After five months of traveling around Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina, it was time to finish off our 2025 South American trip with a few days in Paraguay. We were in Puerto Iguazú, having just visited the majestic Iguazú Falls. Now we had to navigate a double border crossing, via Brazil’s Foz do Iguaçu, to Paraguay’s Ciudad del Este.
Direct buses to Ciudad del Este, operated by the Rio Uruguay company, depart every hour from Puerto Iguazú’s main bus terminal (location). We caught one at 10:45 and bought our tickets on the spot for 6,000 ARS (≈ $4.50).
Just like on our day trip from Puerto Iguazú to the Brazilian side of the waterfalls, we flew past the first border from Argentina to Brazil. The bus only paused briefly at Argentina’s immigration control, and we entered Brazil unstamped. That’s where we messed up.
To ease the strain on their immigration offices from the flood of day-trippers coming from Argentina, Brazilian authorities let buses pass through unchecked. Since we weren’t returning the same day—as we’d soon discover under less-than-pleasant circumstances—it was on us to ask the driver to stop, go through immigration, and then catch the next bus.
A similar situation played out at the second border crossing between Brazil and Paraguay. Due to the close economic integration between Foz do Iguaçu and Ciudad del Este, citizens of the two cities are allowed to move back and forth without checks. It was again our responsibility to get off and get stamped on both sides. But we didn’t think about it yet, even though we had plenty of time…
Despite the lack of controls, this part of the trip was excruciatingly slow due to traffic. Stuck in an air- and noise-polluting convoy of ancient lorries, we spent two hours crawling across the 2-km bridge between the two countries. Only when we were finally dropped off in the center of Ciudad del Este did it occur to us that we hadn’t gotten any stamps.
We should have seen it coming. Just a week earlier, we’d already had a little misadventure on Paraguay’s borders during a day trip from Posadas to the Trinidad Jesuit Ruins. On that occasion, we went through immigration as normal, but for some unknown reason the Paraguayan officer didn’t stamp our passports.
When we returned later that evening, a different officer noticed the missing stamps and tried to fine us. It took some ardent protesting on my part—this was clearly not my responsibility—before she finally gave up.
Now in Ciudad del Este, we realized we were probably in trouble. Killing time before check-in, we holed up in a café and read a bunch of similar—most of them ending with travelers paying fines. Not good.
The moment check-in opened, we dumped our bags in the room and headed straight back to the border.
The officer on the Paraguayan side was friendly and cooperative. Clearly well acquainted with the issue, he reached for our passports and grabbed the stamp before we’d even finished explaining. But then he noticed that, in addition to the Paraguayan entry stamp, we also lacked the Brazilian exit stamp. There was nothing he could do until we had that, so he sent us back to get it first
Enjoying the views of the Paraná River from the bridge, we soon reached the Brazilian side. The officer there was also friendly and familiar with the situation, but then she noticed that, in addition to the Brazilian exit stamp, we also lacked the Brazilian entry stamp. Here we go again.
Regretfully, she told us we’d have to go back to the Argentinian border and pay a fine to get it. I pleaded with her in my best poor Portuguese. She hesitated, took our passports, asked us to wait with no promises given, and disappeared into the building. Five minutes later, she reappeared with a big smile and good news.
All’s well that ends well. We had to tweak our plans after losing so much time, but it wasn’t a big deal. That afternoon we wandered around Ciudad del Este, and we visited the Monday Falls the next morning before setting off for Villarrica.
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Accommodation & Activities in Paraguay
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