Paraguay trips have much to offer. The country is sparsely populated and a true off-the-beaten-track location in the centre of South America. It is an unspoilt and amazing holiday destination – a trip here is to step back in time among an incredible variety of attractions.
For the culture seeker, the country has a history full of upheaval and suffering due to the historic wars with its neighbours and its population decimated. The Jesuits left their mark in incredible mission towns, and immigration from Europe, in particular, influenced the country too. In the early 20th century, Mennonite immigrants settled in the north of the country creating their own closed communities. Many immigrant communities mixed with the native Guarani peoples creating a cultural melting pot that can be enjoyed nowadays in our Paraguay trips. Guarani and Spanish are the official languages of the country.
Paraguay holidays can also offer much to the nature enthusiast. The Chaco is a semi-arid wilderness and one of the least densely populated places in South America. Covering the north of the country, there is an abundance of fauna including puma, tapir, giant armadillo and anteater. The north-eastern part is a wetland which forms part of the Pantanal ecosystem in Brazil. The south-east corner is in the Alto Parana, an area of national parks and amazing waterfalls. This area is close to the Iguazu Falls so a Paraguay holiday can be combined with Argentina and Brazil.
The Golden Circuit is a series of colonial towns around the capital Asuncion. This includes towns such as Aregua and its artisan market, as well as the baroque church of Yaguarón.
The Jesuit reductions in the south of the country, established in the 17th and 18th centuries, are historical museums. The Jesuit Missions of La Santísima Trinidad de Paraná and Jesús de Tavarangue should be part of any Paraguay trip.
The Mennonite town of Fiiladelfia offers and incredible insight into the lives and culture of their communities. It is also a great base from which to explore the Chaco. The Pantanal, in the eastern Chaco, is a remote wilderness bustling with flora and fauna waiting to be explored. The Saltos de Monday waterfalls reach a height of 45 metres and a width of over 120 metres. They are located near Ciudad del Este on the border close to the Iguazu falls. The Itaipu dam is also a man-made wonder to be visited in this area.
Paraguay, being at the “heart” of South America, can also be combined neatly with the neighbouring countries. It is a fascinating destination with a tragic history, an incredible assimilation of the original peoples. An opportunity to visit untouched places by the influences of mass tourism.
Discover our Paraguay trips on this page.
Cultural
Below you will find a few of the many attractions Paraguay has to offer for your holiday.
The Alto Parana region is to the east of Paraguay and its main city is Ciudad del Este on the shore of the Parana River.
Across the Parana River is where you will find Foz do Iguaçu in Brazil and the Iguaçu Falls.
The Itaipu dam – one of the largest of the world – can be visited and just South of Ciudad del Este the Monday falls are worth a visit.
The Tati Yupi Biological reserve offers the outdoors enthusiast interpretative trails of the wildlife and fauna as well as bike trails for the more energetic.
Asuncion is the capital of landlocked Paraguay and sits on the shore of the Paraguay River.
Asuncion is one of the oldest cities in South America and its character reflects the harsh and varied history of the region.
It also represents the diverse nature of Paraguay where Spanish and Guiarani – the indigenous language – are the official languages.
Places to visit include the National Pantheon of Heroes and the Independence House Museum.
A guided tour is recommended, to help you get the most out of your visit.
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The high point was a sea lion swimming with us whilst snorkelling off Cape Rosa amongst the lava ‘tunnels’. We have a video of this taken by the snorkel leader playing on our digital frame at home. The low point were the Avianca flights out and back to Galapagos from Ecuador mainland – an airline & staff that really don’t care about you! The day tours were all excellent – sometimes the description was a little vague – for example the Volcano tour on Santa Cruz was a 5 hour 10 mile hike on muddy paths and uneven lava fields, with only a couple of short stops, that needed a good level of fitness but was pitched as a 2 to 4 hour ‘walk’. Food on some tours was a little basic and not very vegan whilst on others it was superb, e.g. the vegan vegetable rice served on one of the boat tours. The highlights were the snorkelling trip to Cape Rosa tunnels and the visit to the Bartolome Island, plus the small plane trip back from Isabela to Santa Cruz. The guides were all very knowledgeable and friendly – William and Martin stood out. We feel we benefited the local people. We had lots of feedback from locals thanking us for staying on land rather than going on one of the boat cruises What we would do differently is probably fly between islands rather than taking the speedboat – and perhaps fly to a third island as we had long enough there to spend three days on a third island (Cristobal?) We chose Andean Trails because it felt like a focused agency that specialised in the area and we liked Kat!
Prof Bob
We had a wonderful time in Galapagos. We really appreciated the guide we had: he gave us so much information, he made us feel safe and took us to the most spectacular snorkelling sessions. I can’t describe any low points. Everything went very smoothly: starting from Quito airport, the welcome in Baltra, the boat and the whole crew. The crew did their best to accommodate all our requests and desires. The only thing I would do differently next time is choose a longer holiday :).
A Calinici