The spectacular waterfalls of the Iguazu River are located in the Iguazu National Park on the border of Argentina and Brazil, providing visitors with a considerable conundrum as to how to get to Iguazu Falls. Should you visit via Brazil or Argentina? How do you get there from your home country?
In this post we’ll look at all the ways to reach the falls, but remember, no matter which route you choose be sure to obtain the relevant visas and pay any relevant reciprocity fees in good time before you travel!
Brazil is huge, it’s so big that it takes up nearly half of all of the land in the continent of South America, so the best way to travel the country is by plane. There are two international airports close to the Falls, the Cataratas del Iguazu International Airport in Argentina and Foz do Iguacu International Airport in Brazil. The Argentine airport is closer, around 25 km from the town of Iguazu, but there are plenty of bus shuttles from both airports to the Falls, and from the Brazilian side you can get a panoramic view of the Falls. If you are flying within Argentina or Brazil airlines most airlines will first of all fly to the hub airports of Sao Paulo or Rio de Janeiro in Brazil and Buenos Aires in Argentina, before making connecting flights to the Falls. Domestic airlines such as LAN and Aerolineas Argentinas fly direct to the Argentinian side of the Falls from Buenos Aires. While Brazilian airlines TAM, GOL, Azul, and Webjet fly direct from most major Brazilian cities. LAN also offers direct flights from Lima in Peru to the Falls making it possible to combine a trip to Machu Picchu with a visit to Iguazu.
If you are hoping to get to the Iguazu Falls from Argentina, it’s best to fly direct from Buenos Aires. Domestic airline Aerolineas Argentinas offer direct flights from the city several times a day. When you arrive on the Argentinian side of the Falls you will most likely head to the local town of Puerto Iguazu, smaller than its Brazilian counterpart. From this part of the Falls, you will be overwhelmed by the size and get up close and personal with the landscape.
While Brazilian airlines TAM, GOL, Azul, and Webjet fly direct from most major Brazilian cities including Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Londrina, Cascavel, and Porto Alegre. Arriving on the Brazilian side you will touch down close to the large city of Foz de Iguazu, which has easy access to the Iguazu National Park, where the Falls are located.
Because a good portion of the Falls are located in the southerly part of Brazil, it’s ideal to combine your trip to the Falls with a trip to the country’s capital, Rio de Janeiro with the Rio and Iguazu Falls Tour so you can experience the golden beaches and colossal culture of Rio before flying to the Falls. It’s also possible to start or finish your tour with a Brazilian Amazon cruise, to really experience the vast and changing landscape of impressive and diverse Brazil.
If you are flying from North America to the Falls, you will have to make at least one change in a prominent South American airport in either Brazil or Argentina, usually either Sao Paulo or Rio de Janeiro. In all cases you will have to make at least one to two connections, which is why choosing to take part in the Rio and Iguazu Falls Tour will allow you to make the most of this long journey. LAN offers direct flights from Miami, LA, and New York, but usually involves a connection in either Lima or Sao Paulo. Brazilian airline TAM also serves plenty of locations in the US, and offers an air pass if you are planning to fly a few times in Brazil. Plenty of other airlines fly from North America to major cities in Brazil, including American Airlines, Air Canada, Continental, Delta, and United, from Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, LA, Miami, Newark, New York, Orlando, Washington, and Toronto.
Dutch airline KLM offers a number of connecting flights from London, England, while British Airways and TAM offer direct flights into the major cities in Brazil, which would involve a connecting flight to the Falls once arriving in Brazil. Most other European airlines offer flights to Brazil with connections in either Sao Paulo or Rio de Janeiro, including Air France, TAP, Iberia, Lufthansa, KLM, and Swiss Airlines. TAP also offers a number of direct flights into Brazil, including direct flights to the Amazon regions of Brazil and Manaus.
If you are coming from Japan, Australia, or other parts of Asia, Japan Airlines and Korean Air fly directly to Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo in Brazil and would require a change to the Iguazu Falls with a domestic airline. Alternatively, you can fly directly to Miami and change for a TAM flight to Manaus from there. If you are flying from Australia to the Falls, you can try the Argentinian airline Aerolineas Argentinas, which flies directly to Buenos Aires, where you can connect to the Argentinian side of the Falls. LAN Chile also has one direct flight a week to Santiago, Chile, from Australia, but you may have to make a number of connections to get to the Falls.
Getting a bus may be a fairly cheap option for getting to the Falls – but the Falls are around 16 hours by bus from the closest and largest cities in Brazil, Florianopolis and Sao Paulo, or from Buenos Aires, you can take a 24-hour bus ride to the Falls. The bus may also not be as cheap as flying if you book your flight in advance, as bus rides can cost around $200 one way and will take a few days out of your trip.
As flying to the Falls may mean a few layovers in Brazil and Argentina, why not make the most of the requisite logistics by incorporating a stay in Rio and Buenos Aires with your Iguazu Falls Tour. Experience the exciting city life of Rio de Janeiro, the exquisite beauty of the Iguazu Falls, and finish your tour with an incredible cruise through the Brazilian Amazon. If you still need more information about getting to Iguazu Falls then do not hesitate to contact us.
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