Paraguay travel guide
The hidden heart of South America, Paraguay's cowboys, Guaraní people and Mennonite communities make for a fascinating cultural melting pot
An air of mystery hangs over this little-visited pocket of South America, a country of farmland, forest and folklore. Landlocked Paraguay has had a strange history of charismatic leaders, steadfastness and isolation.
Outside the capital, Asunción, head to the south where the remains of Mission settlements built by Jesuits in the 18th century lie among lush, tropical forest near the banks of the Río Paraná. The Chaco – a vast, cross-border plain extending into Argentina and Bolivia – is inhabited by a handful of Mennonite communities, indigenous peoples and the odd military outpost.
But where the people are few, the wildlife is plentiful – cross the marshes and the thorny wilderness where jaguar, puma and tapir prowl and the trees are filled with a wealth of twittering, glittering birdlife.
Wherever you roam in Paraguay, you need to try maté (a tea-like drink) – the locals love it even more than the British love a cuppa. Drinking maté is such a way of life here that it is not unusual to see a leather-clad biker speeding on his mean machine, Thermos under one arm, maté gourd in hand, pouring as he rides.
Wanderlust recommends
- Visit a Mennonite farm in the little-visited scrublands of the Chaco – home to puma, jaguar and myriad bird species
- Share a gourd of maté with the locals – anywhere, anytime
- Tour the Itaipú Dam, largest in the Americas – it’s free on the Paraguayan side, and you could include a visit to the Monday Falls near Ciudad del Este
- Go bargain hunting in Asunción
- Float along the Río Paraguay, dropping a line to fish for piranha
- Play cowboy with the working estancieros on a ranch
Wanderlust tips
Go steady with public displays of affection – Paraguay is quite conservative. Avoid buying souvenirs made from wood or endangered species. Public toilets are rare in Paraguay so make use of them when you see them.