Itaipú and Iguazú in one/two days from Rio
I'll be travelling from Europe to Brazil (Rio). I would like to use this opportunity and see the Water Plant of Itaipu and the Waterfalls of Iguazú as a part of this visit.
Now, if it were in Europe or the US, I would fly to the nearest airport (in this case it's IGU) early in the morning, rent a car there, visit the two sites, get back to the airport and fly back. Possibly, I would spend a night somewhere near to make it less stressful.
However, I have never been to Latin America, I have never driven a car there, I have never crossed country boundaries 4 times in a day (Bra--Arg--Bra--Par--Bra).
So, what are my options and how difficult is this going to be? Especially, my questions are:
- How difficult is it to rent a car at Foz do Iguaçu International Airport (IGU) and drive it for the ~100 km in the three states?
- As a Czech/EU national, can I easily do the journey? (Concerning car rental, driving license, visas, ...)
- How much can you actually see of the Itaipú dam and of the Iguazú waterfalls? Are there any entrance fees?
- Will I manage things with zero knowledge of Spanish and Portuguese? (The closes I speak is French.)
- Or, are there travel agencies that offer this combo as a sightseeing tour?
Any help is appreciated!
Best Answer
I made exactly this trip in 2013 (except from São Paulo and not Rio). I didn't find I needed a car: fly to Foz do Iguaçu, get bus 120 (or a taxi) to the centre of town.
There is a website devoted to tourism at the Itaipu dam. Plenty of tour operators in town will sell you a tour, but you can also buy tickets online there with a credit card. I took the Circuito Especial which shows the dam inside (including a view of the control room and the turbines) and out, where you can see the run-off channels). You can get there from Foz do Iguaçu by public transport as well: the Conjunto C Norte or Conjunto C Sul lines take half an hour.
It's also only a short bus ride to the Iguaçu Falls: take the bus with Nacional Iguaçu to the end of the line (30 mins or so). This thread gives some more advice about crossing to Argentina if that's what you want to do (I didn't, myself). The short version is that you'll need Argentinian pesos for the entrance fee and can't get them there.
I speak no Spanish or Portuguese and had no problems. You'll be fine.
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How many days do you need to visit Iguazu Falls?
Ideally you should plan to spend 2 (or even 3!) days at Iguazu Falls so you can really explore both sides of this incredible National Park.Can you do a day trip from Rio to Iguazu Falls?
Whilst visiting Iguazu Falls in one day from Rio is quite a lot to do, it is possible, and is just as fabulous as longer trips if you are short on time.How much does it cost to go to Iguazu Falls?
The Iguazu Falls entrance fee on the Brazilian side is $70 Brazilian Reals (USD $18) for adults and $11 Brazilian Reals (USD $3) for kids up to the age of 11. ATM machines can be found at the entrance if you wish to withdraw money, otherwise paying by debit or credit card is also an option.How do you get to Argentina side of Iguazu from Brazil?
If you want to reach Iguaz\xfa Falls from Brazil, your best bet is to fly into Foz do Igua\xe7u International Airport (IGU) and visit both the Brazilian and Argentine side of the falls from there. The airport is only a 5-minute drive from the Brazilian side of the falls, and around 35 minutes away from the Argentine side.E-Type - Set The World On Fire
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