Iguazu Falls and Ciudad del Este

On my recent trip to Paraguay, I decided it would be nice to visit the triple border of Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil and visit the famous Iguazu Falls. So, with my father and friend Scott we set out together eastwards from Asuncion.

To get to Ciudad del Este (the Paraguayan city in this border region), we decided to go by bus.

While there are many companies running this route, the most comfortable is Nuestra Señora de Asunción (NSA). They run conventional direct busses throughout the day and executive busses at night which have seats with very nice recline.

We originally had booked on these executive busses round trip, but because the bus going to Ciudad Del Este was supposed to leave at midnight I was convinced by my travel mates to take the day-time bus. Unfortunately, it was a semi-direct bus which meant constant stops and discomfort. On the way back, we took the executive bus as planned. On the executive bus it is best to get a seat on the top deck on the right side (from bird’s eye view) so you have window and direct aisle access.

In order to minimize moving around, we stayed at Ciudad Del Este for each night of the trip.  We picked the Howard Johnson Wyndham since it is close to the border, but there are nicer / more affordable hotels in that area as well.

The reason we wanted to be close to the border is because the traffic on the main road leading to Brazil can be quite congested with day-trippers taking advantage of the well-priced goods in Paraguay.

Day 2:

The following morning we made our way to Brazil. The Uber and Bolt drivers are not often willing to go across the border to Brazil because of the time it could take them to get back to Paraguay. However, we offered to pay more than the app quoted (200k Guarani— around $27 USD), and soon enough a driver took us across, straight to the welcome center for the Iguazu Falls.

Since we arrived early and it was low season we were able to get on the bus to the falls immediately after buying a ticket. In the summer months and/or busier times of day it would have made sense to buy a fast pass to skip the line for the bus.

There’s a nice walk along the falls, with different views.  There’s also one place where you walk below the falls— it’s a wet walk, though, some come prepared with a poncho or rain jacket!

After visiting the Brazilian side of the falls we found a taxi at the taxi stand  to take us to Puerto Iguazú Argentina.  We negotiated to pay 400 Reais (around $80) to take us to Argentina, wait for us, and then take us back to the Brazilian border with Paraguay.

The Argentinian border can often be very congested, so it is not recommended to go to Argentina in the late afternoon when people may be returning from Paraguay / Brazil.  We sailed through around 1pm.

When we made it to the Argentinian side, we bought tickets and then took the train towards the falls. The train only goes every 20-30 min (perhaps just in the low season). There are multiple trails open to walk on, but the longest trail that has a train was still closed due to water damage, but would reopen just a few weeks after our visit.

We started by going to the great asado (Argentinian BBQ) restaurant at the park.  Then, we had a greta walk along the trails. In contrast to the Brazilian side where you walk with a view of the falls, on the Argentinian side you primarily walk on top of the falls. I quite enjoyed both sides and certainly think it is worth it to visit both parks if you are in the area.

After about 4 hours in the park the driver took us back to Brazil and then to the Brazilian border with Argentina. Given the traffic going to Paraguay it was faster for us to walk across the bridge back into Paraguay. We then went to Shopping China mall to see the various shops that bring loads of tourists to this city. Malls do close early here, though (since most visitors are just coming for the day).

The following morning we decided to explore the Paraguayan side of this region a bit more. For me, Paraguay is a very special country, so I wanted to make sure I dedicated time to seeing this part of the country. We started with the Saldos de Monday. This water fall is very impressive and has a beautiful park attached to it. We noticed how rushing the water is here before it reaches the falls, a contrast to Iguazu where the water flows quite calmly. There is a small cafe right next to the falls where I had an empanada, and then we all took the elevator down to see the falls from below. It was beautiful to see the gushing water come barreling down.

We then headed towards the Itaipu Dam with a Bolt. I noticed on the app that Bolt does not allow pickups from the Itaipu Dam since it is too far out of town, so we negotiated a price with the Bolt driver to wait for us while we did the tour of the dam and then take us back to the city. The Bolt driver was a super nice man from Venezuela. He is not the first Bolt driver I have had in Paraguay from Venezuela, as many came to the country after the difficulties started there.

Normally, the Itaipu tour must be booked in advance, but I did not know that. Graciously, they were willing to let us book the tickets on the spot. The tour is free, and begins with a film that discusses the history of the dam and its importance to the Paraguayan economy and electricity grid. Then, we got on a bus to take us to the dam lookout point. Here we got to see the dam itself and the overflow section. Then, the bus took us over the dam so we could see everything from above.

When we got back to the city we went to the Sax restaurant which is on top of a mall. The bottom floors of the mall are simple, but as we went up it became quite luxurious, with many of the top international brands being for sale.  The restaurant is great, and we enjoyed middle eastern food, steak, and pizza. Quite a mix! There is also a great view of Brazil from here, since it is on the 12th floor. The hilarious part of this restaurant is that the sign says it is one of the best restaurants in the world. Don’t get me wrong– it was great, but that’s quite a statement!

That night at midnight we took the bus back to Asuncion, which was super comfortable. There was a little curtain we could pull for privacy, and I put on my eye mask for the entirety of the ride and woke up just as we were arriving in the bus station in Asuncion.

Overall, I really enjoyed my time on this trip. I am excited to explore all three of these countries in a more deep way soon, and perhaps I will even return to the triple border once again.