Exploring Cultural Heritage: San Ignacio Ruins & Wanda Mines

Loved the whole experience! The Wanda Mines were extremely interesting since we already had several amethysts. Nice to see where they may have come from. The ride the Mission was longer than expected but still very interesting. At the ruins we stumbled upon an English-speaking guide and had him all to ourselves, since we were the only English speakers on the tour. he was very informative. On the way home we stopped at a Mate outlet. There was a presentation and the facility gave out samples of their Mate and snacks. The whole experience was well worth it!

There is not really a guide in the bus. You are sort of dropped off at locations and guided there. I was the only English speaker, which is not a problem but I was at the mercy of the kindness of other tourists to translate. It rained a lot that day. It would have been good if they had umbrellas on hand.

**If you are English speaking ONLY, please read** When booking this excursion on Trip Advisor, I was under the impression that the tour was in English. Only about 10 minutes of the mine tour was spoken in English. The rest of the tour was spoken in Spanish. Everything we saw was lovely, just wish we knew the history behind what we were looking at. The trip took a little longer than 12 hours due to the several stops that had to be made picking up and dropping off other group members. We were pleased with the comfortability of the vehicle as it had AC and how pleasant the driver was. He was sympathetic to us as we were certainly the odd ones out. In the description of the tour, food and drinks are listed as excluded, which is true, but what wasn't listed was having the opportunity to stop at a cafe for food and drinks. We were pleasantly surprised by this but ended up packing lunch because we thought there would be no other options for food and drinks. Lastly, THE TRIP WAS MOSTLY DRIVING and felt like a waste of a day. For people who would rather enjoy the outdoors and not be cooped up in a vehicle, this excursion is not for you.

I requested an english speaking guide and did not get one and no one in the tour spoke english.at Wanda mines the lady that showed us the mine did speak English. At the ruins I did not understand anything the guide spoke. I was on my own

Horrible experience. Viator did not keep its word to provide an English guide. Indeed, they subcontracted to another local company that only provided a driver NO GUIDE. They information did not tell you that you would be traveling almost 7 hours total during the day and there was no wi fi in the van. We had to pay entrance fees at all of the sites which was not specified in the tour reservation. After a 3 hour drive to our planned site to see the cultural site, we paid the entrance fee and then found out there was no English speaking guide. Essentially wasted an entire day in my limited vacation time AND Viator would not refund my payment despite the incorrect information said it was not their fault. Overall, anyone interested in this tour and Viator should re-think this plan. Shame on you Viator!!!

I loved learning about the San Ignacio Mini Ruins. Our tour guide (from the museum), Tomas, was VERY knowledgeable. I also thoroughly enjoyed our driver/tour guide, Miguel. He is also incredibly informed and knowledgeable about local culture, history, customs, and things to do! I also enjoyed the stops at Wanda Mines and one of the Mate factories. Totally recommended! (If interested in Guarani culture and history, stay in San Ignacio and do the night show at the main ruins and go see the three other ruin sites. We were unable to do so because of the limited 12-hour tour time.) P.S. make sure to bring a good book! It is a long ride!

This tour was way too long - it actually covers pretty much the length of Missiones province in 1 day. In my opinion the mines are not worthwhile (it’s mainly a shop) and would be better if concentrated just on the ruins which are genuinely interesting.

So, I was forgotten twice. HOWEVER, the company did a great job at sending someone to make me feel excited about the tour. They sent a man named Nicholas, whom I hesitated about since I was a solo 20-year-old girl. Nicholas was absolutely wonderful! He truly made my trip so wonderful and showed me so much kindness, despite me being nervous and upset about the initial chaos. Once reconnected with the group, everything went smoothly. Juan, the tour guide, was very kind and made sure that I understood what was going on, since my native language is English and everything was in Spanish. Despite being alone, young, and a woman in a foreign country, I felt comfortable and cared for by the tour guides, the company, and Nicholas, who retrieved me after being forgotten. I would absolutely go on this tour again.

I cannot review this tour because the tour company did not take us. We paid in advance, but there were several communication problems arranging our pickup. We were left searching for a non-existent address at 0630, only to discover that the employee responsible for arranging our excursion works 9-5. The “emergency contact” did not respond, so we were not picked up as promised. Now this company refuses our refund (despite admitting their numerous errors in arranging) We would strongly suggest another tour company if you want to actually visit this location.

This is the worst tour I ever had. Booked a tour in English but ended up with all Spanish tourists. The driver spoke only Spanish on the bus which was ok to us. The worst part was whenever he dropped us, he didn't even bother to talk to us, even told us where we were, what we were going to do there, how long we would be there. We had joined many other tours in languages other than English, at least the driver would tell you how long you would be there and what you are going to do. If you speak Spanish, it maybe ok but certainly not for English speaker. The time management was bad too. We went to the Wanda Mine and was told to leave 2:30 but ended up leaving. Pick up was scheduled 7:45 but only picked up 8:05. The tour started 8am for us and we returned back to home 9pm. When you considered there's only two sites to visit, the mine and the ruin, it does not seems to worth the time.

The Mines and Ruins were amazing. I met some great people. IT'S a long day so be ready for that. Bring water and sna ks. Driver does not speak english, and i was told he did. Guides at sites spoke english so it worked out

Wanda mines and San Ignacio was very interesting but only the guide in Wanda mines spoke English. It is not acceptable that you choose an English guided tour and you have a tour exclusively in Spanish, except of Wanda mines where the guide spoke English too.

Viator claimed all admission was free. However, I had to buy admission tickets at both the Wanda mines and the San Ignacio ruins. Viator sent me an email the following day to send a picture of the ticket prices, which I cannot do as I’m no longer there. Even with those photos, they said they would only refund a partial amount of the tickets. Do not book with Viator as they can be misleading about what is included and what isn’t.

The mine and ruins were both interesting, but it was frustrating that the bus driver only spoke Spanish (I signed up for the tour in English). Although he talked quite a bit on the long drive, I have no idea what he said. l feel I missed out on some important information.

The good: the destinations are very interesting, especially the Ruins of San Ignacio. Pure history. The bad: advertising is misleading, because among the services included it says “Professional Guide” and, at least in our case, that was not the case. We only traveled with the driver, and in both destinations we had to pay separately - at discretion, without fee- the two local guides, very good both. On this particular excursion they were a transport company, not a tourism company.

The ruins of Saint Ignatius very good, I do not know if enough to be worth so much travel. The wanda mines are not worth it at all

It's worth it if you want to learn a little about the Jesuit missions and the past of the Guarani people. It's a very beautiful view, where we are immersed in the past. Wanda's mines are enchanting and the guide is extremely attentive, full of knowledge on the subject.

Great tour... just a little tiring (departure at 8 hours and return at 8:30 pm), we left the agreed meeting point, as the company is in Puerto Iguaçu they don't come to Foz to pick us up so we need to leave our hotel and going to Puerto Iguaçu, crossing the border as it was very early, was quick. They came in a new minibus with a well-spoken driver (Spanish only) who explained the characteristics of the region. We stopped at the Wanda Mine...a very interesting place that shows how rock crystals are explored. The journey to San Ignacio is long, but the road is good without potholes. The place preserves what's left of the Jesuit mission... there's a guide (only in Spanish) who explains the history, a shame it rained right at the time, but it doesn't take away from the place. On the way back, another long stop at a mate exploration cooperative....which I thought was unnecessary, as I was already tired, but for them (Argentines) it is an important culture.

O passeio em si foi incrível, mas a agência não é organizada e a descrição do passeio está errada. Falava que tinha pick-up também no terminal de ônibus, mas no dia anterior ao tour, mandaram mensagem que não me buscariam lá e eu deveria ir na agência começar o passeio 40 minutos mais cedo. Tentei contato, mas foi difícil conseguir retorno deles. Também diziam que o passeio duraria 10 horas (das 08:00-18:00), mas chegamos de volta +20:00. Como estou hospedado em Foz, já tinha saído o último ônibus pro Brasil e simplesmente me deixaram na fronteira e tive que me virar pra conseguir voltar pro hotel.

La experiencia fue pésima. Para empezar quedaron conmigo a las 7.30h de la mañana en mi alojamiento y estuve esperando 40 minutos y nadie llegaba. Me pongo a contactar con ellos por whatsapp y por teléfono y me comunican que ya habían pasado a por mi y yo no estaba, incluso que habían hecho foto para verificar que yo no estaba, lo cual es rotundamente falso puesto que estaba esperando desde las 7.30h fuera de mi alojamiento. La persona con la que hablé por teléfono me habló de mala gana diciéndome que básicamente la culpa había sido mía por no estar a la hora indicada y que si ya habían salido a ruta pues que perdía la excursión y que hablase con mi operador, fin. Finalmente consigo que vuelvan a por mi y hablando con el guía resulta que no habían ido a recogerme a la dirección que yo di sino a otra porque según ellos viator les había dado otra dirección. Casi pierdo la excursión y mi dinero y me llevé de regalo un trato muy desagradable. Sinceramente lamentable

The driver really seemed like he was taking us for free, the truth is he seemed like a scam to me, and another thing if it rains like a flood that type of excursion has to be cancelled, I stop to get soaked and only travel by van, I really don't recommend this service.

Excellent excursion! It really lasts all day but it's worth it. First we visit the Wanda mine and then the ruins of the Jesuit mission of San Ignacio.

We went to Wanda mines, beautiful experience. Then to San Ignacio where we stopped for lunch at Sana Custom, very delicious and entertained by a musician. Afterwards we visited the ruins, guided, the museum was very nice, the ruins were spectacular. And we passed by a Flor de Jardín herb garden. With the Nordic company. Excellent driver Martin.

Very good experience. The guides were geniuses, and they stopped by the hotel at the agreed time. The excursion is a full day because the trip is long from the center of Puerto Iguazú.

Chauffeur, guides parfaits. On a dû payé les entrées à la mine Wanda et à la mission Sans Ignacio : le descriptif de l'excursion n'est pas assez précis. Ce sont uniquement les guides qui sont inclus dans le prix et pas les entrées des sites.

Excellent Walk. People who like history cannot miss this visit to the San Ignacio mines. The guide was fantastic and very trained. Lots of knowledge. We walked around the ruins for 2 hours and at the exit we continued talking. Fascinated. The ruins and the park are very well maintained. It is a pleasure. The problem is that now I want to fly to Misiones and learn more! Wanda's mines are very pretty, but I wasn't very interested in them. Nothing to complain about the ride. The trip is long but it is worth it.

To know the history of our country. Very interesting place. It was very hot and the guide was tired.

A tour that many who go to Foz even know that exists and is one of the best I have ever done in my life. For those who love history, it is inevitable. The place is beautiful, so if you value travel photos, it's also worth it. Leaving Foz, the tour lasts almost all day (in what I did, we stopped at the mines of Wanda too and had lunch), because the ruins are away from Foz and Puerto Iguazu. My tip: light hat, a lot of sunscreen, water and repellent. I've been 2 times and will do it again.

The visit is good, the road a little long but air conditioned, Despite a French-speaking companion, we had the impression that we had little information, compared to the Spanish speaker of the website

It's a very nice place to be known. Luckily we had a very good guide (I think he is a teacher from aboriginal communities there) who explained everything

After 2 hours of minibus we arrive at the gemstone mine especially the amethyst 1 hour of visit then we resume the road 2h for the ruins for a visit of 2h max The site is nice but does not Not worth going back and forth

It is very interesting the tour of the mines of Wanda with an explanation that makes you want to continue investigating and let you see how much wealth is under our feet. The visit to the Ruins had the participation of a guide who knows a lot about the history and also enjoys it making one interested and imagine life in that place and that time. Highly recommended. Like I say it's a long day many km but it was worth it.