Jesuit Mission Ruins
San Ignacio is the most important archeological complex in this area, giving it the honor of being named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. In addition to being very large and complex, the ruins are the best-preserved remains of any Jesuit town. The different buildings include a temple, workshops and educational buildings, family homes, and a large park. Among these buildings there is plenty of beautiful art created by the Guaraní Indians.

In 1609 a group of Spanish Jesuit missionaries began to establish settlements in the Parana basin of Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil. They had made previous attempts to set up missions in the Chaco region, but failed, so they moved on to the Paraná basin, where they gathered thousands of Guaraní Indians to join their settlements. Of the 30 missions that the Spanish Jesuits developed, 16 were in present day Argentina.

Many of the missions burned down or were sacked and destroyed by the paulistas and bandeirantes, Brazilian slave traders who wanted to capture the Guaranies. When almost all of the missions were wiped out, the Jesuits moved the settlements and the settlers, down the Parana River to reestablish the missions. One of the only missions that remain intact today in Argentina is the settlement at San Ignacio Mini, which was founded in 1632.

Yacutinga Jungle Lodge
Website The wild bird sanctuary is located on the Iguazu River and is surrounded by a subtropical rainforest with a richness of wild fauna. Located 25 miles from the spectacular Iguazu Waterfalls, the lodge has over 500 birds on display, both indigenous and from other continents and visitors can be in contact with the birds without the restriction of netting and cages.

Itaipu Dam
The Itaipu Dam is the world's largest hydro-electric project and stands only 6 miles up the Rio Parano from the Iguazu Falls. The grand long and curving structure is quite an interesting site. Typical tours take you to see the dam from the side and to see the view from the top of the dam. Informative videos are also shown to visitors.

Aripuca
Website The Aripuca is a site of an agricultural colony and ecotourist destination located 8 miles from the Waterfalls of Iguazu. Aripuca is dedicated to create awareness and to begin actions to preserve and to promote the care of the environment.

Horseback Riding in the Iguazu Rainforest
Ride a horse through the beautiful subtropical rainforest on your way to the falls. You will also pass through the local Indian village of the Guaran. The ride takes about two hours and begins from the Iguassu Falls city center in Brazil.

Iguazu Forest Exploration
This is an a great excursion for adventure seekers. Take a ride through the jungle in a jeep and stop off at certain points for rappelling down the falls, hiking the trails, and tree climbing. This excursion begins in Argentina and takes about three hours.

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