Day Trip To Monday Falls

The Saltos Del Monday waterfall, also known as Monday Falls, is an impressive waterfall in Paraguay, not too far from the famous Iguazu Falls in Argentina and Brazil, although this one is much less traveled by tourists.

Saltos Del Monday is one of the best natural sights in Paraguay, but it’s still relatively unknown, and most people visiting nearby Iguazu are totally unaware of this waterfall.

It’s relatively easy, safe, and inexpensive to visit Monday Falls on a day trip from Puerto Iguazu in Argentina or Foz Do Iguacu in Brazil, and aside from enjoying the big waterfall, there’s also the novelty of seeing another country and renewing your visa.

This travel guide will explain how to visit Saltos Del Monday on a day trip from Argentina, Brazil, or Paraguay, and then I’ll share some information about the waterfall itself!

How To Get To Saltos Del Monday Paraguay

The Saltos Del Monday waterfall is located on the outskirts of Ciudad Del Este city, in southeastern Paraguay. It’s very close to Paraguay’s border with Argentina and Brazil, so it’s good for a half-day trip from either place.

In my case, I hired a private driver to take me from Argentina to Paraguay on a half-day trip to see the Monday Falls, and then came back in the same day.

This is the most convenient way to do it from Argentina, but if you’re on a budget you can save costs by doing it yourself. Your hotel in Puerto Iguazu can help with arranging a driver, but expect to pay about $100 USD for the trip.

Saltos Del Monday as seen from down the river

• From Puerto Iguazu (Argentina)

In Argentina, you can visit the Saltos Del Monday waterfall on a day trip from the town of Puerto Iguazu, which is known as Argentina’s side of the famous Iguazu Falls.

There are two options from Puerto Iguazu: you can cross the river with a ferry, or you can drive overland into Brazil (Foz Do Iguacu) and cross the bridge from there into Paraguay. There isn’t a direct bridge from Puerto Iguazu into Paraguay, so if you prefer driving then you’ll have to go through Brazil first.

With the ferry, you can cross with a vehicle or on foot. Go to the ferry terminal in Puerto Iguazu (map here), where you’ll be processed through immigration, and then take a short and relaxing ride across the Parana River.

You can see pictures of the ferry and their contact info on their website here. The ferry tickets are cheap (only a few US Dollars) and there’s no need to reserve anything in advance since the tickets don’t normally sell out.

Payment is cash only and they accept multiple currencies. Argentine Pesos and Paraguayan Guarani are of course accepted, and they should also take US Dollars or Brazilian Reals.
 

Below the waterfall at Saltos Del Monday Paraguay

The La Balsa ferry operates from Monday to Saturday, but not on Sunday. It departs roughly every 30-60 minutes, and it’s not punctual at all. Just show up when you can, and they’ll put you on the next departure when it fills up.

The river crossing is scenic and relaxing. This is a very slow part of the river, so the water is calm and safe. There are no rapids, waves, or anything like that to worry about.

After a 20 minute ferry ride, you’ll land in Paraguay, at a neat spot on the river junction where you can see three countries at the same time (‘Tres Fronteras’).

You’ll pass through Paraguayan immigration (don’t forget to do that!) and then you’ll arrive in a small town called Presidente Franco, which is south of Ciudad Del Este city.

If you brought a vehicle, it’s now an easy 7 kilometer drive from here to get to Saltos Del Monday waterfall, which takes about 15 minutes.

If you crossed the ferry on foot, you’ll need to find a taxi on the other side, which may be a challenge. In my case, I didn’t notice any taxis near the ferry terminal in Paraguay, so I was glad I came with a driver.

The other option in Argentina is to take a car or bus over the bridge from Puerto Iguazu to Brazil (Foz Do Iguacu), and then cross the bridge from Foz into Paraguay. This involves two border crossings in each direction, so it’s more complicated and I wouldn’t really recommend it unless the ferry is inactive for some reason.

There is a cheap bus route with hourly departures from Puerto Iguazu bus station to Ciudad Del Este. The journey takes about 45-60 minutes, plus the time spent at immigration when crossing the borders.
 

Rainbow at Monday Falls Paraguay

• From Foz Do Iguacu (Brazil)

In Brazil, you can visit the Saltos Del Monday waterfall on a day trip from the town of Foz Do Iguacu, which is known as Brazil’s side of the famous Iguazu Falls.

It’s very easy to get to Paraguay from Brazil: the countries are connected with a bridge for vehicles and pedestrians, so you can go by bus, taxi, or foot (or a combination of these).

For example, you can take a taxi to the bridge, cross it on foot if there’s heavy traffic, and then grab another taxi on the other side of the bridge once you pass immigration and enter Paraguay.

You can walk across the bridge on foot in 5-10 minutes, although that doesn’t include time you may spend at immigration and customs in Brazil and Paraguay. Don’t forget to pass through immigration on both sides of the border!

There is Uber in both Foz Do Iguacu and Ciudad Del Este, so you can use that to cheaply and easily get to the border and to the waterfall, or vice versa. Otherwise, normal taxis are also plentiful in both cities.

From the bridge, it’s a 20 minute drive to the falls. You can negotiate a price with your driver to wait for you at the waterfall and then take you back to the bridge, because it’s not as easy to find taxis in the vicinity of the falls.

Last, but not least, another option for this day trip is to take the bus from Foz Do Iguacu to Ciudad Del Este. The bus station is located near the center of town, and it’s very cheap and easy to use.
 

• From Ciudad Del Este (Paraguay)

In Paraguay, you can visit the Saltos Del Monday waterfall by flying from the capital city of Asuncion to Guarani International Airport near Ciudad Del Este (airport code: AGT).

There are several departures per week and the flight takes about 40 minutes. You can shop for flights to Paraguay on Skyscanner.

Once you arrive at the airport, you’ll have to hire a taxi to go to town, or else negotiate a trip to the waterfall. Otherwise, if you’re already in Ciudad Del Este town, Uber is available and you can easily use that to visit the waterfall.
 

Saltos Del Monday: What To Expect

The park at Monday Falls is small and easy to navigate. After paying for your tickets and taking a brief walk along a paved nature trail, you’ll arrive at an upper platform near the edge of the waterfall.

There are two viewpoints at Monday Falls (above and below) and they’re both worth seeing. The lower platform is reached by an elevator that’s normally included in your entrance ticket, and then you can get right up close to the pounding falls of Saltos Del Monday.

Even though the waterfall isn’t on par with the mighty Iguazu Falls, it’s still pretty impressive. It has a strong flow, especially if you visit in the rainy season, and it’s approximately 45 meters tall (150 feet) and 120 meters wide (400 feet).

Best of all, there are no crowds blocking your views of the waterfall! This place is really quiet compared to Iguazu. The facilities are pretty basic, but they do have bathrooms, souvenir shops, and a restaurant.

The lower viewpoint at Monday Falls Paraguay

Parque Aventura Monday: Alternate Viewpoint

After you get done seeing Monday Falls, there’s a nearby adventure park where you can see more views of the waterfall without much effort.

The ‘Parque Aventura Monday’ is located along the road just 500 meters from Saltos Del Monday, so you can reach it easily in 2 minutes of driving. It is a separate park, though, so it has a separate entrance fee you have to pay to visit.

This park has activities like zip lining, archery, and paintball, but I just wanted to come here for the alternate views of Saltos Del Monday. It has multiple viewpoints of the waterfall, including a nice frontal view where you can see the whole waterfall and the river.

In some ways, I like this view even better than the ‘official’ view at Monday Falls! They also have a path where you can walk down to the river, near the base of the waterfall, and see it up close.

If you’re already visiting Monday Falls and don’t mind paying for another entrance ticket, I think it’s worth visiting this park too for different views of the waterfall.

The waterfall view from Parque Aventura Monday

Opening Hours & Entrance Fees

For the Saltos Del Monday waterfall, you can find the current entrance fees and opening hours at this website or their official Instagram page.

For the Parque Aventura Monday, you can find the current entrance fees and opening hours on their website here.

They accept credit cards at both places, although if the card machine isn’t working you may have to pay with cash.
 

What Is The Border Crossing Like?

If you’re visiting Paraguay on a day trip from Argentina or Brazil, immigration is pretty easy on either side of the border.

As a US citizen, I didn’t need any visa for Argentina, Brazil, or Paraguay, so it was very easy to do this as a day trip, but remember to check the current visa requirements for your nationality in these countries and don’t forget to bring your passport!

In my experience, the border crossings were very quick and queues were short. Everything went smoothly and it didn’t take more than 10 minutes to pass immigration on either side of the border.
 

Is Paraguay Safe?

Even though the country of Paraguay doesn’t have a perfect safety record, the waterfall is a paid area and it seemed pretty safe in my experience. I carried my camera at the waterfall and I saw other international travelers doing the same.

Plenty of tourists come to see this waterfall, and I’m not aware of any bad incidents that have happened here, although that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s impossible. Just take normal precautions and you shouldn’t have any problems.

In the city of Ciudad Del Este, it’s probably not very wise to show valuables openly, although I haven’t heard of tourists having problems there either.
 
    
 
 

More South America Travel Tips

Thanks for looking! I hope you enjoyed this guide for visiting the Saltos Del Monday waterfall in Paraguay on a day trip from Argentina or Brazil.

I have lots of other travel guides for South America, including a blog post for Iguazu Falls, so don’t forget to check that before you go!

Happy travels!