The Jesuit Missions & Iguassu Falls Tour

Day 1: Parana š Jesuit Mission Ruins - Oberá
Transfer from Posadas airport to Oberá city.
The Jesuit Missions of La Santísima Trinidad de Paraná and Jesús de Tavarangue are located in the Itapúa Department, Paraguay, and are religious mission that are sill preserved and that were founded by the Jesuit missioners during the colonization of South America in the XVII century. These religious missions were created in 1609 and developed for 150 years. Both Jesuit missions were declared Historical Patrimony of Humankind by the UNESCO in 1993.
The Jesuit Missions of Paraguay are considered some of the most impressive creations of the religious work of the Jesuit, and are testimony of the historical richness of the country.
Afterwards city tour at Oberá, the second city in size and importance of Misiones province, and the core of the Sierras Centrales region. The area is a colorful landscape, with luxurious vegetation, streams, cascades and hilly areas. Ober½ is also the educational and cultural capital of the central region of the province. Its economy is based on agriculture and industry.
The local culture is marked by European influences, since the area was settled by numerous colonies of immigrants, starting in 1897. The first community that settled in the site of today's Ober½ (then known as Yerbal Viejo) arrived in 1909 and was composed of Finns. French, Norwegian, Swedish, German, English, Lebanese and Danish joined them, before and after World War I.
Oberá was officially founded on 9 July 1928. Its name was taken from a renowned aboriginal chief, and it means "bright, shining". More than 15 national/ethnic communities of people descended from immigrants coexist, keeping their legacy and traditions. In the first fortnight of September every year they celebrate this diversity with the Immigrant's Festival. Oberá is also known as the "City of the Churches", since it features more than 30 churches, belonging to a diversity of denominations and rites (including Eastern and Western Catholic rites, Eastern Orthodox, and several Evangelical/Protestant churches). On June 13, 2009, Ober½ was made the see of the newly erected Roman Catholic Diocese of Ober½. The latter was created with territory carved out from the Diocese of Posadas.

Day 2: Jesuit Missions Ruins
São Miguel das Missões is a Unesco World Heritage site located in the small town of São Miguel das Missões in the northwestern region of Rio Grande do Sul, a state in southern Brazil. It is also known as São Miguel Arcanjo and by its Spanish language name San Miguel. It was one of the many Jesuit Reductions in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia. Jesuit missionaries founded the mission in the 18th century in part to catechise the Guaraní indian population and to protect the natives from the Portuguese slave traders known as the Bandeirantes.
The mission was built between 1735 to around 1745. The Treaty of Madrid in 1750 handed sovereignty over the area from Spain to Portugal and the Jesuits were ordered to leave. Their refusal to comply led to the mission's termination in a battle with a Portuguese-Spanish army which had been sent to enforce the newly agreed upon frontier between the two colonial powers. The cathedral in nearby Santo Ãngelo city is modeled after the São Miguel das Missães reduction.
The ruins of São Miguel das Missões are protected by UNESCO since 1983.

Day 3: Jesuit Mission Ruins
Reduction of Our Lady of Saint Ana was one of the many missions or reductions founded in the 17th century by the Jesuits in the Americas during the Spanish colonial period. The ruins of the Jesuit reduction founded in 1633 are located in the Candelaria Department of the Misiones Province, only 2 kilometers away from the department's head Santa Ana, and not far from the San Ignacio Miní ruins.
The complex of Jesuit reductions located both in Argentina and Brazil were declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 1984.
Reduction of Our Lady of Laurel was other of the many missions or reductions founded in the 17th century. The ruins of the Jesuit reduction founded in 1610 are located in the same department.
They were declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1984, together with other reductions in the area. The ruins have been taken over by vegetation, and are not as well preserved as those of San Ignacio Miní, also in Misiones.

Day 4: Jesuit Mission Ruins š Iguassu Falls
San Ignacio Miní was one of the many missions founded in 1632 by the Jesuits in the Americas during the Spanish colonial period near present-day San Ignacio valley, some 60km south of Posadas.
The ruins are one of the best preserved among the several build in a territory today belonging to Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, and one of the most visited due to its accessibility. Lost in dense vegetation, the remains of the "Guaraní baroque" stile constructions were found in 1897, and gained the interest of the population after the 1903 expedition by poet Leopoldo Lugones, but its restoration didn't begin until 1940.
In 1984 the ruins were declared as World Heritage Site by UNESCO, and currently hold the Museo Jesuâtico de San Ignacio Miní museum.
A few km to the south of the Iguazu Falls, on the road to the historical Jesuit mission of San Ignacio Mini, are the precious and semi-precious mines of Wanda (agate, quartz, amethyst and others). The visit is done with specialized guides in order to visit the factories, the manufacturing shops and the show rooms.
Transfer to Puerto Iguazu and accommodation in the Hotel International Sheraton.
The hotel was built in 1978 and remodeled in 2000. It has a spectacular location inside the Iguazú National Park and falls view rooms are available.
Rooms are fully equipped with ensuite bathroom, direct dial telephone, AC, cable TV and balcony. Hotel facilities include disabled access, outdoor swimming pool with solarium, illuminated tennis court, games room, gym with sauna, gift and souvenir shop, business center with photocopier and internet access. Restaurant "Garganta del Diablo (Devil's Throat)" offers international cuisine and buffet service with local specialties in an elegant setting.

Day 5: Iguassu Falls
Breakfast at the hotel.
The Iguazþ National Park, located at eighteen kilometres from Puerto Iguazú, was declared Natural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. The famous falls are inside this Park.
The Iguazþ Falls on the border with Brazil are one of the world's natural wonders.
Lined with dense forests, the Iguazþ river flows into 275 waterfalls, plunging more than 70 meters with a deafening noise. As this huge volume of water reaches the bottom, spray rises, and lots of rainbows are formed in the sky.
An incredible variety of fauna and flora completes the perfect setting for the waterfalls within the protection of the Iguazú National Park.
Start this tour following a scenic highway up to the Argentine Iguazu Park. Visit starts with ample time to visit the upper falls on the Argentinian side, including the San Martin Falls and the Devil's Throat.
The Great Adventure is unique and combines the whole essence of the Iguassu National Park in one ride: the jungle and the waterfalls. Enter the jungle from the Sendero Yacaratía trail with special transportation that allows a panoramic view of the environment along with experienced guides that give a lot of explanations. Arriving at the Puerto Macuco Base we will start the second part of this ride departing from the floating platform. Motor-boats will take us through the Canyon of the Iguassu River, until the falls. Enjoy the view of both, the Brazilian and Argentinian side including the Devil‰s Throat. Heading on we face the San Martin waterfall, a wonderful and unforgettable experience, for it‰s the largest waterfall any motor-boat can approach safely. The landing is at the base of the lower circuit where visitors reintegrate the trails.

Day 6: Iguassu Falls
Breakfast and visit to Brazilian Falls.
The Park is located in the westernmost region of the state of Paraná, in the Iguaçú river basin, 17km from downtown Foz do Iguaçú. It borders Argentina, where the Iguazu National Park, which was implemented in 1934, is located. The border between the two countries and their national parks is made by the IguaÙþ river, whose source is near the Serra (mountain range) do Mar near Curitiba and runs for 18 km throughout the state of Paraná.
The most spectacular sightseeing of the park is the Iguaçú Falls, which form a 2,700m wide semi-circle, while the waterfalls filled visitors with awe as they watch the water foam that plunges down from a height of 72m.
Visit the park's visitor's center with its exhibition of the local eco-system. Continue down the Cataratas Highway through the rainforest of the park to the falls. Descending a walkway, you can contemplate the lovely waterfalls in all of nature's exuberance, with panoramic views of both sides of the falls - Brazil and Argentina. Reaching the elevator, you can ascend to have a bird's eye view over the falls from the lookout.
Afterward transfer to International Airport to flight back home.