Rosie and The Operator are middle aged holiday enthusiasts who do not travel the world on a tight budget. We would describe our travel style as middle of the road 3/4 stars….we don’t like to waste our travel pennies, but we don’t mind paying a little extra for once in a lifetime experiences. Our side trip to Iguazu is truly one of those once in a lifetime trips and we pushed the boat out for this super amazing 5 star experience.
Our travels had us based in Buenos Aires and we wanted to take a two day trip to Iguazu Falls in the North of Argentina bordering Brazil. We researched long and hard for info and facts to make our life easier for this two day excursion….there was a lot of fragmented information or plenty of info for the backpacking budget traveler…which we are not…lets face it an 18 hour overnight bus trip from Buenos Aires to Iguazu to save on costs does not do it for Rosie at all.
Itinerary – Rosie and The Operator are flying from Buenos Aires to Iguazu, being collected at the airport by a private transfer service which is new for us, driven directly to the Brazillian side of Iguazu Falls where we will sight see, leaving our suitcases in the trunk of the transfer car. The same transfer service, who has waited for us, will drive us back to Argentina directly to our hotel, where we will check into The Gran Melia inside the Iguazu National Park where we will stay for two nights. Our second day will be spent independently visiting the Argentinian side of Iguazu Falls. Lets go!
How long do I need to stay in Iguazu to visit both sides of the Falls? Two nights in Iguazu is all you need. Spend the day of your arrival visiting the Brazilian side of the Falls and Day 2 hiking/strolling the Argentine side. The trick is timing your travel to be able to maximise two full days and have the balance between the important sightseeing and a bit of R&R. See Rosies tips on how to do this below.
Which side of the waterfalls are the best for photos and view, Brazil or Argentina? – The Iguazu Falls span both countries of Argentina and Brazil. Both sides are very different and Rosie would definitely recommend seeing both if you are able bodied as there is a bit of walking. No real level of fitness is required if you can stroll. The walking tracks are man made, flat and solid with very few steps and stairs. Both sides have 100% access for the disabled and/or wheelchair bound.
Brazil – On this side you are the farthest away from the falls and the views are expansive and panoramic. It is a photographers dream as you walk the one way viewing track. Around every bends and turn, the photos just keep getting better and better. Allow three hours to slowly stroll the 2.5km one way track and take millions of photos. If you can only see one side of the falls…Rosie would pick this side.
Argentina – This side is a little more physical and has 3 circuits to walk which are all different and impressive. At the start of the trail heads, each track is about a 2.5km long loop with the viewing platforms at the halfway point. This side allows you to get above, below and into the falls, giving you a very immersive experience…and Rosie means immersive…you will get a little wet standing gazing in awe as the impressive Garganta de Diablo rages around you!
Upper Circuit – The Upper Circuit lets you see many falls at river level, from up high looking down standing on the curve where the calm meandering river falls into the canyon below, was incredible. If you didn’t have time or the inclination to do all three circuits, Rosie would skip this one.
Lower Circuit – this route was stunning….and Rosie’s favorite. The track has you at a height halfway down the canyon where you can see the many waterfalls cascading beautifully down into the surrounding jungle, it then leads you down to the bottom of the falls where you are at the pool level looking up. This track would be the most challenging but no great level of fitness is needed. There are a lot steps and stairs and the track is man made and has hand rails. There are ramps to get wheelchairs to the main viewing platforms, which does mean you get to miss half of the great views along the way.
Garganta de Diablo – The Devils Throat – Make this your first stop of the day, everyone and Rosie means everyone visiting the park visits this main show stopper. You will stand basically in the throat of this mega waterfall and be surrounded by its roar and watery power. You will get abit wet…but in the humidity it is welcome. A wee train will drive you about 5km to the trail head for your easy walk in. Rosie would recommend being on the first train of the day to the falls…it is achievable if you are staying in the park. This sight is amazing and was slightly dampened for us by the crush of people there, it was intense. The irony, we were the 5th train of the morning and it was only 0930am.
TIP – Rosie had trouble finding what time the first train left…the hotel didn’t have this necessary information but the ticket booth to the train (tickets are free, the tickets announce which train you are on and how long you will have to wait for a train) is only about a five minute walk from the hotel. Go and check yourself on Day One so you are all set for first thing on Day Two as the times seem to vary with the seasons.
How do I get to Iguazu and which airport do I fly into? We flew from Buenos Aires to IGU, the Argentine airport in Iguazu on Airolingus the National Carrier of Argentina. We took the direct 0610am flight which had us landing at 0815am. This might seem early but you are ready to start the day sight seeing as soon as you hit the ground! It also means you have finished your first day of sight seeing at 2.00pm so you are all ready to check in and maximise the beautiful hotel.
TIP DO NOT ARRIVE AT THE AIRPORT LATER THAN THE RECOMMENDED 90 MINS BEFORE YOUR FLIGHT….arrive later and you may not have time for security as the queues were pretty long. We arrived 90 minutes before and had only twenty minutes to spare before we started boarding.
Accommodation at The Gran Melia in Iguazu Google it and just do it! Book a balcony room with a waterfall view, look out over the Jungle and watch those falls from your bed, from the glass bathroom and from the balcony. Yes it is expensive, but it is so worth it and you are never coming back here again and the memories will last a lifetime! The advantages of staying here?
Look out over the jungle from your room to the waterfalls – it is incredible and so peaceful!
Breakfast is included in the room rate….it is a veritable feast, free mimosas, cooked breakfast to your bespoke order and Rosie could just go on and on. The onsite restaurants and bar was surprisingly good value seeing as it is the only place to eat. Or, be like us, and pack a couple of bottles of wine and a few snacks to have on your private terrace.
There’s an infinity pool, bring your swimwear, it doesn’t matter what time of the year it is, it will be hot and humid.
Mid day check out – time your flight to about 2pm, then walk out of the hotel at midday after a nice lie in and leisurely breakfast, maximising the beautiful hotel.
The Hotel is inside the National Park! The hiking tracks do not open to the public until 0800 but you will have a half hour jump on those coming into the park as you are already there and many steps ahead of the pack. Plus, although not officially allowed I believe, you can start walking the tracks earlier if you are staying at the hotel. There is no signage to the contrary and the tracks are not closed off inside the park, we started at about 0700am!
Your transfer services can all be arranged from the hotel website. We recommend booking in advance.
TIP – Remember in Argentina foreign passport holders who pay by credit card get a 22% discount off all hotel accommodation as we do not have to pay the hotel tax. It has just bought down the cost of this expensive hotel! Yay! Rosie also booked her room through Booking.Com and she gets Genius discounts because of the amount of bookings she has made through the site….double yay, another extra 15% off.
How do I get to Brazilian Falls and where do I leave my bags if I arrive early before check in? The Gran Melia has an airport transfer service that can collect you direct from the airport and take you to and from the Hotel. Or, as we did, the Hotel transfer service collected us from the airport arrivals terminal with our name on an electronic board and took us to the Brazilian side of the Falls for a day of sight seeing. Derlise, our, smartly uniformed, English speaking driver drove us directly to Brazil in his beautiful air conditioned SUV with bottled water and warm refresher towels on the back seat. He navigates us through the Argentine and Brazilian border controls on the way quickly and with ease. Derlise then takes us to the express ticket booth, advises us on the walking trail and while we are sightseeing our suitcases are stowed in the trunk of the car while he waits for us. After three hours of sightseeing we are driven back to The Gran Melia hotel in Argentina so we can check in.
Cost – Transfer Only to and from the airport = $700ARP = $12NZD – each way – we paid the driver at the airport when we left Iguazu.
Above Itinerary to Brazil and Return – $5,000ARP = $137NZD for a 6 hour Trip – Pay the driver on drop off to The Gran Melia at the end of the day.
TIP – We were just planning on negotiating with a taxi driver at the airport to do this exact same trip. However, when arriving at the airport, there were strangely no apparent taxis to be seen anywhere. Plus, Rosie and The Operator only speak a modicum of Spanglish and surprisingly we have come across very few people outside of hotels and some restaurants that speak English. Plus, The Operator wasn’t happy leaving our bags with a random taxi driver. We normally travel independently and also considered renting our own car for the day….don’t bother, you will waste so much time at the two border crossings there and back which are so complicated, we would have been held up there no end where as the transfer car had an express lane. Take the transfer, totally hassle and stress free, it was worth every penny! Needs to be booked in advance, can do this from The Gran Melia Hotel website.
Iguazu National Park Fees – So much is written about these fees which make it sound complicated. The Gran Melia is located within the National Park. Anyone entering the National Park, a tourist visiting for the day or a resident of the Hotel must pay a fee to get into the National Park, the fee is for the parks upkeep and to maintain the beautiful trails. You pay at a ticket booth as you enter the driveway to the park. You only pay once if you are staying at the Hotel but you can come and go as many times in and out of the park as you want during your stay just by showing the receipt at the ticket booth. Rosie and The Operator had plans of going to visit the town of Iguazu….they soon melted away upon check in and we never left the Hotel once we got there…you will understand why if you stay there.
Rosie and The Operator will remember this trip to Iguazu Falls forever. The sight of the waterfalls was truly incredible and those beautiful images are burned into Rosies brain forever. Coupled with the seamless tranfers to see them and the amazing luxury we stayed in at The Gran Melia….well, it was the perfect get away.
Check out Rosies Diary links as she reports on her thoughts of the falls Iguazu Falls, Argentina – Hiking The Trails & Iguazu Falls, Brazil – Picture Perfect
We hope you find our tips useful for visiting Iguazu Falls and staying at The Gran Melia Hotel, especially if it makes your life that little bit easier if you are planning the same trip. Enjoy! It will indeed be the trip of a lifetime.
