• Carnaval - Party until well after dawn in hedonistic Encarnación.
• The Chaco - Watch a jaguar laze in the shade and sleep under billions of stars.
• Pilar - Make a difference by volunteering on scientific and social projects in the quaint, colonial City of Birds.
• Parque Nacional San Rafael - Spot some birds in Paraguay’s most biodiverse reserve.
• Jesuit Missions - Explore the picturesque remnants of a unique culture.
• Itaipú Dam - Marvel at this incredible piece of engineering.
• The Pantanal Paraguayo - Spend some time watching animals in Paraguay’s corner of this wet wilderness.
• Yaguarón - Admire the ornate interior of the Franciscan church.

RECOMMENDED ITINERARY

TWO WEEKS

Start your visit with a historical tour of Asunción, take day trips to Yaguarón (for the Franciscan church), Caacupé (for the basilica) and San Bernardino (to mingle with high society). From Asunción, head east to the jungle lodge at Mbaracayú Biosphere Reserve. Back in civilization at Ciudad del Este you will find good shopping, or visit the awe-inspiring Itaipú Dam nearby. It’s only a short day trip to the breath-taking Salto del Monday - you might still have time to nip across the border to Brazil and Argentina to compare it with Iguazú Falls. A night in the forest at Hotel Tirol will prepare you for another few days’ bird-watching in the wilderness at Parque Nacional San Rafael. After all this moving around, you’ll be glad to relax on the Paraná river beach and enjoy the top-class restaurants in trendy Encarnación. This is also a great base for visiting the nearby Jesuit missions of Trinidad and Jesús. When you’re ready for a change of scene, cross the international bridge to Posadas, Argentina.

ASUNCIÓN & SURROUNDS

At its heart, Asunción 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.

Prepare yourself for a taste of rural and historical Paraguay in the lazy villages that surround the capital. Though there is no set route or defined itinerary for visiting them, the historic satellite towns around Asunción are dubbed the Circuito de Oro or Circuito Central by the tourist industry. This series of communities is dominated by colonial buildings and observes long siestas, disturbed only by occasional ox- or horse-drawn carts clacking up dusty streets.

SOUTHERN PARAGUAY

Paraguay’s southernmost region, east of the Río Paraguay, is home to some of the country’s most important historical sites. The Jesuit ruins, national parks and the frenzy of Carnaval make it an eclectic and fascinating area to visit. On the way from Asunción to Encarnación you’ll pass through the town of Coronel Bogado. Known as the ‘Capital de Chipa’ (chipa is a bread made of manioc flour, eggs and cheese), Coronel Bogado is the best place to sample this national obsession. There’s no need to get off the bus; the vendors will come to you.

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. Encarnación is also a great base for exploring the south of the country. Though the Jesuit Missions are the headline grabbers, there are plenty of other activities to keep you busy in the surroundings.

Download map waypoints for PARAGUAY here: KML / GPX