Puerto Iguazu is the ideal place to start the "conquest" of the Iguazu Falls. It is a small town sheltering 30,000 inhabitants, whose special mission is to offer visitors a wide network of tourist services at international level. From here it is possible to make various excursions and visits to the falls and to Iguazu National Park.

It is the perfect resting place for the traveler to breathe the pure and authentic aroma wafting in from the green foliage of the Misiones rainforest - a delicate, clean yet intense aroma, reminding one of the surrounding great rivers, humid tropical weather, red earth, and virgin forest, packed with gigantic trees.

Puerto Iguazu is a scenario of exuberant beauty that extends on through Iguazu National Park, Mocona Falls, Rio Pilcomayo National Park, El Palmar National Park, the Ibera marshes and the Chaco plains.

WHAT TO VISIT

The "3 Frontiers" Landmark
The Argentine Landmark, at the end of Avenida 3 Fronteras, is at a very high point on the basalt gorge, covered with jungle vegetation. From there, one may sense the magic of the transparent Iguazu's majestic confluence with the red, turbulent Parana river. There is a lookout point here for visitors to gaze over the extraordinary panorama of the meeting of the rivers and to see the landmarks showing the frontiers of Paraguay and Brazil.

There are also various shops selling regional products and crafts, and restroom services.

Iguazu National Park Museum
The museum has a collection of fauna and flora of the region. Visitors are attended by specialist guides. It is situated in the port.

Eco-museum
This was created to preserve the memory of the community who lived in the countryside prior to the construction of the Itaipu Dam in 1987. It has clay pieces some 3,000 years old, found during the engineering work in the area of the lake. It is also a center for research and interpretation of nature, working to preserve local species and culture. In Avenida 3 Fronteras, very near the power-station.

Mborore Museum or Mborore Trench
This is owned by the descendants of its founder, Dr Luis Honorio Rolon, an ardent defender of the rights of the indigenous peoples and of the ecology of the region. It is located in Avenida Misiones.

Forest Images Museum
This shows wood carvings of anthropomorphic figures and of animals characteristic of Iguazu National Park. It is privately run, owned by Rodolfo Allou, and functions in part of the Residence of the Bishop of Iguazu, in Guatambu street.

Mines of Precious Stones
In Wanda and Libertad, 45 and 50 kilometers from Puerto Iguazu respectively, there are open-cast mines of precious stones that the tourist can visit, attended by a specialist bilingual guide. Artwork made with the stones can be seen there: jewelery, decorative objects, sculptures, and a huge number of hand-crafted objects. This is a really colorful show, visited by tourists from all over the world. There is also an exhibition of precious stones and a sales stand.

Aripuca Tourist Complex
This gigantic replica of an "Aripuca" was made with rescued tree trunks and is situated in the city of Iguazu, Misiones, Argentina, only 15 kilometers from the seventh wonder of the world: the Iguazu Falls. Aripuca (arapuca, in Portuguese) is a local Misiones word for a small aboriginal Guarani trap used for catching birds.

To explore what Aripuca offers tourists, it is worth starting with a guided visit to the two-hectare site; huge examples of rescued trees can be seen, many of which were destined to end up as firewood, in the sawmill or be left to unproductive decay.

Tourists can discover the characteristics of the trees, their approximate growth, their geographical distribution and the real and potential usefulness that they have. There are also handcrafts of the Guarani community on sale (almost the only resource they have to genuinely support themselves).

Another aim of the Aripuca is to give information about the Agro-Eco tourism excursions in the nearby town of Andresito, which last a minimum of a whole day. They include transport, guide, lunch, visits to farms or tourist attractions, and lodging and dinner, if necessary.

The farms that are willing to receive visitors are:

1. "Chacra El Cañafistula": family farming and home cooking.
2. "Chacra Las Viñas": natural medicine, wine production, self-supporting in its production, also offering home cooking and tree-adopting.
3. "Chacra Tio Zalindo": caña production (a regional spirit).
4. "Chacra Los Cedritos": paths of palo rosa and palmito trees, tree-adopting.
5. "Chacra Amanecer Con Los Pajaros" [Wake Up with the Birds]: bird watching and lodging (eight beds), organic honey production.
6. "Chacra Sombra de Toro": see a tree four meters in diameter.
7. "Chacra San Sebastian de la Selva": horseback riding, fishing in specially prepared places, rural lodging (30 beds), home cooking, camping, walks in the forest and trails for 4WD trips.
8. "Potrero Santa Rita": rural lodging (five beds), home cooking, horseback riding.
9. "Chacra "Ati": production of a variety of fruits.
10. Native fruits packaging plant and plant nursery.
11. "Caagui Pora": Indigenous Community.
12. "Andresito Yerba Mate Cooperative": explanation of the process of making yerba mate.
13. "Los Robles" Lodging house (30 beds, cabins).

In Aripuca, it is possible to "adopt" a tree of a native species, either natural or planted, that is over ten years old and is located in one of the sites properly registered for this purpose. The purpose of this program is to enhance the quality of life of every member of this "tree-parenting" group.