Iguazu Falls - Planning and Preparing for Your Trip
 Planning and Preparing for your trip to Iguazu Falls? You've come to the right place! This page covers the following topics: For Argentina, all you need is a passport. There is no Visa Requirement. For Brazil, they do require a Visa (even if you're visiting just for a day). It's basically a stamp on a page of your passport signaling that the Brazilian authorities endorse your visit to their country. Sounds simple enough, right? Well, here's where it can be a real pain depending on which country you're from. Since we're from the United States, we'll relay what we had to go through. If you're from another country, check out this link. First, we had to apply for our Visa (actually a Tourist Visa). This was doable through a local Brazilian consulate The application fee for Americans is $110 as of 2007 and payment was required by money order. The turnaround time is 10-15 business days, which means you'll be without your passport for at least those days. You can submit the completed form directly to the local office or through an expeditor if you're short on time. We actually paid an expeditor because we submitted our application barely three weeks before our trip, and we couldn't take the chance of not having our Passport (let alone Visa) during our trip. The passport must have at least 1 blank page (for the big Visa stamp) and be valid for 6 months after your trip. You'll probably want a few more blank slots on your passport pages (a problem for frequent international travelers) for other stampings that occur when you cross borders by air or by land. A valid application must contain a passport-sized photo, a valid printed itinerary of your time in Brazil (meaning you have to book a tour providing such an itinerary), foreign airplane ticket, and of course the fully completed form. The drawback for booking in advance is that you're locked into the dates you've paid for, which can be restrictive if you're staying in Argentina. If you're staying in Brazil, then it's not as bad (as you'll just have to indicate where you're staying). Once all this is done and you've gotten back your Passport with the Visa, you're good to go. For all that trouble, you'll be glad to learn that it lasts for 5 years, which is fine if you plan on coming back to the country in that time. The Visa application is cheaper for other countries. This probably has to do with the US Visa requirements for other countries, and this is Brazil's way of getting back at the US's disagreeable Visa process. Something to think about if you're an American voter for future elections. Now some Americans have been successful visiting Brazil without a Visa (we even met such a person on our trip). Basically, some taxis are willing to cross the border without stopping at the office. The risk is that if an authority stops you and you don't have a valid Visa, you could get locked up (i.e. go to jail), which is a pretty high price to pay considering your vacation time is very precious. Then, there are others who just don't bother with the Brazil side of the falls as they find it's not worth the trouble. The decision is ultimately yours whether you think it's worth going to the Brazilian side or not. Hopefully with the information we've provided here, your decision is more informed. The big caveat is that most insurances will not cover vaccinations. We tend to get lots of mosquito bites (even though we generously apply DEET) so we didn't want to take any chances. Thus, for our battery of injections and pills, we paid over $600/person. Among the diseases we were treated for were...
Keep in mind that Dengue Fever (definitely present in South America) currently has neither a preventative vaccine nor cure. Your best bet at minimizing your exposure is to apply DEET and wear long sleeves and long pants (even though it's hot and humid over there). For the official list of health threats, you can visit the websites for the CDC (Center for Disease Control) and the World Health Organization.
Some other things worth bringing to enhance your experience include...
Depending on who you're talking to, there are different sides to the story about whether Argentina's Puerto Iguazu or Brazil's Foz do Igassu is safer? Puerto Iguazu has a considerably smaller population than Foz do Iguassu and also considered safer. In general, Brazil's cities are suffering from a rising rate of street crime, and Foz do Iguassu is no exception. However, that doesn't mean Puerto Iguazu is free of crime as evidenced by the presence of security guards at the visitor centers on both sides of the falls as well as at hotels. Even with that said, you should be vigilant about minimizing your chances of being victimized. You'll want to conceal your money in a body pouch beneath your clothes to minimize your chances of being a target. Be careful about using your credit card as we know of people who had charges run up for using a credit card at a restaurant... In addition to crime, here are some other things to consider regarding your safety...
In Argentina, the currency is the peso. For various economic and political reasons, the value of the peso collapsed in 2002. However, it is currently recovering. Even with that said, things can be relatively cheap here. As of late 2007, the exchange rate with the US Dollar was roughly 3 pesos to 1 US dollar. Sometimes Brazilians stay on the Argentina side of Iguazu Falls because it's cheaper for them (see discussion below about the Brazilian real). Finally, if you spend money in cash on the Argentina side and you don't have exact change, you will get change in the Argentinian peso. In Brazil, the currency is the real. Around Brazil, foreign currency is not accepted except for the immediate area around Iguassu Falls. As of late 2007, the exchange rate with the US Dollar was roughly 2 reals to 1 US dollar. It's generally more expensive in Brazil than Argentina since the real is stronger than the peso. If you spend money in cash on the Brazil side and you don't have exact change, you will get change in the Brazilian real. The US dollar is mostly accepted in the immediate Triple Frontier area (around Iguazu Falls). It is also accepted at the Ezeiza International Airport in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I'm not sure about the Sau Palo Airport in Brazil since we did not go through here.
I'd say give yourself at least 3 days and 2 nights (not including the travel days) to allow enough time to see the falls from both the Argentina and Brazil side on your own with time for an excursion. However, this might feel a bit rushed if you're staying in Puerto Iguazu instead of inside the National Park since you'll need to either take a bus or arrange for a taxi to even get into the park. Certainly the more time you spend there, the less rushed it will feel and the more time you'll have to explore other options (see activities). You'll also give yourself a greater chance of experiencing the falls in good weather with the bigger time window. The drawback to a longer stay will be cost and time (especially if you're on limited vacation time).
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