Discover the history of the Argentinan region of Misiones on this trip to see the remains of the San Ignacio Jesuit Mission and the Wanda Mines of semi-precious stones.
Options
When you book, you can select one of two options. Both include pickup and drop–off for hotels in Puerto Iguazu.
San Ignacio Miní & Wanda Mines (12 Hours)
We'll pick you up from your hotel first thing in the morning and follow the course of the Paraná River between Paraguay and Argentina towards the south of the province of Misiones.
Our first stop will be at the San Ignacio Miní Jesuit Mission ruins. At this registered World Heritage Site, we'll find out about the history of the Roque González de Santa Cruz Jesuit. In the 17th century, this missionary founded a mission aimed at evangelizing the native population. Today, these ruins are Argentina's best-preserved mission. In fact, this place was used as the film set for many scenes in the famous Robert de Niro film "The Mission".
During the tour, which includes a beautiful sound and light show, we'll appreciate the architecture of its carved stone buildings, including details of baroque origin, made by indigenous artists of the time.
After this, we'll head to the Wanda mines, an important source of semi-precious stones exploited by Polish miners. Quartz, amethysts, topaz, and agates are some of the materials that you'll be able to see on the tour, as well as the mine workshop to learn about how they're extracted and processed. These materials are used for the elaboration of jewelry in the town of Wanda.
We'll continue the tour by going to check out the yerba mate and tea plantations and we'll visit a yerba mate mill. Finally, we'll take a break so you can grab some lunch if you wish.
Finally, we'll head back to your hotel in Puerto Iguazu.
Wanda Mines (4 Hours)
We'll pick you up from a meeting point of your choice and set off on an hour-long journey alongside the Paraná River to the Wanda Mines.
When we arrive we'll enjoy a unique experience and witness the process of extracting semi-precious stones first-hand inside the mines.
What's more, we'll visit the mine workshop to learn all about the different processes and work that is done on the stones before they're sold. Today the site is an important source of semi-precious stones such as quartz, amethysts, topaz, and agate.
The trip will end back at your hotels in Puerto Iguazu.
Pickup or Meeting Point
This tour includes pick up from hotels located in the centre of Puerto Iguazu. However, when booking, you can also choose the option with pickup at the Meliá Hotel. If you're staying in another area or simply prefer a meeting point, you'll have to make your own way to the ACA petrol station in Puerto Iguazu.
In any case, we'll contact you after booking to confirm the exact pickup time at each point.
