Ruins St. Ignacio from Hotels Port Iguazu - Private

General information

Destination	Category
Iguazu Falls/Puerto Iguazu, Argentina	Attractions/Entertainment

Program details

Travel to the lost world of the Mission of San Ignacio Mini mission and discover the ruins of this Jesuit outpost in Argentina’s far north. It was built as a refuge for the Guarani people to protect them from slave traders. Along the way there will be a visit to the Wanda mines, where a number of semi-precious stones are mined, and a yerba mate mill.

The highlight of this dazzling tour is the ruined mission of San Ignacio Mini, which together with three other missions and one across the border in Brazil make up a Unesco World Heritage Site. They were built in the middle of the dense jungle by the Jesuits in the 16th century to both convert and protect the Guarani people who lived in the area. Slavers would kidnap them and sell them to Portuguese colonial plantations (a harrowing tale told in the Oscar-winning movie, The Mission).

Wander around this haunting complex and learn all about its history, which came to an end in 1817 when the very natives it was built to protect destroyed it a few decades after the Jesuits had abandoned it.

At Wanda mines learn all about this dazzling natural resource, which was discovered in 1976. Semi-precious stones such as agate, amethyst, aragonite, citrine, rhodochrosite and topaz. During the tour, there will also be stops to learn about the area’s main crop of this area, yerba mate. Visit a yerba mate dry mill where leaves are dried and broken up so that they can become Argentina’s favourite infusion.

Meeting/pick-up point: hotel Lobby.
Duration: 10 to 11 hours.
Start/opening time: 8am.
End/closing time: 7pm.
Languages: English and Spanish.