Asunción
It’s hard to get your head around Asunción. At its heart, the city is beautiful and simple, with a sprinkling of original colonial and beaux arts buildings, international cuisine, shady plazas and friendly people. Probe a little deeper, however, and you’ll see another side: smart suburbs, ritzy shopping malls and fashionable nightclubs. Despite the heavy traffic and diesel fumes in the historic center, this is one of South America’s greener and more likable capitals, and it doesn’t take long to get oriented.
- The Casa de la Independencia dates from 1772 and is where Paraguay became the first country on the continent to declare its independence in 1811. Rooms are decked out in period furniture and displays contain items belonging to significant figures in the bloodless revolution.
- Asunción’s most instantly recognizable building, the imposing Panteón de los Héroes protects the remains of Mariscal Francisco Solano López and other key figures from Paraguay’s historical conflicts. There is a regular changing of the guard with all the usual pomp and ceremony.
- North of the Plaza de los Héroes near the waterfront is the pink cabildo (colonial town council), which was once the center of government. This influential cultural center is a meeting place for bohemian thinkers, hosting regular cultural events and exhibitions by local artists, historians and academics.
- The grand pink Palacio López is the seat of government. During the early years of independence you could be shot for merely looking at the exterior! These days, despite being the seat of government, you will find security rather more laid back, although it’s still closed to the public. The best photo opportunities are from the river side.
- On the eastern side of Plaza Constitución is the unremarkable Catedral Metropolitana, with its equally unremarkable museum.
- The Asunción–Encarnación railway line was the first in South America. One of the first trains to run the route is on display at the old Estación Ferrocarril (Railway Station), along with other items from the period that are decaying decadently.
- Just across the street from Palacio López is the Manzana de la Rivera, a complex of nine colorful and restored houses. The oldest is Casa Viola (1750), where the Museo Memoria de la Ciudad houses a history of Asunción’s urban development.
- Cementerio de la Recoleta, 3km east of the center along Av Mariscal López, is a maze of incredible mausoleums as Asunción’s wealthy try to do outdo each other in the grandeur of their resting places.
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Yaguarón Church
This 18th-century Franciscan church is a landmark of colonial architecture that is not to be missed. The simple design of the exterior, with its separate wooden bell tower, belies the extraordinary beauty of the painted and carved interior, a masterpiece of religious art and one of the most ornate churches in South America.
San Buenaventura has hourly departures (5000G, one hour) to Yaguarón from Asunción bus terminal’s platform 30.
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Basilica de Caacupé
Paraguay’s answer to the Vatican City, the enormous Basilica de Caacupé looks quite out of place in this otherwise quiet provincial town. Though modern, it is still impressive, and the mural-lined stairs leading up to the bell tower are quite exquisite.
Caacupé is 54km east of Asunción (US$1, two hours). Bus company Empresa Villa Serrana departs every 10 minutes from platform 35 on the ground floor of the Asunción terminal.
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Itauguá
Itauguá’s women are famous for their unique weaving of multicolored spiderweb ñandutí (lace – ñandú means ‘spider’ in Guaraní). These exquisite pieces range in size from doilies to bedspreads. Smaller ones cost only a few dollars but larger ones are upward of US$40. In July the town celebrates its annual Festival de Ñandutí.
La Itaugueña buses make the 32km trip approximately hourly for Itauguá from outside Asunción bus terminal.
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Areguá
Areguá is renowned for its ceramics, displayed en masse along the main street. The historic cobbled lanes are lined with exquisite colonial homes, and the village atmosphere is completed with a church perched on the hill and an enviable position overlooking Lago Yparacaí.
La Aregueña buses run the 27km to Areguá every half hour from outside the Asunción bus terminal.
Ferries (US$4.50, 25 minutes) between San Bernadino and Areguá operate in the high season.
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Piribebuy
Piribebuy is a rural town that was briefly the capital of the nation during the War of the Triple Alliance (1865–70). With Asunción captured, it became the site of a famous siege in 1869, when an army of children led by the local schoolteacher bravely held off the invading Brazilians. The remarkable events are recounted in the small museum.
Empresa Piribebuy buses run 75km every 45 minutes from platform 35 in the subsuelo (basement) of the Asuncion bus terminal.
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San Bernardino
Renowned as the elite escape for the privileged of Asunción, tranquil ‘San Ber’ is a trendy place to relax or party: pubs, discos, upmarket hotels and restaurants line the shady cobbled streets of Lago Ypacaraí’s eastern shore. Despite its reputation, there’s plenty for budget travellers as well. In high season a pleasure boat takes passengers for short cruises on the lake. Unfortunately, you won’t want to swim in the lake – it’s filthy.
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Encarnación
With its new beach, sparkling coastal promenade and wildly energetic Carnaval, Paraguay’s ‘Pearl of the South’ is billing itself as the local answer to Rio de Janeiro. Though that might be a bit ambitious, there is no doubt that Encarnación’s unique take on Carnaval is a whole lot of fun, where the crowd dances as much as the participants, spray snow fills the hot summer air and the party goes on well into the early hours of the morning. Arguably, Encarnación, aka La Perla del Sur, is Paraguay’s most attractive city.
The city center is a pleasant enough place for a stroll, but there isn’t much in the way of sights. Better to head for the river and hang out with the sunbathers, beer drinkers and beach-volleyball players.
Slap on your flip-flops and jostle for a place on Encarnación’s river beach, located on the flash coastal promenade. It’s a hive of activity during the summer months, with events from local theatre to sports events or even rock concerts. The place to be seen in Paraguay.
If you prefer to avoid the crowds, there is another quieter beach at Quiteria, a US$5 taxi ride away.
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Bella Vista del Su
A few days in Paraguay are all you need to grasp the importance of yerba maté (Paraguayan tea) in the local culture. For full immersion, take a yerba maté factory tour, which incorporate plantations, production, packaging and, of course, the practice of drinking the tea. Visit the Selecta (US$ 4) and Pajarito (free) factories; the former includes a visit to its nature reserve.
Tours are arranged through Mate Roga, the tourist office on the main road in the yerba maté capital, Bella Vista del Sur, 45km east of Encarnación. With the giant guampa (gourd) and bombilla (straw) in front, you can’t miss it!
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Parque Manantial
A forested oasis for travellers who like to get away from it all, Parque Manantial is located off Ruta 6, 35km outside of Encarnación near the town of Hohenau. You can camp, or there is a pleasant hotel here, and for much of the year you’ll likely have the 200 hectares with swimming pools and walking trails to yourself.
Horseback riding and a zipline are available; there’s also a river for paddling.
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Pilar
Squirreled away in the corner of southwestern Paraguay, surrounded by the wetlands of Ñeembucú, is the lovely colonial town of Pilar. Reborn as the City of Birds, it is a town where life is peaceful and traditional, and the word ‘hurry’ doesn’t make it into the local vocabulary. With some fantastic river beaches nearby, great wildlife in the vicinity and a tranquil setting on the Río Paraguay, this is the kind of place where you may end up staying much longer than you had planned.
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Jesús de Tavarangüé (Jesuit Mission)
Jesús de Tavarangüe (US$3.80), is the near-complete structure of the Jesuit mission that was interrupted by the Jesuits’ expulsion in 1767.
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Trinidad (Jesuit Mission)
Set atop a lush green hill 28km northeast of Encarnación, Trinidad is Paraguay’s best-preserved Jesuit reducción (settlement).
From Encarnación, frequent buses go to Trinidad (US$0.75, one hour) between 6am and 7pm, but any bus headed east along Ruta 6 to Ciudad del Este or Hohenau will drop you off nearby; get off when you see the power station on your right.
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Ita Cajón (Jesuit Mission)
Built with red stone from the nearby quarry at Ita Cajón (Parque Ecológico Ita Cajón; US$1.50), it is by far the most visited reducción.
Stay around until dark at either site for the atmospheric light show, projecting a history in images onto the walls of the churches and accompanied by haunting religious music. Spanish-speaking guides hang around near the gates at both sites. Tip generously.
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San Cosme y Damián (Jesuit Mission)
More difficult to access but well worth the effort is San Cosme y Damián, 27km south of the main road to Asunción at Km 308 (about 57km west of Encarnacion), which was the location of the astronomical observatory.

Parque Nacional San Rafael
Southern Paraguay’s last great tract of Atlantic Forest, gorgeous San Rafael is a lush wilderness and a bird-watcher’s paradise with more than 430 species recorded. Endangered species abound in this lush but easily accessible wilderness.
San Rafael is a wonderful place to get a taste of nature, with plenty of walking trails and comfortable accommodations available. You will see a lot more wildlife with a guide.
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Ciudad del Este
The ‘City of the East’ is a renowned center for contraband goods, earning it the nickname ‘the Supermarket of South America.’ The part near the busy Brazilian border is chaotic and it can be a massive shock if it’s your first experience of Paraguay, but rest assured there is nowhere else in the country quite like this. Give Ciudad del Este a chance and you’ll find the rest of it is surprisingly pleasant, with some interesting attractions nearby.
Most accommodations in Ciudad del Este are aimed at business travellers using expense accounts. Midrange places, however, are definitely worth the extra couple of bucks, especially once you sample the mega value breakfast buffets included in the price.
The cheapest places to eat are the stalls along Capitán Miranda and Av Monseñor Rodriguez, while Av del Lago is lined with Brazilian-style rodízio restaurants, where slabs of meat are brought to your table and you eat until you (almost) explode.
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Itaipu Dam
Paraguay’s publicity machine is awash with facts and figures about the Itaipú hydroelectric project – the world’s second-largest dam (only China’s Three Gorges Dam is bigger). Itaipú’s generators supply nearly 80% of Paraguay’s electricity and 25% of Brazil’s entire demand. While project propaganda gushes about this human accomplishment, it omits the US$25-billion price tag and avoids the mention of environmental consequences. The 1350-sq-km, 220m-deep reservoir drowned Sete Quedas, a set of waterfalls that was larger than Iguazú.
Free tours leave from the visitors center, north of Ciudad del Este, near the town of Hernandarias; passports are required. Any bus marked ‘Hernandarias’ (US$0.50, every 15 minutes) passes in front of the dam. A taxi will charge around US$10 one way or US$15 return, including waiting time.
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Saltos del Monday
This impressive 80m-high waterfall, located 10km south of Ciudad del Este, suffers from its close proximity to Iguazú Falls on the other side of the border. If you have time on your hands, it’s well worth the visit, especially as dusk falls and tens of thousands of swifts gather before zipping in to roost on the slippery rocks behind the cascades.
Plenty of adventure activities are offered by the organization Aqua Paraná Tour, which now runs the site, including zipwires, arboreal walkways and a panoramic elevator. A return taxi ride will cost around US$12, including waiting time.
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Mbaracayú Biosphere Reserve
Singled out by the WWF as one of the 100 most important sites for biodiversity on the planet, the 700-sq-km hectare Mbaracayú Biosphere Reserve is one of Paraguay’s natural treasures. Consisting of pristine Atlantic Forest and cerrado (savanna) in approximately equal quantities, it is home to more than 400 bird species and a range of large mammals. Bird-watchers will be in search of the bare-throated bellbird (Paraguay’s national bird), the rare helmeted woodpecker and the endangered black-fronted piping-guan.
This model reserve is run by the Asuncion-based Fundación Moisés Bertoni.
You’ll need a 4WD if you want to drive here yourself, or else take the 11:30am or 11:30pm Canindeyú bus from Asunción to Villa Ygatimi (US$8, eight hours) and arrange pickup from there in advance. Return trips to Asunción depart at 7am and 7pm.
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Concepción
‘La Perla del Norte’ (The Pearl of the North) is an easygoing city on the Río Paraguay with poetic early-20th-century buildings and a laid-back ambience. Action around here means a trotting horse hauling a cart of watermelons or a boatload of people and their cargo arriving at the port. Indeed, river cruises are the main reason travellers come to Concepción, whether it’s for an adventurous odyssey north to Brazil or just a short weekend jaunt upriver with the locals to nearby sandy beaches.
Several stunning mansions, now municipal buildings, stand out along Estigarribia.
It’s not cheap to stay in Concepción and you may be a little disappointed at what you get for your money.
You are best eating at one of the hotels, unless you happen to be addicted to rotisserie chicken – in which case Calle Presidente Franco is lined with places ready to sell you a fix.

Bahía Negra & the Pantanal Paraguayo
The Pantanal Paraguayo (Paraguayan Pantanal) is remote and rarely visited, but if you are willing to make the effort and spend more than you would in Brazil, then it is a fantastic, adventurous, off-the-beaten track destination for those with an interest in wildlife. There is little in the way of tourist infrastructure, though, so this is very much a DIY experience.
The main access town is Bahía Negra, and while there isn’t much there except a military base, a visit is a necessary evil to organize your boat trips along the Río Negro. Wildlife abounds in this area, with raptors and water birds flushing from the riverside, marsh deer grazing in reed beds and caiman and capybara sunning themselves on exposed banks.
Accommodations are poor and overpriced in Bahía Negra town, a result of its remoteness.

Filadelfia
The largest of the Mennonite towns and administrative center of Fernheim colony, Filadelfia resembles a suburb of Munich plonked in the middle of a sandy desert. Though dusty Av Hindenburg is the main street, the town lacks a real center; its soul is the giant dairy cooperative.
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Loma Plata
Loma Plata is the oldest and most traditional of the Mennonite settlements, but there isn’t a lot to do besides visit the Museo Loma Plata, a small history museum.
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The Mennonite Colonies
Of the three Mennonite Colonies in the Central Chaco, only two of the towns are easily accessible on public transportation – Filadelfia and Loma Plata. Many people are surprised by just how small these towns are. Although there’s not much to do here except take in the unique atmosphere, they make for an interesting short break and are good bases for exploring the surrounding area.
Some 15,000 Mennonites inhabit the Chaco. According to their history, Canadian Mennonites were invited to Paraguay to settle what they believed to be lush, productive territory in return for their rights – religious freedom, pacifism, independent administration of their communities, and permission to speak German and practice their religious beliefs. The reality of the harsh, arid Chaco came as a shock, and a large percentage of the original settlers succumbed to disease, hunger and thirst as they struggled to gain a foothold.
There are other Mennonite communities elsewhere in Paraguay, but those in the Chaco are renowned for both their perseverance in the ‘Green Hell’ and subsequent commercial success; their cooperatives provide much of the country’s dairy products, among other things.
Today there are three main colonies in the Chaco. The oldest colony, Menno, was founded by the original settlers in 1927, and is centered around Loma Plata. Fernheim (capital Filadelfia), was founded in 1930 by refugees from the Soviet Union, followed by Neuland (capital Neu-Halbstadt), founded by Ukrainian Germans in 1947.
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Laguna Capitan
A series of ephemeral saline lakes that form to the east of Loma Plata are a key habitat for migrating birds. Though individual lagoons may be dry for several years between good rainstorms, the birds somehow find them. Laguna Capitán is one of the most accessible.
It is best from May to September when flocks of ducks and flamingos obscure the water. From October to December and March to April they are used by waders on passage.
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Fortin Boqueron
Fortín Boquerón is the site of one of the decisive battles of the Chaco War (1932–35). There is an excellent museum, as well as a graveyard of the fallen and a gigantic monument constructed from the original defences and trenches. The site is 65km south of a turnoff at Cruce Los Pioneros on the Ruta Trans-Chaco.
Look for the hollowed-out palo borracho tree once used as a sniper’s nest. From the front it looks like a woodpecker hole but, despite being gutted more than 70 years ago, the tree is still alive!
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Fortín Toledo
Fortín Toledo preserves Chaco War trenches but is perhaps more interesting for the Proyecto Taguá breeding project. The Chacoan peccary (or taguá) is a pig-like creature that was known only from subfossil remains until its remarkable rediscovery in the 1970s. The project, initiated by San Diego Zoo, acts as a reintroduction program for this painfully shy and critically endangered species.
Herds of friendly collared peccaries and nasty white-lipped peccaries are also kept here, giving you a unique opportunity to compare all three species and their differing characters. Also look out for the rare black-bodied woodpecker.
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Parque Nacional Defensores del Chaco
Once the realm of nomadic Ayoreo foragers, Parque Nacional Defensores del Chaco is a wooded alluvial plain; isolated Cerro León (500m) is its greatest landmark. The dense thorn forest harbors large cats such as jaguars and pumas, as well as tapirs and herds of peccary. The free accommodations are dreadful, and you’ll need to bring all your own food, drink and fuel for the generator. ‘Defensores’ is a long 830km from Asunción, over roads impassable to ordinary vehicles, and there’s no regular public transportation. It’s not a good idea to attempt to visit without a guide, and don’t bother if you don’t have a 4WD vehicle. FAUNA Paraguay runs recommended trips.

Parque Nacional Médanos del Chaco
The habitat is more open than at Enciso and bird-watchers should keep their eyes peeled for local species such as the quebracho crested-tinamou and spot-winged falconet. There are no accommodations here and it should not be attempted without a guide.

Parque Nacional Teniente Enciso
A more accessible option is Parque Nacional Teniente Enciso, which boasts better infrastructure, including an interpretation center and a visitors’ house with kitchen and some air-conditioned rooms. Again, bring all your own food and water.