the ultimate first time intinerary to paraguay

One the of the lesser visited countries on the South American Gringo trial – but that just makes it all the more intriguing right? 

For those wanting to actually travel and not just take the same photos everyone else takes in the ‘highlights’ , i highly recommend Paraguay. 

I will always remember my short time in Paraguay fondly – being invited for lunch at the bus drivers house, the ‘chipa’ bread being sold by the deep voiced men early in the morning and how everyone seemed to be drinking their mate cold rather than hot like in Argentina. 

I have everything you need for a short but memorable visit to Paraguay – the centre of South America.

 

Paraguay overview:

• More backpacker budget friendly than Argentina, Brazil and Chile
•  You will not find many hostels outside of the 3 main cities and they are not cheap as tourism is not as big here.
• The centre and south of the country are more developed.
• The bus system was easy but often they do not run direct and you will have to go via the capital. Best bus companies are Expresso Guarani and Mainumby. The worst are Luis and Palma Loma as they are known for always breaking down.
• Try Yucca empanadas, Terere (cold mate) and chipas (a herby bread sold early for breakfast that are sold my men with deep voices shouting CHIPAAA!)

Where to visit?

Ciudad del Este

This will be your first stop is you are coming from Argentina as this is the border town.

Known as a shopping haven for fake goods and being tax free, it is assault on the senses. Loud, packed with people, bright lights, people come here to shop and get tax free electronics. Unless you have some shopping to do there probably is not any reason to stay here. Although if you are missing a bit of city life this is much more built up than I had expected! Also would be a decent place to stay if you have travelled a long way.

Getting here:

From Puerto Iguazi in Argentina bus terminal with the company El Practico and it will have ‘Paraguay directo’ on the front. 

You can exchange money at this bus terminal so you get rid of your Argentine Pesos and have some Paraguay PYG.

The bus driver will not automatically stop at the Paraguay immigration so you will need to ask the driver to stop. Apparently the bus should wait but this was not the case with me and I walked through the immigration and got a taxi on the Paraguay side to the bus station ‘Terminal’, or if you are staying overnight you can get off the bus/taxi in ‘Centro’.

From the bus terminal you can get to Asuncion for 50,000PYG / USD10 and it takes 6-8hours.

Immigration if coming from Argentina:

As mentioned this is the first city on the Paraguay:Argentina border. Arriving off the bust you will need to get your passport stamped on the Argentina side. The passport office is on the concrete bridge to Brazil ‘Friendship bridge’ and is small and hard to notice/ The bus station is about 1h walk away (make sure you have google maps downloaded if you do not have data!).  A taxi is about 40,000PYG/USD8 6 minute drive.

What to do:

• Shop!
• Visit the Itaipu Dam; the worlds second biggest dam on the border with Brazil and Paraguay. Although you do need to take a guided tour – it is a free! Takes 30minutes.
• Cross the border into Friendship bridge to Brazil to visit the Iguazu falls on a different side.

Asuncion

The capital and one of the oldest settlements in South America.

It is much more ‘trendy’ than the rest of Paraguay and honestly feels like you are in a different country.

The bus stops in the centre of town so you will need to get a local bus to the centre. It can be sketchy at night so try and arrive during daylight.

There is not much to do here is terms of ‘sights’ but if you are a curious person you will love wandering around and people watching here. I spent 5 days in an airbnb whilst i recovered my social battery, just visiting bakeries, cafes, and chatting to the locals confused as to why a British girl was living in a flat in Paraguay.

What to do?

• Walk along the waterfront promenade Costanera de Asuncion for sunset
• Take a free walking tour
• Lomo San Jeronimo: a colourful neighbourhood with street art and trendy bars.
• Botanical gardens: can camp here for free apparently !
• Outdoor market Mercado Cuatro – surprisingly good Korean food should you need a break from beef rice and beans!
• Abasta Market – further away but a nice day trip and easy to get to on the bus.
• Palacio de Los Lopez
• Avenida Palma for food.
• There are three villages; Yaguaron, Caacupe and San Bernandino known as the ‘golden triangle’ outside of Asuncion but they cant all be visited in one day on public transport. You can either pick two, hire a car or get a tour.
• Take a day trip out to Chaco to explore some nature and see the Pantanal that crosses into Paraguay. I am unsure how this would be done without a tour.

Where to stay?

Black cat is the highest rated hostel and does sell out.

El Viajero is also decent and has a pool, if you are coming in the summer this would be a treat!

La Casita de la Abuela Hostel is home to the Britannia pub which is one of the few places open late.

Encarnacion

How to get here?

What to do?

Visit the beach! Yes there is a beach where you can do water sports or just people watch and get a tan.

Visit the Jesuit Missions La Santisima Trinidad de Parana. This UNESCO site is the most famous ‘attraction’ in Paraguay and really worth the trip. Built during the Jesuit Missions in 15-16th century, a wander around the red bricks and even redder sand is a peaceful way to spend a day. I was the only tourist here and after visiting Iguazu falls it was very welcome!

There are two sites of ruins: Trinidad and Tavarangue. The better of the two is the Trinidad.

How to get to the  Jesuit Ruins:

Local buses leave from the terminal in central Encarnacion at around 8am, buy the ticket on the bus for 8000PYG. Let the bus driver know where you are heading and he lets you off about a 15 minute walk from the Trinidad ruins.

To get to the Tavarangue ruins you must get another bus – cross the street and flag down a bus to ‘Jesus de Tavarange’. They are only about once an hour and cost 3000PYG. 

You can hire a tricycle driver but the price for this was 50,000 PYG for return trip plus them waiting for you. As always it is easy to grab a tour from the centre of town but I am unsure how much this would cost.

To get back to Encarnacion just grab a bus in the opposite direction heading to the city. The buses this was are very crowded and it was fun to watch the locals juggling thermos’s of ice water to top up there Terere. People will be very curious and ask where you are from!

Entry fee for the ruins are 25,000PYG for foreigners and gives you access to both sites. You cannot get a cheaper ticket even if just visiting one. 

There is a small museum and a short film on the history of the sites.

Asuncion

Concepcion

Far from the ‘tourist’ sites, Concepcion is the northernmost city and in the least populated area odf the country. 

It is a sleepy town and hot most of the year round, but if you are a curious person who likes going places others cant describe to you – it is worth a visit when you are there.

What to do:

• Visit the Mennonites; about 3 hours west
• Visit Cerro Cora National Park; on the way here there are some cool rock outcrops. There is free camping here (but no toilets or showers but there is a river) and a great way to spend a few days
• Honestly, the most fun I had was drinking at night with the locals and singing karaoke in an old bar!

Where to stay:

If you have camped at the Cerro Cora national park (or dont want to camp) and are done with the city – there is an ecofarm Granja El Roble about 20km from town run by a German guy where locals bring injured wildlife and they are nursed back to health. Accomadation and 3 meals a day are USD25.

From here you can head back to Asuncion and move onto the next part of your trip! 

I took a long bus into Argentina to head to Uruguay to get some much needed beach – time.