Travel logistics for Rio - Iguazu - Ilha Grande - Paraty?

Question

Hi, I am travelling with 3 friends to Rio on Dec. 11th. We have 2 nights accommodation booked in Rio from Dec 11-13th. We need to be in Paraty from Dec 19th - 23rd for a wedding and we're then flying out of Rio on the 23rd. We would like to see the Iguazu Falls and spend some time chilling out on a beach (with some surf) before we go to the wedding. Therefore, my questions are the following:

1. Should we go to Iguazu Falls from Rio, then fly back to Rio and head for Ilha Grande and then Paraty?

2. We have heard that the Argentinean side of Iguazu is nicer. How do we get there from Rio and where should we stay (on a budget)

3. Where should we stay in Ilha Grande which would be on the beach, nicely chilled out, where we could do some surf and isn't too expensive?

4. How do we travel from Rio - Ilha Grande and then Ilha Grande - Parati?

Any recommendations / suggestions would be really appreciated!

Answer 1

As far as I know, it should not be too difficult to travel from Rio to Iguazu, Argentina. There are many buses that you can take. For more information about Iguazu Falls and Argentina, visit this page: http://www.macquil.com/articles/argentin...

For cheap accommodations: http://www.macquil.com/hostals.php

Answer 2

1) It is OK to go to Iguazu Falls from Rio, then fly back to Rio and head for Ilha Grande and then Paraty. To go to Ilha Grande you take a ferry from Angra dos Reis. So the nearest airport is Rio de Janeiro anyway.

2) I also think that the Argentinian side offers nicer views and walks than the Brazilian, but it is no problem to visit both sides and having a look at the Itaipu power plant as well during a two days stay. A taxi takes you to the other side.

To go there you take a flight to Iguazu. Flights within Brazil are quite expensive but if you are lucky you can get a better price with one of the newer airlines (like Gol). The best possibility for flying within Brazil is the Brazilian Passport which is a round trip ticket with 4 or 5 flights for about 500-600 U$. This tickets are available at TAM and Varig. You have to buy them and book the flights outside Brazil and you cannot take a return flight without another destination in between. There may be even cheaper round trip tickets for restricted areas of Brazil (North, South East, Centre, ...).  Check for the best possibility with a travel agency. Staying there should not be a problem. Pousadas normally are cheaper than hotels.

3) On Ilha Grande I would recommend to stay in the small village of "Vila do Abraão". There are lots of pousadas of all categories. You can go there and walk around to find one that you like.

For surfing the island is not the ideal place. As far as I remember there are only two beaches with rea-sonable waves. Lopes Mendes and Santo Antonio which face the open sea. To get there (which is extremely worth while) you have to take a boat or walk for quite some time. But on the other hand such a boat trip is also good fun and not very expensive.

Check it out: http://www.ilhagrande.com.ar/?sel_lang=e...

4) To get to the Ilha Grande you take a bus from the Airport in Rio to the Rodoviaria (the bus station). There you take a bus to Angra dos Reis. There are several connections per day. In Angra you take a ferry to the island. There is another possibility to go to the island from Mangaratiba which is nearer to Rio but I do not recommend it because it is easy to get stuck there. In Angra there are at least two ferrys per day and there is also the possibility to hire a boat to bring you there.

To go to Paraty then you take a ferry from Vila do Abraão to Angra and a bus from Angra to Paraty.

Sometimes it is a good idea to buy the bus tickets in advance because there is no other way of making a reservation and buses tend to be fully booked because it is a convenient and relatively cheap way of transportation.

Answer 3

1. Should we go to Iguazu Falls from Rio, then fly back to Rio and head for Ilha Grande and then Paraty?

Yes.

2. We have heard that the Argentinean side of Iguazu is nicer. How do we get there from Rio and where should we stay (on a budget)

Go to the Brazilian side by plane and cross over at the border. Not sure about hotels on the Argentinean side, but in any case you should contact Massimo at Cânion Iguaçu: http://www.campodesafios.com.br. You can tell him Bill sent you.

3. Where should we stay in Ilha Grande which would be on the beach, nicely chilled out, where we could do some surf and isn't too expensive?

I know some people there but would have to dig up the information.

4. How do we travel from Rio - Ilha Grande and then Ilha Grande - Parati?

Either rent a car or go by bus. Bus service is frequent.

Answer 4

I flew from Buenos Aires to Iguacu Falls (Argentinian side). I didn't arrange onward travel, though I did have a hotel booked on the Brazilian side. There are few taxis that wait for planes, so you might have to take the highly expensive organised tours. In the end I managed to find somebody willing to drive me all day for about GBP10 (USD18) - cross the border, to the falls, wait for me, then drive to my hotel, then drive me back to the Brazilian airport the following day. It's easy for Brazilians/Argentinians to cross the border. The flight from there to Rio was inexpensive and quick.

Answer 5

its only about a 2 hour flight from Rio to the Iguacu.    I'd highly recommend seeing both sides tho.  You can do that in 4 .. maybe 5 hours.   Hope you're in shape.. lots of walking but deff worth the trip !  make sure you take LOTS of water.

Boa Sorte

Oh yea.. AVOID  the airlines VARIG at ALL COSTS...

they are going out of business and its a MESS...

i went to brazil this past June flying on Varig and we were delayed 6 HOURS IN MIAMI !  .. and 6 HOURS IN Sao PAulo ! ...

i ended up missing a whole day of vacation