For all registered blood donors with an unsatisfied passion for dueling, Paraguay should be top of your list of places to go. It is a ‘fact’ that dueling is indeed legal in Paraguay, as long as both parties are registered blood donors. If you have read up on Paraguay, you may have come across this 'fact' from a host of unreliable sources. There is a slim chance that you are not a fan of dueling, and therefore it's irrelevant whether or not you have signed-up to have your internal organs freely distributed in the event of your untimely death. So your going to need other reasons to visit Paraguay, and they better be good, as the country borders Argentina, Brazil and Bolivia, all of which have some of South America’s most spectacular sites and cosmopolitan cities. This short article aims to give you an overview of the country and highlight a few areas of interest.
Paraguay | Jesuit Missons | Gran Chaco
Asuncion and Getting to Paraguay
It depends where you are from, but there is a good chance you’ll need a Visa when visiting Paraguay, so go to the section for South America Visa Requirements to check. Most will arrive in either Asuncion, in the southwest, or in Ciudad del Este, in the southeast. Ciudad del Este has little going for it, other than a route into the country, and a place for Brazilians to go for cheaper electronics. For those who are considering a trip, then the ‘when is the best time to go to Paraguay?’ question is probably on the tip of your tongue. The answer is to avoid their oppressively hot and humid summers, which are from around November to early March. The rest of the year should be fine, and their winters are warm rather than cold.
Certain cities in South America, such as Rio and Buenos Aires, have so much to see and do, and so much happening, that you can get caught up there and ruin your itinerary. You’ll be pleased to know Asuncion is unlikely to disrupt any hasty travel plans, although there are things to see and do that’ll keep you interested for a short visit. Impressive architecture is on show at the Government Palace, the Cathedral and the Panteon Nacional de los Heroes. Museum buffs should check out the Godoy Museum, but go with moderate expectations.
It depends where you are from, but there is a good chance you’ll need a Visa when visiting Paraguay, so go to the section for South America Visa Requirements to check. Most will arrive in either Asuncion, in the southwest, or in Ciudad del Este, in the southeast. Ciudad del Este has little going for it, other than a route into the country, and a place for Brazilians to go for cheaper electronics. For those who are considering a trip, then the ‘when is the best time to go to Paraguay?’ question is probably on the tip of your tongue. The answer is to avoid their oppressively hot and humid summers, which are from around November to early March. The rest of the year should be fine, and their winters are warm rather than cold.
Certain cities in South America, such as Rio and Buenos Aires, have so much to see and do, and so much happening, that you can get caught up there and ruin your itinerary. You’ll be pleased to know Asuncion is unlikely to disrupt any hasty travel plans, although there are things to see and do that’ll keep you interested for a short visit. Impressive architecture is on show at the Government Palace, the Cathedral and the Panteon Nacional de los Heroes. Museum buffs should check out the Godoy Museum, but go with moderate expectations.
Jesuit Missions
If you find yourself in your Asuncion getting a little bored of the sight of concrete, and begin to crave the ‘easier on the eye’ Jesuit mission ruins, then head south to the town of Encarnacion. It’s a five-hour bus trip from the capital that will only lighten your wallet by around 40,000 guaranies (about 8 USD).
On the bank of the Parana River, Encarnacion looks across to Argentina. The area can be explored either through organized tours or for minimal additional effort, and less expense, by public buses. Trinidad is very close by and is the best preserved site of the Paraguayan collection, and Jesus is technically a ruin of an incomplete building, so naturally is less impressive. As Jesus is so close to Trinidad, both can be visited in a day. It's also a short trip south from here to see the Posadas ruin in Argentina. A bridge across the River Parana links Encarnation to the Argentine town of Posadas and there is no official immigration post, so you can pop over and come back without the border control.
Encarnation is also very close to Paraguay’s less famous dam, the Yacyreta Dam. It’s big brother, the Itaipu Dam, is the showpiece of the international hydroelectric community (if your in to that kind of thing), and can be found further north near Cuidad del este and the border with Brazil.
Chaco
For many, Chaco is the reason to go to Paraguay. The full area, known as Gran Chaco, actually has smaller sections in Bolivia and Argentina, and an even smaller part in Brazil. In Paraguay it accounts for over half the land, but seeing as it's as welcoming and accommodating as a swarm of bees, more than 97% of Paraguay’s population choose to live in the south east area, outside of Gran Chaco.
If you find yourself in your Asuncion getting a little bored of the sight of concrete, and begin to crave the ‘easier on the eye’ Jesuit mission ruins, then head south to the town of Encarnacion. It’s a five-hour bus trip from the capital that will only lighten your wallet by around 40,000 guaranies (about 8 USD).
On the bank of the Parana River, Encarnacion looks across to Argentina. The area can be explored either through organized tours or for minimal additional effort, and less expense, by public buses. Trinidad is very close by and is the best preserved site of the Paraguayan collection, and Jesus is technically a ruin of an incomplete building, so naturally is less impressive. As Jesus is so close to Trinidad, both can be visited in a day. It's also a short trip south from here to see the Posadas ruin in Argentina. A bridge across the River Parana links Encarnation to the Argentine town of Posadas and there is no official immigration post, so you can pop over and come back without the border control.
Encarnation is also very close to Paraguay’s less famous dam, the Yacyreta Dam. It’s big brother, the Itaipu Dam, is the showpiece of the international hydroelectric community (if your in to that kind of thing), and can be found further north near Cuidad del este and the border with Brazil.
Chaco
For many, Chaco is the reason to go to Paraguay. The full area, known as Gran Chaco, actually has smaller sections in Bolivia and Argentina, and an even smaller part in Brazil. In Paraguay it accounts for over half the land, but seeing as it's as welcoming and accommodating as a swarm of bees, more than 97% of Paraguay’s population choose to live in the south east area, outside of Gran Chaco.
If you head down to the river you’ll see evidence of Paraguay’s wealth divide. The main business district is located centrally and quite close to the river. However due to regular flooding they have built a few hundred metres back from the river banks, and filling the gap of land between here and the river you’ll see shanty towns. As you’ll see in the (photo to the right) some office blocks are built on ‘stilts’ to avoid the floods, and shacks made of wood and corrugated iron have been thrown up underneath. This is obviously not the safest part of town to visit, so if you choose to do so, go during the day and leave your valuables in your hotel.
The relative isolation of Gran Chaco, between the eastern slopes of the Andes and the west bank of the Paraguay River, has lead to some unique flora and fauna. Visitors will soon discover that many of the unique species there are insects, but there are other more ‘wildlife watcher’ friendly animals, such as ten different species of armadillo and a seemingly infinite array of bird species. Many significant animal species have only been discovered recently, such as the Chacoan Peccary, which was discover in the 1970s. You might expect a small insect to stay undiscovered in remote areas for such a long period of time, but considering this is a mammal, not disimilar in size and appearance to a wild boar, it did well to stay off naturalists’ records.
The best time to visit is in the cooler winter months from May until September. It’s nearly impossible to travel independently in the area, and therefore you’ll need to seek out a guide. Many of the guides in the area are scientists and researches who don the ‘tour guide cap’ occasionally to help fund their research. There are also an increasing number of dedicated tour companies, and the best way to go about booking something, would be to do it from Asuncion; it’ll most likely be cheaper than booking it from your home country.
As tourists and travellers become increasingly adventurous, places like Machu Picchu and Iguazu Falls, though magnificent, are quickly becoming yesteryear’s Disney World and Costa del Sol. Subsequently the term ‘off-the-beaten track’ means different thing to different people, and is constantly being redefined. So if you want to scoff at those who are telling tales of adventure in the Amazon Rainforest, then head to Paraguay and on to Chaco. Everyone wants to be the person who goes somewhere before it was popular, and there aren’t many places like that left, so get packing!
James Ponting - 18th January 2007
As tourists and travellers become increasingly adventurous, places like Machu Picchu and Iguazu Falls, though magnificent, are quickly becoming yesteryear’s Disney World and Costa del Sol. Subsequently the term ‘off-the-beaten track’ means different thing to different people, and is constantly being redefined. So if you want to scoff at those who are telling tales of adventure in the Amazon Rainforest, then head to Paraguay and on to Chaco. Everyone wants to be the person who goes somewhere before it was popular, and there aren’t many places like that left, so get packing!
James Ponting - 18th January 2007
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