Experience One of the Greatest Natural Wonders of the World

One of the world's most astounding natural wonders, Iguazu Falls is a chain of 275 separate dazzling waterfalls stretching nearly 3km along the border of Argentina and Brazil, deep within a vast tropical Natural Park rich in flora and fauna.

With its highest fall, The Devil's Throat, boasting an impressive 90-metre drop, Iguazu Falls is one of the largest and most powerful networks of waterfalls in the world, and witnessing the sheer power, magnitude and thundering roar up close is an utterly awe-inspiring experience that will live in your memories forever.

Holidays to visit Argentina and the Iguazu Falls, start from £1,989pp. Get in touch to find our prices for your perfect trip.

The falls can be accessed with ease from both the Brazilian and Argentinian sides, and given the wildly contrasting yet equally magical experiences they each offer, we can't help but recommend visiting both.

The Brazilian side offers the iconic panoramic views, providing the opportunity to stand in quiet awe of this natural masterpiece, whilst the Argentinian side is where you have the opportunity to get more intimate with the falls walking along rustic boardwalks and feeling the water's spray. But with networks of walkways on both sides, plus exhilarating boat safari's or helicopter rides available, there are countless ways to choose how to best experience this outstanding wonder of the world.

The Area

The main town on the Argentine side is Puerto Iguazu, a small town with easy access to the falls, and many wonderful lodges located within the surrounding rainforest area in which visitors usually stay.

On the Brazilian side, the larger city of Foz do Iguacu provides the easiest access to the falls and many wonderful lodges located within the surrounding rainforest area in which visitors usually stay.

There are also a number of jungle lodges in the surrounding rainforest providing the perfect opportunity to fully immerse yourself in the sublime nature of the area and enjoy a few days of utter relaxation and retreat.

Best Time to Go

Iguazu remains warm and humid all year round. The Falls are at their fullest from December to March, as you get some rains during this period.

Ready to begin creating your perfect Argentina holiday, and visit to the incredible Iguazu Falls? Simply complete the enquiry form to get in touch, or call our Travel Specialists on 020 3481 9070.

Iguazu Falls

As one of the main reasons for coming to the area, you simply cannot miss a visit to the Falls whilst staying here. It is possible to view the falls from the Argentinian side as well as the Brazilian side.

It is said that the Brazilian side offers the best vistas over the Falls as a whole, while the Argentinian side gets you the closest to the falls. You can combine both sides in a day but we would recommend taking your time and visiting each side one day at a time.

Itaipu Dam

the Itaipu Dam is currently the world's largest hydro electric power plant. It measures 8kms wide and 200 metres high and was a joint effort by Brazil and Paraguay. The dam currently supplies 25 percent of Brazil's and 78 percent of Paraguay's entire electricity. An amazing feat of engineering, the dam cost US$18 billion dollars and its sheer monumentality is undeniably impressive. There are a range of tours that visit the dam or combine it with Iguazu Falls. Ask your Latin Routes Travel Specialist for more details.

San Ignacio Ruins

The Jesuit Ruins of San Ignacio Miní were declared a World Heritage Site in 1984 and it is one of the flagship Jesuit sites in South America. The excellent preservation of the Ruins today allows to see how the project of converting the Guarani Indians operated. The powerful religious beliefs and history of the community can be observed in the artwork and archeologist work. There are a variety of tours to this area and a professional guide will give you a fascinating insight to the Jesuit communities.

If you would like to begin creating your perfect Argentina holiday, Simply complete the enquiry form to get in touch.

Alternatively call our Travel Specialists on 020 8546 6222.

Adventure Activities in Iguazu

All of these activities and experiences can be enjoyed on a holiday to Iguazu Falls and the surrounding area

• Iguazu Falls
• Powerboat rides
• Scenic flights
• Horse trekking
• Eco-tourism lodges
• Jungle lodges
• Trekking
• Canopy walks
• Jesuit Ruins

If you would like to begin creating your perfect Argentina holiday, Simply complete the enquiry form to get in touch.

Alternatively call our Travel Specialists on 020 8546 6222.

The Jesuit Communities

One of the main parts to the history of this area is that of the Jesuit Communities. The Society of Jesuits was set up to be a religious order of energetic, well-educated young men as roving missionaries to preach and administer the sacraments wherever there was the hope of accomplishing the greater good.

It was not long before they established themselves in Brazil, Peru and Paraguay, which included Argentina, Uruguay, parts of Bolivia, Chile and the south of Brazil. They rapidly organised the small tribes of native Indians into Reductions or communities to be evangelized, setting up schools and carefully shaping their social and cultural development, all the while respecting their innate rights.

The system worked largely because the relationship between the Jesuits and the Indians was pacific and mutually respectful in nature and the communities were far from Spanish and Portuguese settlements which tended to clash with a civilization so different from their own. In their heyday, over 140,000 native Indians lived in some 30 Jesuit communities, of which 11 were in the surrounding area known as the province of Misiones.

However, the Reductions soon came under the threat of Portuguese slave traders in the 1620s who carried out violent raids on the communities in search of men and women to be sold as slaves to the Fazendas and estates on the Atlantic coast.  Finally, the Jesuit fathers decided to move southwards to the Yabebirí River where they re-founded San Ignacio Miní and Loreto, followed by Santa María La Mayor on the coast of the river Uruguay and Santa Ana deep in the thickets of the rainforest, all of which have been restored to a greater or lesser degree and may be visited today.

The Jesuits exemplary task of evangelization and education which continued unhindered until the mid-18th century was not without its detractors and critics, particularly as the missionaries also excelled at trade with all sectors of society. The advance of the Enlightenment and the growing influence of the Freemasons in Europe encouraged ideological opposition to the Catholic Church and more particularly to the Society of Jesus, finally leading to the expulsion of the Jesuits from Portuguese territory in 1757 and from Spanish territory just 10 years later. Once the priests had left, the Spanish could not find a way to get on with these religiously-organized villages and so these disbanded. The glorious mission buildings gradually fell into disuse and decay as the guaraní communities drifted away into social structures of a different kind, died or crept back into the jungle.

There are a number of these ruins throughout the region that can be visited and more of their fascinating history can be learnt.

If you would like to begin creating your perfect Argentina holiday, Simply complete the enquiry form to get in touch.

Alternatively call our Travel Specialists on 020 8546 6222.