Driving To Iguazu? What About The Police?

[Markgeezer]

Thanks for the detailed info, much appreciated and very useful. We were (fam with 2 small kids) thinking about maybe visiting Esteros de Ibera on the way up or down, are there specific good places to visit that you know of?

Do you know how Ruta 14 & 101 are in the North of San Pedro? When advising to cross to Eldorado, do you mean via Ruta 20? Is that one paved as it appears to be a minor road?

I had no idea that there were any Araucaria forests outside our area (Northern Patagonia, close to the Chilean border)!

Yes the Esteros de Ibera offer a fascinating wildlife experience. Drive north of Mercedes (now mostly paved) to Colonia Carlos Pellegrini and stay there at least two nights. Note that the lodges there are expensive and need to be booked in advance. To continue to Iguazu, if dry, take the road north then east which reaches the 14 at Caza OPava (between Santo Tome and Virasorro). NB. It's often difficult to get fuel in CCP.

RP 14 north of San Pedro is unpaved and quite rough and hilly... very difficult if it rains. Even with a 4WD you can have problems. The 20 is paved and fine, a nice scenic drive to Eldorado.

Yes, these Araucarias are a different species... A. angustifolia (the Parana Pine) whereas in the south they are A. araucana (the Pehuen). The Parana Pine also extends over a large area in southernmost Brazil and northern Uruguay. San Pedro is a bit rough and I usually stay in San Vicente, an hours drive to the south where I would recommend the Richard Palace hotel.

The east of Misiones is the real Misiones, very different from the tourist zone of Iguazu. You can see blond German descendants without shoes on ox-drawn carts. There are various other very interesting tourist free places to visit there, but you need time of course.

PM me if you need other specifics.