Practical Information for visiting Northeast

Coverage for mobile networks is good in Puerto Iguazu, Posadas, Corrientes and the towns, with 4G, and patchy across the wetlands and the interior of Misiones.

At Ibera, signal is limited to the gateway villages and absent on the water; several lodges are deliberately off-grid with solar power and generator hours.

Local SIMs are cheap; a passport is required.

Wi-Fi is standard in hotels and at the Iguazu park visitor centre, and slow at the wetland posadas.

Note that near the Brazilian and Paraguayan borders your phone may pick up a foreign network and roam at international rates — check before making calls in Puerto Iguazu, which sits at a triple frontier.

The northeast is safe and relaxed, and the risks are environmental and border-related.

• Coatis at Iguazu look charming and are a genuine hazard. They have learned to raid bags, they bite and scratch, and bites require rabies assessment. Do not feed them, do not photograph them close up, and keep food inside your bag.
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• Heat and humidity on the catwalks in summer are the most likely cause of trouble; people faint there regularly.
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• The triple frontier at Puerto Iguazu has a reputation for smuggling; the town itself is fine, but do not wander border areas at night.
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• Caiman and snakes in Ibera; stay with guides and on paths.
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• Unpaved roads to the wetlands become impassable after rain.
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• Strong sun and very high UV in the subtropics.

Hospitals in Posadas, Corrientes and Puerto Iguazu are adequate; the wetlands have clinics only, and evacuation takes hours over unpaved roads. Insurance is worth having.

Vaccinations: routine cover plus hepatitis A and typhoid. Yellow fever vaccination is recommended for Misiones and Corrientes, and may be required for onward travel to Brazil — arrange it at least ten days before travelling.

Dengue is endemic with regular and sometimes large outbreaks, and chikungunya and Zika occur. The mosquito bites by day; repellent is essential rather than optional here.

Malaria risk is very low but not zero in the far north-east.

Rabies: consider it if you will be around wildlife; coati and bat bites both occur.

Heat and humidity: drink far more than you think you need on the Iguazu circuits.

Water: tap water is safe in the cities; use bottled in rural areas.

Mate etiquette matters here more than anywhere. The cebador fills and passes; you drink the whole gourd and hand it back without comment; gracias signals you are finished. Do not stir the straw, and do not wipe it.

At Iguazu: stay on the walkways, do not feed any animal, and note that drones are prohibited over the park.

Crossing to Brazil or Paraguay: take your passport even for a day trip, check visa requirements in advance, and get the entry and exit stamps — people get caught out by informal crossings.

Guarani communities: visit through the community’s own arrangements, and ask before photographing.

Gauchito Gil shrines: the red flags by the road are a genuine devotion; do not treat them as a curiosity.

Meal times are Argentine, with dinner from nine.

Emergency numbers: 911, or 107 for ambulance, 101 for police, 100 for fire.

At Iguazu, park staff are present along the circuits and there is a first aid post at the visitor centre. Heat exhaustion is the most common call.

Medical. Posadas and Corrientes have the regional hospitals. From Ibera, the road out is unpaved and slow, which is worth bearing in mind before anything adventurous.

Animal bites, including from coatis and bats, need prompt medical assessment for rabies.

Crossing borders: keep your passport with you at the triple frontier; identity checks are routine.

In the wetlands, go with a guide, tell someone your plans, and expect no signal on the water.

Consulates are in Buenos Aires; Brazil and Paraguay maintain consulates at Puerto Iguazu.