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Wanda Mines

Wanda Mines: Our most recommended tours and activities

From Puerto Iguazu: San Ignacio Ruins and Wanda Mines Tour

1. From Puerto Iguazu: San Ignacio Ruins and Wanda Mines Tour

Start with pickup from your hotel in Puerto Iguazu. Travel through the beautiful natural landscape of the region, passing small towns before reaching the imposing ruins of San Ignacio Miní located 240 kilometers from the city of Puerto Iguazu.  Enjoy a guided tour which explores the history of this area. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Jesuit mission was built by the Spanish Conquistadors in the 17th century. The ruins were discovered in 1897 and restored between 1940 and 1948. Learn about the construction, life, and customs of the Guarani aborigines and the Jesuit occupiers of the region.  Visit the mines of precious stones in the city of Wanda. The mines are a series of caves where you can enter to see the raw gems within. Discover the miners’ hands-on approach to ensuring that full geodes are kept as whole as possible. See multiple types of precious stones such as amethyst, milky quartz, clear quartz, amongst others.

San Ignacio Mission and Wanda Mines

2. San Ignacio Mission and Wanda Mines

We will pick you up early in the morning from your hotels in Puerto Iguazú and drive to San Ignacio, about 230 km away. Among the thick missionary jungle rises the ancient ruins of the Reduction of San Ignacio, the remains of a civilization designed by Jesuits and built by Guaraní hands that stood out for its efficiency almost 400 years ago and that is why it must have perished. The façade of its temple was made entirely of pink sandstone in 1610 and its American baroque design was reconstructed by a group of scientists during the last century. The reduction had been buried under the jungle for almost two centuries. Thousands of tourists visit it every year. It is located in the center of the town of San Ignacio, on Route 12, 60 kilometers from Posadas. The right wall of the temple today looks impeccable, since during the summer a group of specialists was restoring it. This is possible because the World Monuments Foundation donated 50,000 dollars so that, step by step, all the walls of this monument which, due to the tropical climate of the region, tends to be covered with small microorganisms that decompose it, can be left shining. Then, after discovering the culture and heritage of the San Ignacio Ruins, we will go to the Wanda Mines, on the banks of the Paraná River, where we will find the entrance sign and different artisans offering some of the stones. Among the characteristics of this mine, its distinctive feature is the fact that it is in the open air. Visitors can walk around, explore its caves and even observe the exact moment when the operators make some of the explosions to continue drilling the basalt. Then, after discovering the treasures that the Selva Misionera can hide, you will be taken to your hotels at the end of the day in Puerto Iguazu.

Foz do Iguaçu: Wanda Mines and San Ignacio Ruins Day Trip

3. Foz do Iguaçu: Wanda Mines and San Ignacio Ruins Day Trip

Begin your day trip with a convenient pickup from your hotel in Foz do Iguaçu in Brazil. Sit back and relax during the 250-kilometer (155-mile) ride to the Ruins of San Ignacio Jesuit Mission in Argentina, listed as UNESCO World Heritage in 1984.   Walk around the ruins of the mission, which was founded in 1632 by the Jesuits in the Americas during the period of Spanish colonization. Learn about its history how it was built in what can be called the "Barranco Guarani" as one of 30 missions built by the Jesuits in a territory that currently comprises Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. Appreciate the detailed architecture in carved stone, with sculptural details of baroque origin, interpreted and developed by indigenous artists of the time. Enjoy a spectacle of light and sound along the tour, which animates the ruins and brings the history of the site to life.   On your way back to the city, you will stop for a one-hour tour at the Wanda Mines, located 60 kilometers (37 miles) south of Foz do Iguaçu in Argentina. Find hidden gems in the walls of the 300-meter tunnels, such as agate, amethyst, topaz, jasper and different types of quartz. Admire these semi-precious stones in different parts of the mine as well as in workshops and exhibition halls. You will also see other agricultural and forestry developments.   After the mines, you will visit the store, which sells accessories and jewelry made from stones extracted from the mines. See a collection of local specimens exhibited at the Stone Museum and get the chance to buy raw or processed samples from specialist shops.   After a full day of exploring and sightseeing, enjoy a comfortable ride back to your hotel in Foz do Iguaçu. - 07 am - departure from the hotel - 09 am - arrival in Minas de Wanda - 10:30 am - departure from Minas - Destination Ruínas - 12:30 pm - Arrival Ruins - 5 pm - Departure Ruins - 8:30 pm - Arrival (approximate time)

Wanda Mines and San Ignacio Ruins Tour from Puerto Iguazu

4. Wanda Mines and San Ignacio Ruins Tour from Puerto Iguazu

Benefit from pickup at your hotel in Puerto Iguazu, then relax on the 250-kilometer drive to the ruins of San Ignacio Miní. Explore this UNESCO World Heritage listed Jesuit mission and admire the beautiful architecture. The stone buildings are carved with designs of Baroque origin, interpreted and developed by indigenous artists of the time. Watch an animated show, with sounds and lights, producing a beautiful spectacle.   Continue to the Wanda Mines. In 300-meters of tunnels, semi-precious stones such as agate, amethyst, topaz, jasper and different types of quartz are all mined here. Discover the mine, its workshops and the exhibition halls.  See the collection of local gems, exhibited at the Stone Museum. The complex houses specialty shops where you can buy raw or processed samples. After the approximately 60-minute tour of the mine, enjoy a comfortable ride back to your hotel. - 07 am - departure from the hotel - 09 am - arrival in Minas de Wanda - 10:30 am - departure from Minas - Destination Ruínas - 12:30 pm - Arrival Ruins - 5 pm - Departure Ruins - 8:30 pm - Arrival (approximate time)

San Ignacio & the Wanda Mines: Tour from Puerto Iguaçu

5. San Ignacio & the Wanda Mines: Tour from Puerto Iguaçu

The first stop along the tour is to the site of San Ignacio, lying approximately 250 kilometers from Puerto Iguaçu. Once one of the most prosperous Jesuit missions, the site is now being partly restored by the Argentinean Government and has joined the ranks of the to the Unesco World Heritage list. Next, the tour will take you to a bed of semi-precious stones, or the Wanda mines, created by lava bubbling to the surface of the earth. Hundred of years ago, the lava in this region rose through fissures in the earth with such pressure that its quick cooling created a bed of intricate and mesmerizing crystals, shaped in pyramidal hexagons made of amethyst quartz and agates.

From Puerto Iguazu: Iguazu Falls 5 Tours 5-Day Package

6. From Puerto Iguazu: Iguazu Falls 5 Tours 5-Day Package

Experience the cascading waterfalls of Iguazu Falls in both Argentina and Brazil from multiple perspectives on 5 different tours over 5 separate days. Walk the pathways of the Lower and Upper Circuit in Argentina's Iguazú National Park, and marvel as curtains of water from the Guaraní River pour through the rainforest. Experience the drama of the Devil's Throat chasm and ride aboard an ecological jungle train. Get panoramic views of the falls of Iguaçu National Park in Brazil and gaze in wonder at the cascades of the Floriano, Deodoro, Benjamin Constant and Salto Union waterfalls. Visit the hydroelectric power plant at Itaipu Dam, developed by Brazil and Paraguay to harness energy from the Paraná River. Escape the roar of the water and visit the San Ignacio Mission, set up by Jesuits in 1632 to spread Christianity through Argentina during the Spanish colonial period. Travel to the Wanda Mines to admire the semi-precious gemstones that form in the area by cooling lava.

Other Sightseeing Options in Wanda Mines

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What people are saying about Wanda Mines

Overall rating

4.4 / 5

based on 55 reviews

There was an option for an English language tour that was shorter available. since we had a translator with us, we opted for the longer Spanish language tour instead. The tour was very insightful in the guide was very friendly and open to questions, the site was beautiful and the facilities were clean and well maintained for both locations. The bus ride from Puerto de Iguazu was long but very comfortable with plenty of stops for bathrooms and snacks. I highly recommend this tour :-)

Excellent guide Osvaldo in San Ignacio, you learn a lot, beautiful place. Very interesting mines, precious stones, we would have liked to stay more. The attention of the Nordic company was very good, they met schedules and the guide Federico was very friendly. The micro is comfortable for transportation and in good condition. They make you want to come back to find out more. We will be back!!

Tremendous excursion! The company that makes it is Nordic and they picked us up at 7:30 super punctual, we went on a big bus, we were a few and we had Fede as a guide, a total genius! He was explaining to us along the way and then at each stop we had a local guide, the truth is that it is great, it is worth it and it lasts all day! And we also went through a yerbera!!!

The excursion consisted of transport to three interesting places: the mine Wanda, the Ruins of San Ignacio and finally the shop where you can buy a lot of maté. We enjoyed the trip, even though much time was spent on the bus. The ruins were super photogenic and interesting. So was the mine.