanks

tully

just to note, LAN does have early am flights, maybe it depends on the time of year? - my flight in Oct leave at 740am to Iguazu.

avrooster

For what time of the year is your trip planned, fluke?

tengohambre

The reliability of Aerolineas as far as on time departures, strikes and who knows what else has been terrible for many months. It is not the airline it was just a couple of years ago (though most may not be either). Still, if you have an option other than Aerolineas I would opt for that.

fluke

this would be the last week of august. also would you recommending seeing both sides? how many days/nights do you need for that? thanks

avrooster

Well, yes, in late August LAN's earliest flight leaves at 11.50 AM, so, if you want to get to Iguazú earlier, you'd have to use Aerolíneas.

Two, or maybe three nights, if you also wish to see the Brazilian side are usually suggested.

If you get there early, you could stay at the Sheraton for two nights and cross to the Brazilian side after your second night, leaving late for Río or El Salvador from that side.

However, this apparently would require hiring a car for the whole day and leaving all your luggage in said car, an idea I'm not wholly comfortable with. Well, if the car is provided by the Sheraton, it should be OK.

Have a great time in our country.

Carrabella

See both sides for sure! There are more walkways on the Argentinian side, upper and lower walks, and the Sheraton is right there, but as I remember, tha National Park has opening and closing times, so one can't wander anywhere one likes in the dark. Lots of gardens though. At least a whole day for this. A morning or afternoon is enough for the Brazilian side of the Falls, but there is a bird park I'd like to see next time too.
Stay overnight at the Sheraton if you can afford it, and go to the Brazilian side on the day you leave, or arrive. They say the Brazil side in the morning, Argentinian side in the afternoon, for photography. (I'm researching it again)

jcasale

Having just been to Iguazu Falls and done both the Brazil and Argentinian side, my advice is to plan as much time as you can - you will not regret it. We checked in to the Sheraton at about 3pm and went out and did the Power Circuit and then the Upper Circuit the first day. The second day we spent the whole day over in Brazil doing a helicopter flight, the Macuco Safari (fabulous!) and then walking the walkway on that side. The final day we did the train out to Devil's Throat right after breakfast and then headed to the airport. We really regretted not having another day so that we could have taken more time with some of the walks, gotten over to the island (San Martin, maybe? Can't remember it's name), and spent some time relaxing in the pool at the Sheraton. I cannot stress enough how absolutely amazing the falls are and how you will want to spend time just gawking and taking in the immense power of the water.

Regarding flights - we took the early morning Aerolineas flight from BA and it was right on time (we went to the Yacutinga Jungle Lodge for 2 nights prior to going to the Sheraton) which I guess is unusual for them. The one glitch we had was that I had accidentally left my iPod in my checked bags and it was stolen so we had to spend an hour filing a report on that. Very aggravating. But otherwise our experience with them was pretty positive.