Within a few days, I’ll be on my way to Iguazu Falls (Foz Do Iguacu, Brazil) and Lima, Peru. The basics are in place, but I feel like there’s so much that’s still up in the air (pun unintentional).
Flights are on LAN. JFK-LIM-IGU-LIM- JFK. It was a mistake fare of less than $400 per person. I’m dragging Won’t Run along (he’s actually looking forward to the trip too). We’ll have 4 Nights in Iguazu and 3 nights in Lima (but only two real days in Lima). The hotels are set, but not much else.
Travel –
any information on LIM or IGU airports? As for lounges, I have Priority Pass lounge access.
Phone – Both hotels offer free wifi. I have a locked iPhone. I’ve spoken to Verizon, and for $40 I can get unlimited texts, 100 minutes phone and 400MB data. I may purchase this so I can have basic service. Any thoughts or suggestions?
Money – I’ll obviously bring a credit card (or three) that have no foreign transaction fees. Are credit cards widely accepted or do I need a fair amount of cash? What’s the rules on tipping in these two locations?
Iguazu –
I’ll be staying at a decent small hotel on the Brazil side, in the town of Foz do Iguacu.
I know I’ll be seeing the falls at least one day, but what else is there to do?
What tours do you recommend?
Food – My hotel includes breakfast. What restaurants do you recommend for lunch/dinner?
How about essentials? changing money – is there a bank at the airport?
any other tips or warnings?
I plan to spend a good amount of time relaxing and sipping caipirinhas.
Shopping?
Lima –
Lima is the capital of Peru and a very large South American city. I’ll be staying at a nice hotel in Miraflores.
From the airport, I’ll either take a private car service or a green taxi.
I know that there is a lot to see in Lima – how should I arrange this – by tour or hop on bus or just head out to the sites (carefully) on our own – what must we see?
Museums – I like to go to a museum or two, but not spend entire vacations at museums. Which two museums would you recommend? The Gold Museum? Museo Larco? Museo de la Nación? (here’s a little known fact about me – I studied Pre-Columbian cultures and art in college).
Where is it safe? Where is it not safe? Pointers and tips?
Is it safe to go running outdoors?
Food – Lima is known for its vibrant food scene. Can a city have more restaurants than Lima? what time do people go out to dinner?
For our one very nice meal, I narrowed the choices to Astrid y Garcon, Central and IK. I have a dinner reservation one night at IK, but it is at 10 p.m. – is that too late?
As for less expensive meals, do you have any recommendations?
Do you have any recommendations for Cerviche restaurants, etc?
Shopping?
Thank you for your input! I am sure that there’s a lot that I’m forgetting – I’m excited for this trip!
A New York frequent flyer who elegantly combines her passions for worldwide travel, running a gazillion marathons all over the globe and staying fit ... without sacrificing her fancy for good wine and food.
If you have an Argentinian visa and can make your way over to the Argentinian side of the falls, I’d recommend seeing them from both sides as they offer completely different views of the waterfalls. On the Brazilian side, there’s a bird park called Parque das Aves which is pretty interesting. On either side, you can take an adventure tour called Sendero Macuco where they take you down a trail in the jungle and then a boat into the waterfalls, I did this a few times and never get tired of it. Beware of touristy restaurants that offer all you can eat buffet style meals, they tend to be ridiculously overpriced and food quality is not good. Go instead for something that looks more local (and ask people where THEY would eat), they might not look fancy but that’s where the most authentic food is. Foz isn’t particularly a pretty city so there isn’t much to do there. This area is where Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay borders meet and it’s seen a great influx of tourists lately, so be mindful of pickpockets and the like. Hope this helps!
Yes, it helps a lot, thank you! I won’t be paying the Argentina reciprocity fee – but some people say its easy to go across and back?
Is the adventure tour very technical?
It takes about 5 minutes to clear border control and customs and you can drive from Foz to the Iguazu National Park on the Argentinian side in about 1 hour. They will require you to have the reciprocity fee if you’re a US, Canadian or Australian citizen when you cross.
The adventure tour is not at all technical. We did it with my mother-in-law who’s in her 60s. They take you through the jungle in an electric vehicle and then upstream into the ‘Devils Throat’ portion of the waterfalls, where you will be absolutely drenched in water as the mist gets really intense. Shoot us an email if you want more details or a few pics. I haven’t been to Lima but my husband did a study abroad program there, I’ll tell him to send you a few recommendations about it as well.
No pointers, but lucky you!! Enjoy!
“I’ve spoken to Verizon, and for $40 I can get unlimited texts, 100 minutes phone and 400MB data. ” You may want to check on this because the highest amount of data that VZ will allow is typically 100mb. For $85 you get 250 minutes of incoming/outgoing calls, 250 sent Text Messages, and 250 mb of data. Incoming text messages are unlimited.
I typically get the data only plan and carry it all the time. When I saw your post, I got excited and called them again to check on this and was informed that , no, they do not offer a 400 mb plan at all.
Have fun… I’ll wave as I’m flying to Santiago!
I highly recommend Arturo with http://www.peruvian-shuttle.com/en/ for your transportation to and from LIM airport.
He waited over an hour for me to get through immigration and customs after my plane landed past midnight.
Arturo was recommended to me by many people. Problem is -he’s been very slow to get back to me.