Wanda Mines

The mines at Wanda, a village named after a Polish settler and colonised by central European immigrants in the 1930s, work basalt formations rich in geodes: cavities where slow mineral deposition has grown crystals of amethyst, quartz and agate over millions of years. The workings are open cut, and tours take visitors along the red earth faces to see the geode veins in place, explain how the stones are extracted and cut, and end, inevitably, in showrooms where polished stones and jewellery are sold. It is a short stop rather than a destination, and it fits naturally into the drive between Iguazú and the Jesuit missions, giving a quick look at what lies under the famous red soil of Misiones.

What you actually see

• The open-cut faces - red basalt walls with geode veins exposed.
• The crystal cavities - amethyst and quartz geodes in place in the rock.
• The cutting workshop - demonstrations of how stones are extracted and polished.
• The showrooms - polished specimens and jewellery for sale.

When to go

Year-round, and the visit works in any weather since much of it is outdoors but short. Tour buses cluster in the middle of the day; earlier or later is quieter. The site is often combined with a trip to or from Iguazú.

Honest expectations

This is a commercial operation and the tour ends in a sales floor, which some visitors find heavy-handed. The workings are modest in scale, and the visit is brief. Prices in the showrooms are aimed at tourists.

Nearby

Puerto Iguazú and the falls lie north; the missions are south along the RN12.