PY - Paraguay

When to go:
The climate is subtropical and humid in the eastern region where rainfall abounds but is distributed throughout the year, while the Chaco has a tropical climate with an arid and rainy season.

Territories and tourist destinations
From an administrative point of view, Paraguay is divided into 17 departments, plus a special department for the capital.

      Gran Chaco – Territory on the border with Bolivia. Despite having been partially paved, Ruta Trans-Chaco still remains an itinerary reserved for those with an extreme sense of adventure and physical strength. The road winds through inhospitable lands.
      Paraná Plateau – Forested plateau in eastern Paraguay, along the Paraná River, is home to the second largest city of Ciudad del Este 20 km from the border with Argentina and Brazil, where the famous Iguazu Falls are located.
      Northern Paraneña
      Southern Paraneña – The most developed area of ​​the country centered on the capital Asuncion.

Dynamic mapsParaguay: full screen map.
Urban centers
Asunción – The capital of the country.
Areguá – A colonial-era tourist center on the shores of Lake Ypacaraí, about 50 km from the capital.
Ciudad del Este – Alternative city where to stay to visit the nearby Iguacu falls. At the time of the dictatorship, Ciudad del Este was an international arms smuggling center frequented by traffickers of the most disparate nationalities serving criminal gangs and terrorist organizations.
Concepción – Port on the Paraguay river, north of the capital.
Encarnación – Base for excursions to the ruins of the nearby Jesuit missions, Encarnación presents discreet tourist infrastructures and interesting testimonies of the colonial period. The city is also famous for its carnival.
Philadelphia – A center in the desert area of ​​Gran Chaco, where a colony of Mennonites from Russia settled in 1930.
Other destinations
1 Monday Falls – Spectacular waterfalls on the river of the same name.
2 Itaipú dam
3 La Santisima Trinidad de Paraná – Ruins of a Jesuit mission. The site is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
4 Cerro Corá National Park – National park on the border with Brazil and 454 km from Asuncion. The base for visiting it is the town of Pedro Juan Caballero 45 km from the park entrance.
5 Ybycuí National Park – Off the beaten track, Ybycuí National Park covers a strip of rainforest dotted with numerous waterfalls, all of which are dreamlike.