The Horacio Rodriguez Personal Iguassu Falls Itinerary
Dear Horacio, Sarita and Daryl
Finally... here's my proposed Iguassu Falls itinerary for you. You will find corresponding links to pages in my web-site for in-depth information of our activities, just click on those links and the new page will open on a new window.
Included in the itinerary are the additional expenses that we will incur during our tours. Most extra expenses including my guiding fee are payable in cash but I let you know when they are payable with credit card.
The most important expense payable with credit card is your hotel bill. The Iguazu Jungle Lodge accepts Visa and MasterCard.
The itinerary is only a suggestion and we can change it according to your likes anytime once we are together. Enjoy the virtual trip and let me know your comments!
DAY 1
Tue June 9th 10:14 am.
I will pick you up at the Puerto Iguazu airport. This airport is tiny with only one flight arriving at a time so it will be easy finding each other.

I will transfer you to the Iguazu Jungle Lodge. This will be your home in Iguassu Falls until June 12th.

After your check-in we will start our first tour. This first day will be dedicated to the Brazilian side of the falls. Heading to Brazilian territory we will cross the Tancredo Neves International Bridge over the Iguazu River.

If the weather allows our first adventure will be flying over the falls on helicopter.
I call this extraordinary experience the
Eagle's View of the Falls
and it's a great opportunity to shoot pictures that are impossible from any other point of view. At U$ 100 per person (total U$ 300 for the three of you) it won't come cheap but in my opinion is worth the money. This adventure is payable in cash.

After our helicopter adventure we will enter the
Brazilian Iguassu National Park.
After buying our tickets we will take a double decked bus that will transport us from the Visitors Center into the heart of the Park where we will start our walk. The Brazilian side of the falls will give us a panoramic view of the falls only possible from there. Again, have your cameras ready! We will walk a trail on the northern shore of the Iguassu River that puts us right on front of several important falls that make up the Iguassu Falls System. Finishing our walk we will get out of the Park and be ready for a tasty lunch in Foz do Iguacu, Brazil. We will eat at a typical Brazilian self-served restaurant.

Feeling a little heavy after our late lunch we will take it easy on our last tour in Brazil but our final activity there will not be less interesting. The Iguassu Falls area is a bird paradise with more than 400 species so we can't miss the chance to visit the
Bird Park
located near the Brazilian National Park. We will walk inside giant aviaries built in the natural jungles of the area, it's almost like watching them in the wild.
Out of the Bird Park we will go back to Argentina and to your hotel so you can rest a little. If the weather permits we will still have one more great adventure during the night.

Visiting the
Devil's Throat to the light of the moon
is an experience out of this world.
We will ride a small train through the jungles of the Argentine National Park all the way to the end of the track. It might be a little chilly so bring a coat and long pants. Then we will walk a long catwalk over the upper Iguassu River all the way to the main waterfall and stay there for about 20 minutes. Zulma, Pablo and Santiago will be joining us on this adventure.
After our final tour we will dine together in a good restaurant in Puerto Iguazu. I will bring you back to your hotel and that's the end of my services for the day.
Expenses of the Day
Helicopter ride for three persons U$ 300 (cash)
Brazil National Park tickets U$ 60 (cash)
Bird Park tickets U$ 60 (cash)
Lunch in Foz do Iguacu U$ 50 (credit card)
Moon walk of the falls tickets U$ 70 (cash)
Dinner in Puerto Iguazu U$ 60 (credit card)
Total expenses U$ 490 (cash) plus U$ 110 credit card)
DAY 2
June 10th 9:00 am
This day will be dedicated to visiting the Argentine National Park. It will be a busy day with allot of walking. You will need to bring long trousers, a cotton T-shirt, a sweat-shirt, confortable shoes and a poncho or light raincoat.
Our first activity will be to visit the
Devil's Throat.
We will stand right on top of the biggest waterfall of the system and to reach this place we will walk a 1,100 m long (3,600 feet)elevated walkway over the Iguazu River.

Back from Devil's Throat we will board a raft to drift down the Upper Iguazu River (we will be quite close to the cliff of the falls). This very quiet and beautiful navigation will put us in direct contact with the flora and fauna of this particular part of the National Park. We may see turtles, caimans, cormorants, snail kites among others.

Then we will walk the
Upper Trail,
an 800 m long walkway that puts us right on top of several important waterfalls like the Bossetti and San Martin which are the 3rd and 2nd largest.

After a break for lunch inside the park we will walk the Lower Circuit. This trail will give us some of the most beautiful views of the falls. One of them is a dramatic close-up to the Bosseti waterfall.

Once finished walking the Lower Circuit we will board a small ferry to reach the
San Martin Island.
We will explore fully the place enjoying an impresive view of the San Martin fall (2nd largest), the Hidden fall only visible from there and incredible views of the Three Musketeers and Devil's Throat.

San Martin island is also the favorite place of hundres of vultures that use it as their sleeping and playing ground.

Back from San Martin Island we will wait for our turn to board the
Speedboat
that will put us almost under the Three Muzqueteers and San Martin waterfalls before speeding 5 miles down the Iguazu River rapids all the way to Macuco Port. This will be a double baptism in the falls and you'll be soaking wet by now!
I recommend bringing swimming goggles to protect your eyes when under the waterfalls. No need to worry about the water getting into your camera since a large waterproof bag is provided on the spot to put anything you want to keep dry.
Once out of the speedboat you will board a 4x4 truck that will transport you 5 miles through the deep jungle and back to the Visitor's Center where we started our day. It will be 5 or 6 pm by now and we will be tired I bet!
I transport you back to your hotel and that's the end of my services for the day.
Expenses of the day
National Park tickets U$ 45 (cash)
Speedboat ride, rafting in the Upper Iguazu and 4x4 truck ride total USD 150 (cash)
Lunch inside the Park U$ 30 (credit card)
Total expenses U$ 195 (cash) U$ 30 (credit card)
DAY 3
Thu June 11th 9:00 am
This day will be easier but not less fascinating. This day we will visit
interesting attractions in Paraguay.
On our way there we will cross the Friendship international bridge over the Parana River.

Visiting downtown
Ciudad del Este
during the morning peak commercial hours will be an interesting experience. The commercial center full of shoppers and sales posts on the sidewalks and the mixture of Brazilian, Paraguayan, Arab and Chinese cultures makes this place something you will never experience anywhere else in the world. Be ready to bargain prices and walk into a world where the only governing rule is supply and demand!

Away from noisy Ciudad del Este we will visit the Museum of the Guarani Land to get acquainted about the origins and culture of the Guarani people that settled in the Iguassu Falls area more than 2,000 years ago. This will be a good preparation before our personal encounter with a real Guarani community later that day.

We will also visit the Zoo where we will see some of the 80 mammals living in the Iguassu Falls jungles, like the Jaguar, Tapir, Capybara, wild pig, dear, hauler monkey among many others. These animals are mostly nocturnal and very hard to see in the wild.

After eating lunch at my home in Ciudad del Este we will enjoy a short visit to the Monday Waterfalls, smaller but not less beautiful than Iguassu Falls.

During the afternoon we will drive 30 km of dirt roads into the heart of the Paraguayan contryside. Our destination will be the Moises Bertoni reserve where we will visit a real Guarani community and the preserved house where the Swiss botanist settled with his family in 1880.
Finally, we will drive back to Argentina and to your hotel in Puerto Iguazu, it will be 6 or 7 pm. End of my services for the day.
Expenses of the day
Good knews for you, there will be no expenses except for money you may want to spend shopping in Ciudad del Este.
DAY 4
Fri June 12th 8:00 am
I will pick you up at the Jungle Lodge and after doing your check-out we will do what I call
extreme fun activities
in the nearby jungles of Puerto Iguazu. Our adventure will start in the St. Mary sanctuary at 8 am and end in Puerto Iguazu's pier at 11 am approx.

Once back to Puerto Iguazu from our jungle adventure I will show you the town and we can visit the Fair of Cheeses and Wines, a place where the locals go to buy and enjoy excellent cheeses, olives, salamis and drink beer and wine.
Now It will be time to transport you to the airport to take your LAN 4025 2:10 pm flight to Buenos Aires. End of my services.
Expenses of the day
Especial activities in the jungle total USD 120 (cash)
Eating in the Cheese and Wine fair total USD 20 (cash)
My guiding fee U$ 600 (cash).
Total expenses U$ 740 (cash).
Uncle Horacio, Sarita and Daryl, I hope you like the proposed itinerary, please let me know what you think about it.
Best wishes,
Lucas