We know that Iguazu Falls is a fascinating place and a must-visit when traveling to South America. Let me tell you, this wonder of the natural world is undoubtedly a must-see and an excellent point of contact to connect Argentina and Chile. Many travelers start their tour in Rio de Janeiro to continue to Argentina, via this wonderful place, or vice versa.
While both Puerto Iguazu, located on the Argentine side, and Foz do Iguaçu, on the Brazilian side, offer many accommodation options of different characteristics and qualities, the option of staying in the Atlantic Rainforest is very attractive.
YACUTINGA LODGE: ACCOMMODATION IN THE ATLANTIC RAINFOREST IN THE IGUAZU FALLS AREA
Located two hours from the world-famous Iguazú Falls, Yacutinga Lodge and its wildlife reserve are nestled deep in the pristine part of the Misiones jungle, almost entirely surrounded by the upper Iquazú River—the same river that winds through the National Parks of Argentina and Brazil, eventually forming the majestic waterfalls.
At Yacutinga, the incomparable force of nature resonates with tourists who gather from around the world with the expectation of witnessing the miracle of life itself. Delight, respect, admiration, and a profound magical feeling, leaving one speechless, are repeated with each experience.
Nestled amidst the greenery, the lodge serves as a comfortable shelter in complete harmony with the environment. The buildings, with soft, rounded lines, seamlessly blend in with the natural terrain slopes.
Materials gathered from the site, such as rocks and fallen trees, were incorporated into the design, reinforcing the conservation philosophy of the enterprise.
For those eager to partake in this experience, a variety of activities guided by ecologists and Yoga Professors are available. Our environmental guides possess extensive training in interpreting nature and its processes.
The Yoga team fosters a marvelous interaction between your inner self and the surrounding jungle atmosphere, expanding your senses to nature. The invitation, then, is to visit the site to learn, understand, care for, and preserve nature and its inhabitants, thereby building bridges of love and commitment.
Even though what has been lost may not be recovered, the challenge lies in preserving what remains—the source that guarantees our existence on Earth.
YACUTINGA LODGE LOCATION: RAINFOREST LODGE NEAR IGUAZU FALLS
Yacutinga Lodge is easily accessible from the cities of Puerto Iguazú (Argentina) and Foz do Iguaçu (Brazil), both served by airports with very frequent flights.
If you arrive with your own vehicle to our area, you can also choose the option of leaving your vehicle in the town of Comandante Andresito, located about 15 kilometers from our location. If this is the case, we are happy to send a four-wheel-drive vehicle to pick you up and avoid possible mishaps during this journey characterized by a dirt road, often impassable for conventional vehicles.
If you arrive through Puerto Iguazú, our service begins and ends at the meeting point located at the entrance of this city, which is 16 kilometers from the airport or 10 blocks from the bus terminal.
We do not accept travelers who arrive at the lodge with their own vehicle for several reasons, but perhaps the most important is the difficulties that may arise when traveling on clay and slippery roads in case of rain. We do not want any guest to experience difficulties trying to reach or depart from the lodge on their own.
We have been living in the jungle for years and are familiar with its operational complexities, in addition to the necessary knowledge of routes and roads; that is why we prefer to transport guests with our vehicles.
YACUTINGA LODGE: Details
Being at Yacutinga Lodge means entering into communion with nature. Only 4 hectares out of the 570 that make up the property have been used to build the structures of this unique ecotourism complex in Argentina. The constructions at the lodge gently follow the natural slopes of the terrain and maintain the surrounding harmony.
Materials sourced from the site, such as stones and large pieces of wood from fallen trees, have been successfully incorporated into the architectural concept of the place, thus seamlessly integrating with the natural environment.
In this way, a highly relaxed atmosphere has been achieved, where magic takes its form, and the “Monte Misionero” can be enjoyed in all its splendor and wisdom.
YACUTINGA LODGE: Rooms and Gastronomy
The rooms are scattered in the jungle and surround the main building from a distance. They consist of independent accommodation modules. Each module has 4 rooms, which have a very comfortable rustic style, and a private bathroom with hot water 24 hours a day. There are 6 double rooms, 14 double or triple rooms, and the recently incorporated “Yatei”: a very special room, surrounded by deep vegetation and in the shade of gigantic trees. This room is dedicated to couples with adventurous and sophisticated spirits. Excellent for organizing a different and unique Honeymoon program.
All rooms have an intense and exclusive view of the Jungle. Quietly seated from the landing of each room, it is common to observe hummingbirds, birds of various types, agoutis, armadillos, and large concentrations of butterflies. Various spaces are added, specially designed for gatherings, practicing Yoga, and Meditation. We have a Tower at the height of the treetops to meet ourselves, a Yoga room for 12 people where our Teachers lead their practices surrounded by a very lush forest. There are also bonfires that at night, allow us to relax while admiring the Milky Way with total clarity.
Yacutinga Lodge bases its services on respecting local culture, incorporating traditional local food at an international level in terms of its preparation and presentation. Organic products from local or regional orchards are used.
The lodge’s food has that unique homemade taste.
Special mention deserves the vegetarian and vegan proposal. We pay close attention to our healthy and perfectly balanced menus. The idea is that your experience at Yacutinga, in addition to being enriching, must be focused on your well-being.
A WONDERFUL PRIVATE NATURAL RESERVE IN THE RAINFOREST
Yacutinga Lodge is not just an ecotourism project located in the Argentine Misiones jungle. We believe that there is an important global need for nature protection, as well as for generating economic income. At Yacutinga, we are doing both. Ecotourism activity is one of the economic pillars, but there are also other sustainability projects that are being developed in our Reserve.
With the biological and technical support of the Wildlife Foundation Argentina (FVSA) and the results of the research carried out at the Yacutinga Biological Station, we are carrying out various projects to create a general use of our private reserve without altering nature.
From the beginning of the project, we have been concerned about minimizing the impact on the environment. At the same time, we had to find a balance between the use of the surrounding nature and the development of excellent ecotourism services.
Yacutinga believe they have achieved this challenge by following modern sustainability criteria, based on:
The responsibility of private sector management, in one of the areas of the Misiones jungle.
Employment and training of local staff for the production of ecotourism services.
The prohibition and drastic control of poaching and fishing in the area.
Development of forest restoration programs to recover altered areas.
Development of wildlife breeding programs to repopulate and relocate samples. (completed project)
Implementation of various research programs with the aim of acquiring adequate knowledge about the resources provided by the jungle.
Encouraging co-participation with our Mbya Guaraní neighbors to implement sustainable productive activities.
Moreover, according to our beliefs and philosophy, Yacutinga have multiplied our efforts to reduce the effects of our presence in the area, by designing and implementing recycling systems and rationing the energy we produce.
The water at the Lodge is very pure. It comes from a well that reaches the second of the groundwater, at 85 m depth.
The hot water system in the room modules primarily uses solar energy, which is then optimized with a constant temperature of the water, through non-polluting electric heaters.
The pool consumes a large amount of energy and drinking water, therefore, to reduce and optimize water consumption, a system has been designed to collect rainwater from the large roofs of the main building. The flow of rainwater is diverted to the pool forming an artificial waterfall that carries fallen leaves with its current. In this way, we keep the pool clean during storms.
An additional discharge treatment system has been designed in all bathrooms of the establishment. This system is known as Marsh external engineering and uses saturated soil plants (such as swamps) whose roots are capable of absorbing nutrients present in stagnant water.
There are no air conditioners in the rooms, but they have been architecturally designed to have a fresh air current inside, coming from the understory that surrounds them, and entering each building from a system located under the foundations.
Maintaining the commitment to living in harmony with nature, we have considered every detail and tried to offer the best possible ecotourism service in the jungle. From Wi-Fi to comfortable beds with natural cotton sheets.
The main building is the starting point for activities. Early in the morning or in the afternoon, even at night, our expert guides organize kayaking excursions or hikes along the different interpretation trails.
Activities are carried out in groups of no more than 12 people. All our activities are based on respect for the environment, its contemplation, and interpretation. All our guides are specialists in the biodiversity of the Misiones jungle, and speak perfect English. Each group is also accompanied by a Guarani auxiliary, as they provide additional information on the use of medicinal plants in the jungle, tracking and identifying traces of wild animals, and many other topics of interest to travelers.
You do not need to be an expert in the environment or biology to enjoy your stay at Yacutinga Lodge. On the contrary, one of the conceptual pillars of our project is environmental education. At Yacutinga Lodge, we base our services on respecting local culture, offering traditional native cuisine, with international preparation and presentation. Meals at the lodge are prepared with products from local orchards.
We firmly believe that all of us should be respectful of nature, as we are part of it. At Yacutinga, we strive to convey this environmental awareness in a completely natural way. We like to do it, and in a way, we are proud of it. We are happy to know that, upon returning home, our guests convey the knowledge we have imparted to their community.
For those interested in specific environmental topics, we have organized programs based on bird watching and entomological classification, medicinal plants, orchids, and bromeliads.
In 2003, Yacutinga Lodge and its Wildlife Refuge were selected by the World Tourism Organization as one of the 60 model ecotourism companies worldwide.
YACUTINGA LODGE AND THE SUSTAINABILITY POLICY
Today, Sustainable Tourism has positioned itself as an important component in the rapid expansion of the cutting-edge tourism industry, as well as an invaluable and highly efficient tool in the fight against the destruction of ecosystems and the loss of cultural heritage.
The principles of sustainability applied to tourism are relatively new, having developed from disciplines such as Ecotourism, Adventure Tourism, and Responsible Tourism. These contemporary forms of “tourism” gained relevance in the late 1980s and strongly established conservation and sustainable practices due to growing concerns about the fragility of our environment and the feasibility of the Tourism Industry as a protector and supporter of the conservation of Natural and Cultural Resources in the areas where it operates.
In 1987, the “Brunland Report” to the United Nations General Assembly alerted the world to the urgent need to make rapid progress towards the development of an economic model that could be sustainable by not undermining natural resources and damaging the environment.
This report appealed to the general public and gained notoriety, popularizing avant-garde concepts about sustainable development, ideologically germinating what we now call Sustainable Tourism. As a result of these beginnings, the application of sustainability in tourism emerged, which focuses on maintaining an adequate balance at the socio-economic and environmental levels to ensure future generations access to the same resources we enjoy today, whether they are cultural or natural.
Essentially, it is a future for everyone. A large number of governmental organizations, foundations, and non-profit entities have been promoting the concept and the need for the application of sustainability in tourism activities. Based on this new criterion, various entities have drafted principles and parameters on sustainable standards for the sector.
Furthermore, the World Tourism Organization in 2000 added that “sustainable tourism is one that meets the needs of current travelers and receiving regions while protecting and promoting opportunities for the future”. Building on these concepts and advancing in relation to the responsible tourism activity we conduct at Yacutinga Lodge, we present the following principles, which we hope will be accepted by our guests, our suppliers, and the selling agencies commercially related to us, given that our Company makes great efforts to establish this tourism philosophy.
YACUTINGA LODGE: ACTIVITIES AND PROGRAMS
Yacutinga Lodge offers different programs that can be adapted to your needs. The Yacutinga Experience program is the best option to discover the curiosities of Argentina’s most biodiverse ecoregion after the traditional visit to the Iguazú Falls. Two nights comfortably accommodated in the heart of the Misiones Jungle. Guided tours by ecologists and native Guaraní people are included, either navigating the waters of the Jungle or exploring one of the 12 interpretation trails of the exclusive Yacutinga Private Reserve. An itinerary that introduces us to the deep green of the Upper Iguazú River Jungle and its wildlife.
But it also offers more comprehensive and even more specific programs, such as the one based on jungle birds. Do not hesitate to contact us; our sales team is ready to offer you the best programs.
HOW TO BOOK YACUTINGA RAINFOREST LODGE?
Check below some of the most interesting programs to enjoy Yacutinga Rainforest Lodge near Iguazu Falls
