Air travel to Iguassu Falls

Air travel to Iguassu Falls is easy but you have to decide which country to arrive to. Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay all three can be your gateway to the falls. Which one to choose? Here’s some important data to help you around.

The Iguassu Falls are located on the border between Argentina and Brazil and only a few miles away from Paraguay. This is the called “Triple Frontier Area” (to better understand what the Triple Frontier is please read our Iguassu Falls Facts page ).

Three cities surround the Iguassu Falls, each one with a local airport you can arrive to on your air travel to Iguassu Falls.

Puerto Iguazu (airport code IGR, Argentina)

Foz do Iguassu (airport code IGU, Brazil).

Ciudad del Este (airport code AGT, Paraguay).

Which city is the best destination for your air travel to Iguassu Falls?

The rule of thumb is your flight should arrive to the same city where you lodge. It sounds obvious but it isn’t when you are traveling to the Triple Frontier. Arriving to one neighboring city and lodging in another is possible here but not advisable.

The main reason is most good hotels here offer a shuttle service to the local airport but not to the nearby airports across the borders. It’s convenient for visitors when the hotel picks them up upon their arrival and brings them back to the airport when they leave so they don’t have to worry about anything.

If your hotel doesn’t offer the airport shuttle service a local taxi will serve you well as long as you are moving inside the same country. But arriving to one country and having to take a taxi for your hotel across the border to another is a different story you must avoid. A taxi driver that does not know well the neighboring city, an unexpected traffic jam when crossing the international bridge or a long delay on the border immigration checkpoint can put you in trouble when having to catch your flight home on time.

But that doesn’t answer which city is the best one for your air travel to Iguassu Falls, does it?

I can think of four reasons to pick one.

1) Look for the lowest airfare.

Air travel to Iguassu Falls is a long trip for most visitors and that means airplane tickets make for a great part of their travel expenses.

Some research has showed me you can save a lot on airfare expenses depending on the city you choose as your destination. The cheapest destination for you depends on where you are coming from. I recommend you get quotes for traveling to all three cities of the Triple Frontier and make the comparison.

2) Look for the lowest lodging and eating overall cost.

This can be important if you are planning a rather long stay (ex., you are coming here for a bird watching expedition).

Comparable hotels and restaurants in Puerto Iguazu, Foz do Iguassu and Ciudad del Este have different prices due to competition and different relative exchange rates of the USD to the local currency. If your airfare costs don’t show a significant difference between cities maybe an advantage on lodging and eating expenses is what makes the difference for you. Read our favorite Iguassu Falls hotels page and restaurants reviews for help on this.

3) Go for the hotel located nearest to the Iguassu Falls.

Here’s another way to plan your air travel to Iguassu Falls. What’s the hotel located nearest to the Iguassu Falls?

The falls are inside two contiguous National Parks, one on the Brazilian side and another on the Argentinean (for more details on this please read our Iguassu Falls Facts page). The National Parks are restricted areas and a certain distance from urban areas so when visiting the falls you need to arrange transport to and from your hotel. This isn’t a problem since hotels make the necessary arrangements for you but that doesn’t save you the hassle of moving around every time you visit the falls.

Personaly I feel moving from the hotel to the falls is part of the fun but if moving around is an inconvenience for you there are two hotels with a privileged location, one is inside the Argentinean National Park and the other inside the Brazilian counterpart. The advantage is you need only walk out of your hotel to start enjoying the Iguassu Falls. Even better, with spectacular views of the falls from your bedroom window or balcony you already start enjoying them without even walking, not to mention the possibility for a romantic night escape to the falls to the light of a full-moon.

But nearest location means you pay more, these two hotels are the priciest of the Iguassu Falls. When you pick one of them you are also picking your destination city for your air travel to Iguassu Falls. Take note that “nearest location” doesn’t necessarily mean “best hotel”.

Lodging inside one of the National Parks also means you are kind of isolated inside a monastery and away from the cities nightlife. So it's not having to move to visit the falls but having to do so if you want to have fun outside the National Park.

To know more about these and other hotels we’ve visited please read our hotels reviews page.

Which one of these two hotels is best for you? Since one is in Argentina and the other in Brazil I would pick the one on the side of the Iguassu Falls that most appeals me. To know what great attractions await you on both sides of the falls please read our family vacation getaway page, which should help you decide on what side of the falls you want to lodge.

4) Go to the city that most appeals you.

Many visitors come here to watch the Iguassu Falls and nothing else. Well that’s the reason you are traveling there isn’t it? Yes, but there are many other special attractions on each city (and surroundings) that can make one of them more appealing to you than the rest.

Suggestions?

Read our reviews of the three cities involved in a trip to Iguassu Falls: Ciudad del Este, Foz do Iguassu and Puerto Iguazu.

You can also read our report on places to visit in Paraguay . We found very interesting attractions there that are easier to access if you lodge in Ciudad del Este.

Based on our experience your air travel to Iguassu Falls best destination depends on what you want to do. If you plan to visit the falls exclusively you will be better lodged in Puerto Iguazu or in Foz do Iguassu. If you also want to go shopping in Ciudad del Este and/or visit the Paraguayan attractions as you come by the Iguassu Falls then your best option is lodging in Ciudad del Este.

So that's our air travel to Iguassu Falls report for the moment!

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