Situated approximately 18 kilometres (11 miles) away from the stunning Iguazu Falls in the province of Misiones is one of Argentina's frontier cities and renowned tourist destinations, Puerto Iguazu. It offers a fascinating mix of history, rich cultural traditions and ample natural bounty to its visitors. To top it off it has a good range of Puerto Iguazu hotels and welcoming locals.
Puerto Iguazu has the privilege of being located right next to the magnificent Iguazu Falls, arguably the greatest show of water and forest on Earth!
Puerto Iguazu has a large number of things to see and do, including the Mborore Museum; "La Aripuca" with its local handicrafts stalls, the Museum of Images of the Jungle, "Güira Oga" or the bird rehabilitation centre, the Municipal Nature Park of Luis Honorio Rolón and the famous Iguazu National Park. This park, home to the famous Iguazu Falls, has more than 275 cascades plunging down a height of 270 feet along grand rocky walls.
Puerto Iguazu's spectacular subtropical rainforests are found in and around the Iguazu Falls and are ideal for exploring on a tour in Puerto Iguazu. Though long inhabited by the Guarani Indians, the region's native inhabitants; it was a European, the Spanish explorer, Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, who first discovered the Iguazu Falls, in 1551. The incredible variety of plants, including the native bamboo plants found here are all part of the last vestiges of the Atlantic Forests. Here visitors can also find different species of birds including toucans and hummingbirds. Another major attraction on most Puerto Iguazu tour itineraries is the famed Itaipu Dam.
Since most of Puerto Iguazu's infrastructure has been developed around tourism, locals or "Puerto Iguazuences", as they call themselves, are very tourist friendly. Locals here are primarily involved in running the many places to stay and restaurants catering to tourists with the economy being tourist centred.
Puerto Iguazu hotels and lodging, from the very basic hostels to the ones offering high-end luxury services can be found here. You can also use our Puerto Iguazu map to choose your hotel in Puerto Iguazu based on its location. For those travelling to the city by car, there are options for camping, or visiting the many restaurants, cafeterias and casinos. Some hotels in Puerto Iguazu also provide cab facilities to visitors for sightseeing.
Puerto Iguazu is a small and vibrant city and can best be seen on foot. Its roads are curiously planned and quite a few of them have not been paved. The streets here are covered with red dirt, a result of the region's red-coloured earth. Tourists can look forward to having a good time at the centre of the town which comes alive with cafes, bars and restaurants, casinos, bakeries, dance clubs, shopping, banks and good photo studios where pictures can be developed.
Puerto Iguazu has an international airport which is 17km away from the city as well as two key bus terminuses. Here, apart from buses, tourists can also find taxi and municipal bus services which operate on various routes including the one from Tres Fronteras to Iguazu National Park (Parque Nacional de las Cataratas). Tourists can also pick up brochures from the information centre at the bus terminus. Interestingly, the city has more than twenty well-organised travel and tourism agencies, which offer various tours in Puerto Iguazu, as well as other services, including support on immigration and other tourism services within Argentina and its neighbouring countries as well as in Europe and USA.
The region has a subtropical climate, warm winters and humid summers with temperatures ranging as high as 104°F in the summer months. Given the weather in Puerto Iguazu it's not surprising to find grassy banks across the city's many canals and gutters (canalitos) which drain into the Rio Parana. Interestingly a large variety of fish, including eels, catfish and knifefish (gymnotus) can be found in these canals.
This quaint city has the quiet and solitude that is lacking in other nearby destinations. Puerto Iguazu makes for a charming visit with its welcoming Puerto Iguazu hotels, exciting Puerto Iguazu tour options, sunny blue skies, warm climate, lush subtropical foliage and cascading waterfalls.