Day Trip to Iguazu Falls from Southern Paraguay

From Paraguay to Argentina, via Brazil

When traveling in an unfamiliar country, there’s always a bit of anxiety about how things will go, and it’s hard to know if a particular trip will be a breeze or a headache.

I was staying with a friend in Ciudad del Este, in Paraguay, and I really wanted to see the Iguazu Falls on the Argentine side. Since I didn't have my own wheels, I had to rely on public transport. The night before, I was feeling a little nervous: How do I actually get there? I have to cross two borders, how long will that take? And once I arrive, how do I get to the falls?

Here is the story of my fantastic day at Iguazu Falls National Park on the Argentine side during the month of March, where the public bus system between Paraguay and Argentina proved to be incredibly efficient.

Starting point: Ciudad del Este

In Ciudad del Este, there are two bus terminals: one for local city buses and another for national (intercity) and international buses. Since Puerto Iguazu in Argentina is an international destination, the international terminal was my target. Luckily, I could walk to the international bus station in less than 20 minutes.

So, I headed over there. The Rio Uruguay bus company runs regular trips between Ciudad del Este (Paraguay) and Puerto Iguazu (Argentina) about every 2 hours, every day, including a scheduled 8:20 AM departure. You can buy tickets right at the station before the bus leaves, so that was easy.

I arrived at 8:10 AM just to be safe and was on the bus by 8:15 AM, ticket in hand. Being in Paraguay, the bus didn't actually pull out of the terminal until 8:50 AM… and then it stopped at every possible stop on the way before reaching the Brazilian border to pick up as many passengers as possible, a full bus means more profit for the driver, of course. By 9:20 AM, we still hadn't crossed the border into Brazil, which is only 3.5 km from the starting point!

Crossing through Brazil

The border between Brazil and Paraguay at Ciudad del Este and the Friendship Bridge is quite porous. There aren't really any identity checks; if you want a stamp in your passport upon entry or exit, you have to explicitly ask the driver to stop at the immigration office and wait for you, which is a very quick process.

Most of the time, however, nobody bothers to get their passport checked or stamped here. That said, because Brazilians buy a huge amount of (cheap) goods in Paraguay to bring back into Brazil, Brazilian customs is very attentive to the bags being carried. After a thorough inspection of all our luggage by two Brazilian customs officers, and two people being taken off the bus for a more detailed search, we happily continued our journey through Brazil to Foz do Iguaçu, then headed toward Puerto Iguazu in Argentina.

At the Brazil-Argentina border, the stop is mandatory. The Argentine border police are serious and have computer equipment for identity verification. After clearing customs, we were back on the bus at 9:50 AM, heading for the Puerto Iguazu bus terminal.

Arrival in Argentina

Once I arrived at the Argentine bus terminal, transportation was once again a breeze. Another bus runs a shuttle every 20 minutes between the terminal and the entrance to Iguazu Falls National Park, also operated by Rio Uruguay. You buy your round-trip ticket on the spot before boarding. They are remarkably well-organized: if you don't have Argentine pesos to pay the park entrance fee (cash only), they’ll exchange your Paraguayan pesos at a great rate and give you the change in Argentine pesos, exactly the amount needed for the park entry. It’s completely hassle-free.

The shuttle drops you off right at the park entrance, and you catch it at the exact same spot when you're finished to head back to the Puerto Iguazu bus terminal.

Iguazu Falls National Park

I arrived at the national park at 10:40 AM and bought my entrance ticket at 10:44 AM. So, the trip is obviously longer than if I had come by car. I thought I would only stay in the park for 2 or 3 hours, as several people told me it was possible to visit both the Argentine and Brazilian sides of the falls in a single day. But I wanted to see everything and take photos and videos of everything, so I didn't leave until 4:00 PM, catching the last bus back to Ciudad del Este at 5:45 PM.

By the way, that bus left right on time, probably because the driver, who was the same one from the morning, was eager to finish his day! :D

How to visit both the Brazilian and Argentine sides of Iguazu?

If you want to visit both sides, it is definitely possible to do so from Ciudad del Este. You need to take a bus from Ciudad del Este to Foz do Iguaçu on the Brazilian side, then take another bus from there to the Brazilian falls. From the falls, a bus can take you to Puerto Iguazu in Argentina (there are buses that regularly run from the Puerto Iguazu terminal to the Brazilian falls and back, this is an option sold in Argentina). Finally, you can board the Rio Uruguay shuttle to reach the Argentine side of the falls, before returning to the Puerto Iguazu terminal to catch the last bus back to Ciudad del Este.