We were recently in Puerto Iguazu (Argentina) and decided it would be fun to take the ferry to Paraguay from there. Hard information – from people who have done that – was a bit difficult to find so I thought I’d post this as an update in case anyone else might be interested in doing this.
For reference, our trip was on 11/5/25, starting around 1pm and ending around 4pm. It was hot and humid, probably in the mid to high 80’s F, but the ferry ride was relatively cool and the ferry does have a place to sit that is shaded.
Our point was not to go to Paraguay and shop, which appears to be what 99.9999% of everyone wants to do, but to just ride the ferry, cross the point where three countries meet, walk around, get a stamp on our passport, and come back.
Step one in this is finding the ferry.
Here’s a google pin to the ferry.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/vSSo3dASdQXQxRV79
Victoria Aguirre is the main street running through Puerto Iguazu, the ferry dock is all the way east to where it ends at the river.
As you walk, you will eventually see a park on your left, then the road will curve down hill, eventually reaching a place with a small snack bar/restaurant on your left and small trailers that are passport control in front of you.
As of November 2025 ferry tickets were 6,000 Argentine pesos each, which was about $4 US at the time.
There is a catamaran cruise service in the same area, if you turn around from the ferry ticket shack you are facing it. That is NOT the ferry, and it is not the waiting area for the ferry (although you could certainly hang there for a bit as we did..)
If you look between the passport trailers and the catamaran offices, there is a dirt road that continues down hill. That is the route to the ferry.
Now we wait for the ferry. Cars will be queued up there, and the drivers will generally be hanging out in the shade. Now might be a good time to get a ride into town on the other side, perhaps one of these drivers might do it for a few thousand pesos – we don’t know because we did not think that would be necessary (see below for more) – but something to think about.
The ferry will pull up if it’s not already there, and once they’re ready they’ll start waving everyone in. Show the ferryman your ticket.
There’s a seating area on the right with both upper and lower areas. The lower are at least partially in the shade. We were the only tourists on the ferry.
The ferry is moved by a boat that is attached. The ferry itself is more of a barge that is tied up to that board. The crossing takes about 20 min. You will be passing over the spot where the three countries meet – Tres Frontieres, Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay. The “Freedom bridge” will be on your right en route to Paraguay, it was still under construction when we were there.
On Paraguay side, once getting off if you follow the road straight ahead there is a hairpin curve to your left, then about a hundred yards or so there is a building on the left with first the ferry ticket window and then a small detached building with passport control, and a taxi waiting area (perhaps a bus stop but we did not see any buses) on the right.
Stop at passport control. We were hassled a bit here because we did not have an Argentine exit stamp. We do not speak Spanish, the officer seemed to speak very little English. “We just came from Argentina, you just saw us get off the ferry” did not seem to be a winning argument. Fortunately someone else in the line interceded in Spanish for us and all was well. The officer stamped our passport and waved us through.
Now…. If your intent is to get to the main shopping area in Paraguay (in Ciudad Del Este) you’re going to need a ride. And those seem to be hard to get.
When we were there there were no buses, Uber was not responsive, and there was one taxi at the stand. That driver wanted $25,000 argentine pesos for the trip. It’s a long-ish drive (we were told about 20km) so that’s probably reasonable but I always try to negotiate. I offered him $15,000, he did not come back with a counteroffer – $25K.
We decided to just walk up the hill a bit. See what he might think when the option was “$20K or nothing” We had been walking 10 minutes or so when the taxi drove by us, rolled down the window, told us it was 20km again and then reiterated $25,000. No thanks. If he had offered us something I probably would have taken it but he did not and just drove on.
Perhaps he has enough business? Seemed pretty slow, we were the only tourists on the ferry.
Anyway…. We simply walked up the hill a bit, enjoyed looking at the houses and gardens, walked back down under the Freedom bridge, sat in the shade for a while, then decided to get back on the ferry (2:30).
We stopped at Paraguayan passport control first. He examined our passports, then told us we needed to go buy a ferry ticket and come back to get it stamped by him. The ferry ticket window is to the left of the passport window. Ferry tickets this direction were 5000 Argentine pesos. We had no Paraguayan money so did not investigate that.
Back to the passport guy, got our tickets stamped – along with the passports – then walked downhill to the ferry for the trip back.
Once back in Argentina, you then need to stop at passport control again (so they can NOT stamp your passport, apparently…) We did not realize that until the guard stopped us and pointed us at the window again..
And then of course a stop at the snack bar for a drink!
All in all a nice way to spend part of the day!