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Iguazu Falls/Machu Picchu

Pat H

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I'm doing a South American cruise next year and want to add Iguazu Falls and Machu Picchu on each side of the cruise. The price from Princess is very expensive so I'm looking to do it on my own or with a small tour company. Has anyone done that and can give me some recommendations?
 

Talent312

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No personal experience, but I did find this info for the Falls... The same sites can provide similar info on Machu Picchu --

Old (2008) posts on CruiseCritic.com --
"This tour is so easy on your own. You can book the flights through LAN.com [and] book the Sheraton Hotel... for a Falls view... The hotel will send a driver [cash fee] to the airport to pick you up."

Tour broker Viator.com has an extensive list of local and multi-day tours:
https://www.viator.com/Puerto-Iguazu/d971-ttd

Viator's list of tours for Machu Picchu --
https://www.viator.com/Cusco/d937-ttd

.
 
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bizaro86

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I've done Iguazu Falls with no tour, very, very easy. We flew into the airport on the Brazilian side and crossed the border in a taxi cab (routine in that area) but it would be simple to fly in to Argentina. I definitely second the recommendation to stay at the Sheraton. It is inside the park, so you can walk right from the hotel on to the path to the falls. You will walk by the hotel if you stay elsewhere.

I enjoyed the view from the Brazilian side and the bird park, but if you aren't otherwise going to Brazil you may have to weigh the cost of getting Brazilian visas. If you can only do one the Argentina side is the one to pick. It is spectacular.

Haven't been to Peru, so no comment there.
 

Elli

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I'm doing a South American cruise next year and want to add Iguazu Falls and Machu Picchu on each side of the cruise. The price from Princess is very expensive so I'm looking to do it on my own or with a small tour company. Has anyone done that and can give me some recommendations?
Pat, I would be interested in both side trips as well, since we will already be in South America. Elli
 

GetawaysRus

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Where are you cruising from/to? Since you listed Iguazu first, I'm going to guess Buenos Aires to Santiago.

If BA is the start of the cruise, you could do Iguazu first. (I spent a week in Argentina following a Santiago to Buenos Aires cruise - 5 days in Buenos Aires and 2 in Iguazu). We did this on our own. You can arrange your own flights from BA to Iguazu (I am discussing the Argentine side). Just be aware that flights in South America are not always as reliable as the USA. You need to verify that your flight has not been cancelled. Our flight from BA to Igauzu was cancelled, and this caused a several hour delay in the BA airport until we could get on a later flight. We took a taxi from Iguazu airport to the Sheraton Iguazu. That hotel was within the park, so the next day it was easy to walk directly out of the hotel into the park. I would say that visiting the park on the afternoon of your arrival and then a good part of the following day would be sufficient. Then try to catch a later afternoon flight back to Buenos Aires (and hope it isn't cancelled or delayed - our flight was delayed). Or you could stay one more day in Iguazu if you want to be less hurried and then take a morning flight so that you get to the ship at a reasonable time. But for us, a long afternoon and a good chunk of the following day was adequate. (When planning trips to areas I've not visited before, I think the hardest thing is figuring out how to budget your time).

I've visited Machu Picchu as well, but this was on a separate trip to Peru. There is lots to see in Peru and it is easily worth a 7-10 day trip (or longer) on its own. But if Machu Picchu is all you have in mind, you could talk with the tour company that we used. Latin America for less arranges private tours for people: http://www.latinamericaforless.com/. We were generally pleased with their service in Peru. (We visited Arequipa, Cusco, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, and the Peruvian Amazon. We skipped Lake Titicaca because of the altitude, but that might have been a mistake.) Be aware: for Machu Picchu, because it is so popular and you need to get up and back by bus, you want to be on an early bus going up. And I would suggest that you not wait for the last minute to catch a bus to return back to town. The buses get quite busy, and you don't want to get stuck in a long line waiting for a return bus so you can then catch your train. Machu Picchu is wonderful, and this is one site where you will want to get up early and get going. (Regarding budgeting time: one day in Machu Picchu was enough for us. It is fabulously beautiful. We did not walk up Wayna Picchu - that would have required an even longer day. I fretted about the weather, because we had only planned one day for Machu Picchu, but we were lucky and had a gloriously beautiful day.)
 
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