Things to do in Paraguay

25 things to do in Paraguay

Listed in full below. The running order is set by votes and loads with the page.

• Wander among the ruins of the Jesuit Mission of La Santísima Trinidad del Paraná

  Step into a UNESCO World Heritage site where the imposing red sandstone church, carved pulpit, and vast plaza evoke the height of the Jesuit reducciones. Sunrise or late afternoon light brings the intricate friezes to life, and the silence is broken only by birdsong.

  Trinidad, Itapúa

• Explore the haunting Jesus de Tavarangue Jesuit Mission

  Wander through the roofless ruins of an unfinished baroque dream, where triple-arch entranceways and thick stone walls are slowly reclaimed by the forest. Far less visited than Trinidad, the site offers a profound sense of discovery and solitude.

  Jesús, Itapúa

• Watch sunrise over the Monday Falls (Saltos del Monday)

  Marvel at the thundering cascade of the Monday River as it plunges 40 metres over a series of three-tiered basalt steps, often crowned by rainbows. The park opens early for photographers seeking misty dawn light on the roaring curtains of water.

  Presidente Franco, Alto Paraná

• Tour the colossal Itaipu Dam

  Peer inside the world’s second-largest hydroelectric powerhouse, walking through the cavernous turbine hall and across the 7.9km-long dam wall straddling the Brazil–Paraguay border. The sheer scale of engineering and the roar of the spillway are unforgettable.

  Hernandarias, Alto Paraná

• Stroll Asunción's Costanera José Asunción Flores at sunset

  Join locals jogging, cycling, and sipping tereré along this palm-lined riverfront promenade as the sun sinks into the Paraguay River. The illuminated Palacio de los López reflects in the water, creating the capital’s most photogenic evening scene.

  Asunción

• Visit the neoclassical Palacio de los López

  Admire the pink façade and colonnaded balconies of Paraguay’s presidential palace, dramatically floodlit after dark. While interior visits are limited, the riverside square in front offers an iconic view of both political power and architectural grace.

  Asunción

• Witness the changing of the guard at the Panteón Nacional de los Héroes

  Pay respects at the mausoleum where Paraguay’s national heroes rest beneath a soaring dome and frescoed ceilings. The silent ceremony of uniformed soldiers and the eternal flame make for a solemn cultural moment in the heart of Asunción.

  Asunción

• Sample fresh chipa from a streetside vendor in Plaza Uruguaya

  Bite into a warm, cheese-filled manioc-flour ring or chipa so'o (stuffed with minced meat) sold from mobile baskets. This iconic snack, baked to a golden puff, is a beloved breakfast and street food ritual amid the city’s oldest square.

  Asunción

• Sip ice-cold tereré in Plaza Uruguaya

  Find a shady bench, fill your guampa with yerba mate, and pour chilled water from a thermos to experience Paraguay’s daily social ritual. Sharing tereré with strangers is a genuine gesture of friendship in the capital’s leafy, statuesque park.

  Asunción

• Get lost in the chaos of Mercado 4

  Dive into a labyrinth of stalls overflowing with tropical fruit, counterfeit jerseys, herbs, and screeching butchers. This sprawling Asunción market assaults the senses with its colour, noise, and the smell of frying empanadas, offering a raw slice of urban life.

  Asunción

• Step inside the Catedral Metropolitana de Asunción

  Enter the principal Catholic church inaugurated in 1845, its serene interior housing a revered wooden image of the Virgin of the Assumption. The modest neoclassical exterior belies the cathedral’s role in hosting the funerals of presidents and independence heroes.

  Asunción

• Admire the carved altarpiece of the Church of Yaguarón

  Marvel at the gilded, hand-carved Mannerist-Baroque retable and delicately painted ceiling boards in this 18th-century Franciscan reduction church. It remains one of Paraguay’s finest surviving examples of indigenous Guaraní artistry and Spanish colonial craftsmanship.

  Yaguarón, Paraguarí

• Browse artisan ceramics in lakeside Areguá

  Walk the cobbled streets of this charming town on the shores of Lake Ypacaraí, where generations of potters shape terracotta bowls, pitchers, and whimsical clay figurines. Stop at a family-run workshop to see pottery thrown on a foot-powered wheel.

  Areguá, Central

• Bask on the sandy river beaches of Encarnación

  Spread a towel on the wide artificial beach along the Paraná River during the southern summer (December–February). With facilities, bars, and calm waters enclosed by breakwaters, it feels like a seaside resort deep inland.

  Encarnación, Itapúa

• Ride the Encarnación funicular for panoramic river views

  Glide up the steep hillside in a glass cabin connecting the costanera with the upper city’s modern plaza. At the top, sweeping vistas stretch over the Paraná River to the Argentine city of Posadas.

  Encarnación, Itapúa

• Discover the remote San Cosme y Damián Jesuit Mission

  Explore the isolated ruins of a once-thriving reduction that housed a remarkable astronomical observatory — the only Jesuit observatory in South America. The quiet complex, with its reconstructed sundial, tells a story of science and faith on the Paraná’s edge.

  San Cosme y Damián, Itapúa

• Explore the vast Chaco wilderness from Filadelfia

  Use the orderly Mennonite colony town as a base to venture into the semi-arid Gran Chaco, where dry forests, colossal cacti, and sprawling cattle ranches stretch to the horizon. Visit the cooperative museum to understand the improbable pioneer story of this harsh land.

  Filadelfia, Boquerón

• Spot wildlife on a Pantanal boat safari near Bahía Negra

  Glide through water channels in the far north, where the world’s largest tropical wetland spills into Paraguay. Capybaras wallow, jabiru storks nest, and caimans eye you lazily from the banks in a raw, untamed landscape almost devoid of tourists.

  Bahía Negra, Alto Paraguay

• Hike to the summit of Cerro Tres Kandú

  Climb through subtropical vegetation to reach the highest point in Paraguay (842m) in the Ybytyruzú mountain range. The rocky peak rewards hikers with a 360-degree panorama of undulating forested hills, especially dramatic at sunrise when mists fill the valleys.

  General Eugenio Garay, Guairá

• Swim in the natural pools of Ybycuí National Park

  Trek through lush Atlantic Forest to reach the Salto del Mbocarusu and several smaller cascades, where clear streams carve granite basins perfect for a refreshing dip. Butterflies, toucans, and the roar of hidden waterfalls accompany you on narrow jungle trails.

  Ybycuí, Paraguarí

• Immerse yourself in indigenous and folk art at the Museo del Barro

  Encounter extraordinary masks, feathered costumes, and ceramics from Paraguay’s diverse indigenous groups, alongside striking contemporary canvases. This compact museum delivers a powerful artistic narrative far from the beaten path in a quiet Asunción suburb.

  Asunción

• Feel the roar of a football match at Estadio Defensores del Chaco

  Pack into the national stadium when Cerro Porteño or Olimpia clash, and surrender to a sea of waving flags, deafening chants, and pyrotechnics. Even if you don’t follow the sport, the raw passion of Paraguayan football fandom is an unforgettable cultural experience.

  Asunción

• Wander the colonial streets of Concepción

  Stroll past pastel-coloured 19th-century townhouses with filigree balconies in this languid port city on the Paraguay River. The riverside promenade and weathered cathedral invite you into a slower pace of life defined by river breezes and old-world charm.

  Concepción

• Visit a traditional yerba mate processing plant in Bella Vista

  Tour a factory where freshly harvested leaves are dried, ground, and packaged into the green powder that fuels the nation’s tereré and mate obsession. The journey from leafy bush to cup offers a fragrant insight into Paraguay’s most emblematic daily ritual.

  Bella Vista, Itapúa

• Experience the exuberance of Carnaval Encarnaceno

  Join one of the biggest Carnival celebrations in South America as samba schools parade through the Sambódromo in a riot of sequins, feathers, and thundering drums. The four-night summer spectacle transforms this border city into a tropical Rio-like fiesta.

  Encarnación, Itapúa