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Next week I am going to Paraguay for eight days. A trip out of Argentina is necessary to renew my 90 day tourist visa, and I wanted to check the sixth South American country off my list, instead of repeating Uruguay, the easy choice. (Only four more CONMEBOL countries to go!)
I’ve never been to Paraguay. I’m sure tons of you have (even though until American Airlines launched a Miami-Asuncion route in November, there were no direct flights between the US and Paraguay.)
I will arrive in Asuncion and leave from Ciudad del Este. I speak Spanish. I enjoy the outdoors. I enjoy nightlife. I am not a foodie, but I enjoy delicious staples in quantity. It’s a bit vague, but I want to do awesome things, incredible things, things few have done, and things I can’t do elsewhere.
If you’ve been to Paraguay, any tips are greatly appreciated in the comments!
If you haven’t been, amuse yourself with possibly the least enticing wikitravel entry ever. Under the Do category:
Mercado 4 walk past yuyeras, fake dvd street vendors, and paraguayans sharing terere. Great place to eat, from street stalls selling typical paraguayan food and deserts to good cheap Chinese places. Most paraguayans still shop at local produce markets, but you can buy everything at great prices.
Or the sights?
At the very least, I will be an instant millionaire when I change $300 in Paraguay into 1.2 million Guarani.
Unlike past trips where I had heard nothing but good things about the place I was going–Paris, Poland, New Zealand–I have heard nothing at all about Paraguay from which to form an expectation.
I think each trip is heavily informed by one’s prior expectations. As an example, when I went to the Welsh coast I was hoping for soggy, gross, pea-soup weather to meet my expectations of Wales. I got it, and I more thoroughly enjoyed wet socks and gray skies than I ever have. If I got the same weather on a trip to Portugal, I’d be bummed.
For Paraguay, I’m not expecting interesting sights from a tourist’s perspective; I’m not expecting bountiful nature. (Though if you know of either, let me know.) I’m expecting a place very different from others I’ve been (though perhaps similar to Bolivia), the Wild Wild West in Ciudad del Este, friendly people un-jaded by tourism, and low prices. We’ll see what I get.
By the way, booking the tickets and getting a visa were a fun process that I hope to write about soon.
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I’m assuming you’ve been to Iguassu before. If not, this is an excellent opportunity for a can’t miss destination, as you’re going to Ciudad del Este anyway. If you have any interest in manmade monstrosities, the Itaipu Dam in the same region is indeed worth a visit. I was the only tourist the morning I went, and got an individual tour. For history and architecture, the Jesuit ruins of eastern Paraguay are definitely worth a stop or two – go for Trinidad and Jesús. Take a bus on Route 6 from Encarnacion and have the driver drop you off . I got around the region with little difficulty on local buses, and speaking Spanish, you can too. As you say, Paraguay isn’t the most dramatic place in the world, but in your time frame you can find some good things to see and do.
Iguassu Falls – Great suggestion! The best portion of the falls are in Brazil. Remember, US citizens must obtain a visa in advance of entering Brazil. Check visa requirements based upon your citizenship.
Arrrrrg. I am not going to go into Brazil. I am saving that for another trip. I be going to the Argentine portion of the falls for the second time later this month. I don’t want to pay the $160 premium for Brazil for such a short trip.
The $160 reciprocity fee is good for 10 years, if I’m not mistaken. I paid it in 2010, and if I remember correctly, I have free access until 2020.
But you’ll pay the $160 fee for Paraguay that is only valid for 90 days? I visited CDE and Asuncion two years ago. I don’t have much to add to what has already been said except that the CDE-Asuncion flight was crazy cheap and that the Itaipu Dam tours leave from Brazil.
I believe the Paraguayan visa is valid through the end of my passport.
Thanks for the Itaipu and the Jesuit ruins’ suggestions. I’m looking forward to local buses. I’m also glad you had no problem with Spanish, as I thought there was a slight chance it wouldn’t be useful in some parts with the prevalence of Guarani. But I guess most everyone should speak Spanish.
Read about Paraguayan history – it’s both depressing and baffling. Given its history, the military museum is the best exhibit to see in Asuncion. The Pantheon of Heroes is also upsetting. (Hint: Solano Lopez was a sociopath.) I would recommend finding a guide to explain the sites. And going out to see the Chaco (just to Villa Hayes) just to say you’ve been.
Ciudad del Este, by contrast, is gross. Go on a hike around the falls area instead.
And say hello to all my Kiva borrowers.
Pantheon of Heroes is definitely on my list. What would make Chaco worth it? Is it an impressive sight? I’ll give all the Kiva borrowers a hearty “hola.” I wonder if there is an actual way to try to find Kiva borrowers.
CDE won’t be “wild west” – we arrived by bus and took a taxi through there to get to the Falls (we were there in December): LOTS of traffic and “city” feel. We spent 2 nights and parts of 3 days at hte Falls, but really, you could take an overnight luxury coach from Ascuncion (Nostra Senora del Ascuncion; they really are comfy compared to buses in the US!), arrive at the bus station in CDE in the morning, and take a taxi to the Falls with no visa requirements/checking. The taxi driver will offer to pick you back up at a certain time, he’ll bring you back to the CDE bus station, and another overnight bus back to Ascuncion. We didn’t do any “touristy” stuff while in Paraguay, though, but on the highway up towards Pedro Juan Caballero, there are some neat and beautiful “mountain/hill” formations (along highway 5). Not enough to warrant a special trip, though.
You went to the Brazillian side of the falls without border formalities from CDE? I’ve heard of similar trips from the Argentina side, but I’m a bit of a chicken and afraid to try it.
We were too, but were assured by many that it was no problem, and that turned out ot be our experience. I had my wife and 3 young-ish kids with me, and it was barely even recognizable as a border. The only slowing down was the bumper to bumper traffic both ways. Everyone we had talked to (missionaries that had been there for many years) believed the “40 km inside the border” rule: something like you don’t need a visa within 40 miles of the border. I’ve heard that with big bus tours and all, you need a visa, but that doesn’t sound like your style at all. Individual taxis seemed fine with no visa (and if you’re really gutsy, you could take a “moto-taxi”!). We wasted a lot of money staying in Brazil for those 2 nights, when we saw everything we wanted in 1 day at the Falls. The Falls has helicopter rides, “jungle-adventure” excursions, boat rides, and air-conditioned buses to take you everywhere. The bird park just outside the Falls was incredible, too: one of our highlights from our trip! Oh…and no one speaks English very well in PG or CDE. It’ll be quite a struggle to communicate about bus tickets and everything else. Also…CDE is FAMOUS (in-country) for cheap Chinese electronics of all sorts.
Didn’t go to CDE, but we went to the falls. We heard from the locals of Puerto Iguazu that Paraguay is where all the stolen Brazilian and Argentinian vehicles end up for what it’s worth.
Here’s something, if this floats your boat.
http://www.druglawreform.info/en/country-information/paraguay
Not for me, but I am interested in drug policy worldwide. I didn’t know Paraguay had done this. I know Portugal has gone even farther.
I’ve visited Asuncion several times. Very friendly people but not the most interesting city. If you have a chance, Lake San Bernadino outside Asuncion is nice. In Asuncion, Bolsi is a great resturant and The Lido diner must be experienced. The mall in Mariscal Lopez neighborhood is world-class (lots of rich and poor in Paraguay, not many in between).
MV: Just saw this on NY Times’ “Frugal Traveler”: http://frugaltraveler.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/30/opening-up-a-landlocked-country-paraguays-guaira-region/?src=dayp
Weird coincidence.
http://frugaltraveler.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/30/opening-up-a-landlocked-country-paraguays-guaira-region/?ref=travel
I was a Mormon missionary in Paraguay for 2 year back in late 90’s. I used to walk past the Jesuit ruins in Trinidad every day for a few months. However, I didn’t end up doing a lot of site seeing overall. Nacunday Falls, south of Cuidad del Este, are supposed to be impressive. If they were located anywhere else you might have heard of them, but they are overshadowed by the nearby Iguazu falls. There are some interesting rock formations out my bus window while passing through Cerro Cora National Park heading to Pedro Juan Caballero. I’m sure there is some good hiking there but it is probably too far out of the way make a priority. Check out the Ñandutí lace. Try the chipa. Speaking a little Guarani goes a long way. The Virgin of Caacupé holds a lot of significance for many Paraguayans. I can’t recall where it is located though. Enjoy.
I am Paraguayan. It is a really nice place, u should go to:
Casa de la Independencia at Asunción
Virgen de Caacupe, it is at Caacupe, up north in Paraguay
Catedral Metropolitana at Asunción
Palacio del Gobierno at Asunción
Alfredo Stroessner statue, he was an awful dictator
Panteón de los heroes, at Asunción
The Chaco is something u cant miss
Ciudad del Este is really city like and has a tax-free market 😀
Piribebuy, and amazing place with waterfalls and forests and beatiful cottages, 60KM from Asunción
Eat a lot of Asado, it is known in U.S.A. as barbecue but in a much more larger cuantites
Jesuit Ruins, outside of Encarnacion southeast of Asunción and much more!!!!!!!