Visiting Iguazu Falls from Cuidad del Este

hmm, after 4 years,still on my todo list, they all say it's nice, and you'd even could shower ya, under the falls
Even a helicopter flight over the falls is possible to hire, which can let you make nice pics.

There are several options for visiting the falls without a Brazilian visa. You will only be able to visit the Argentine side but to some this side is better than the Brazilian side anyway.

Please note that while checkpoints are sometimes lax on the Paraguayan and Brazilian side they are always enforced on the Argentine side. It is tempting to bypass the Paraguayan checkpoint but doing so will mean you have technically entered Argentina without leaving Paraguay - immigrations officials in Paraguay could notice this irregularity when you try to leave Paraguay at a later date and you may be fined.  If you are not returning to Paraguay this may not matter. 

1. Bus: The El Practico bus line runs from Ciudad del Este´s bus terminal to the bus terminal in Puerto Iguazu. This bus stops at both Paraguayan and Argentine immigration checkpoints but bypasses Brazilian immigrations. When you get to immigrations request to get off the bus - it will not wait for you, but if you keep your ticket you can hop on the next El Practico for free.  There are taxis and buses at the Puerto Iguazu terminal which you can use to get to the Argentine side of the falls.

2. Ferry: There is a ferry that runs from Puerto Hito Tres Fronteras (a short cab ride from Ciudad del Este´s city center) to the port of Puerto Iguazu (again a short ride from the city center). Ferrys run every 45 mins or so.  There is an extra cost for taking a car but it is pretty small.  There is a teeny immigrations checkpoint on the Paraguayan side. The trip is much more picturesque and calm than crossing the Friendship Bridge!

Hello everybody,

I have been to the falls (both Brazilian + Argentinian) a few times, both legally and illegally, without knowing it!

Technically seen, you DO have to stop at the immigration points on both sides!  This "free zone" does not apply to you as a foreigner.  I've heard stories about 30 km radius around the falls, but according to immigration, this does not exist in reality.

However, it can be misleading, since there isn't anybody standing in the middle of the road, stopping you car and checking your papers.  YOU have to stop on the Paraguayan side and "stamp out" of the country.  Then stop on the Brazilian side and "stamp in".  By leaving Brazil, same story:  stop + stamp and in Paraguay stop + stamp. If all your papers are in order, this doesn't take much time, but if you are driving, you have to park and get out of your car.  They don't come to you, you must go to them!

Of course, you can take a taxi and drive through.  But sometimes, especially on the Brazilian side, they DO stop you and ask for papers.  And then they can make you pay a fine.

Or as mentioned earlier by someone else, you may have problems upon leaving Paraguay one day, because of missing stamps.  This happened to my parents a few years ago, when we went to the ARgentinian side, crossing at Presidente France (with ferry) to Puerto Iguazu.  There wasn't anybody at the miniature immigration office there (Paraguayan side).  But we were told, that then we should have gone to the one in CDE, to get stamped.  For them, we had illegally left the country and entered illegally as well.  In spite of multiple-entry visas for Paraguay.  So there was a fine to pay, in order to leave Paraguay at the end of their trip.

By the way, I am talking about Canadian passports here.

But even with a Paraguayan ID, if you are a foreign resident, you still need to comply with the immigration laws regarding your original citizenship, because the PY ID is only valid IN Paraguay!  So as a Canadian, with PY ID, I still need a visa to enter Brazil!  For Argentina I don't need one, but you are still required to pass border controls and get stamped!  Upon leaving and entering Paraguay, you must show both passport of country of origin and PY ID.

Just sharing my own experience.

Just to get this right. I have a Paraguayan ID and foreign passport, do I need to get my passport stamped when leaving PY or just show the ID and passport?

If on the back of your PY ID it says that you have another nationality, then yes.  Mine says: "nacionalidad: canadiense".
The super correct thing is to show ID and get your passport stamped.  Actually, your ID gets scanned.

One more thing, I aksed this in a seperate thread as well but it seems like you crossed into  Brazil with your car so maybe you know the answer to my question.

My plan is to take my car Paraguayn registered car into Brazil, do I need to get any document at the Brazilian side other than the stamp in my passport and the little paper visa they give me (I don't need an actual visa to travel into Brazil since I'm from the EU)to take my car? Just to be clear, I also have heard about this so-called free zone (40km radius from the border) and I will be travelling beyond it.

I'm asking because I remember when we went to Argentina they specifically asked us if we were going to go more than 40km into Argentina and we had to get some sort of permiso inside one of the Migraciones building to get it.

Yes I did go with my own private car, PY registered.

I needed a Visa and upon applying I had presented my car registration number (copy).  But at the border they just ask for your license plate number, that's it.

riends of mine also went by car, a rented one, and were also only asked about the license plate number.

For Argentina, it's a totally different story.  They are very picky!  First, you can't even go with a rented car from PY and second, I believe you need proof of insurance of your privately owned car.

Nothing like that crossing to Brazil.

You always need the carta verde when travelling to any Mercosur country by car (this is arranged by law), this is a liability insurance. Funny thing is we passed with a rented car first into Brazil and from Brazil into Argentina at the Puerto Iguazu crossing and they didn't ask for the carta verde at the border. Farther south we were stopped by the police and they told us we had to go back because we didn't have the carta verde and that we were lucky that they didn't fine us, because if they had stopped us at the next road block they would have definately fined us.

From what I've heard the Brazilian police can confiscate your car if you don't have the right documents and they are not as bribable as the PY police.

I will check with the Touring Club next week to see if I need anything else besides the carta verde.

Mike - is Hotel Austria in Paraguay? (I intended to send this as a private message, but with the "new format" I couldn't see way to do that.) Thanks, Dottie

Hi Dottie,

Hotel Austria IS in Ciudad del Este.  You can check out their homepage, just google Hotel Austria Ciudad del Este, since I don`t think I can post a link here.  If I am not mistaken, it's a family business and the owners are of European origin.  It's not the most modern place, but comfortable and clean, according to relatives who have stayed there.

lacanadiense