Things to do in Paraguay

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.

Wander through the roofless ruins of an unfinished baroque dream, where triple-arch entranceways and thick stone walls are slowly reclaimed by the forest.

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.

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.

Join locals jogging, cycling, and sipping tereré along this palm-lined riverfront promenade as the sun sinks into the Paraguay River.

Admire the pink façade and colonnaded balconies of Paraguay’s presidential palace, dramatically floodlit after dark.

Pay respects at the mausoleum where Paraguay’s national heroes rest beneath a soaring dome and frescoed ceilings.

Bite into a warm, cheese-filled manioc-flour ring or chipa so'o (stuffed with minced meat) sold from mobile baskets.

Find a shady bench, fill your guampa with yerba mate, and pour chilled water from a thermos to experience Paraguay’s daily social ritual.

Dive into a labyrinth of stalls overflowing with tropical fruit, counterfeit jerseys, herbs, and screeching butchers.

Enter the principal Catholic church inaugurated in 1845, its serene interior housing a revered wooden image of the Virgin of the Assumption.

Marvel at the gilded, hand-carved Mannerist-Baroque retable and delicately painted ceiling boards in this 18th-century Franciscan reduction church.

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.

Spread a towel on the wide artificial beach along the Paraná River during the southern summer (December–February).

Glide up the steep hillside in a glass cabin connecting the costanera with the upper city’s modern plaza.

Explore the isolated ruins of a once-thriving reduction that housed a remarkable astronomical observatory — the only Jesuit observatory in South America.

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.

Glide through water channels in the far north, where the world’s largest tropical wetland spills into Paraguay.

Climb through subtropical vegetation to reach the highest point in Paraguay (842m) in the Ybytyruzú mountain range.

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.

Encounter extraordinary masks, feathered costumes, and ceramics from Paraguay’s diverse indigenous groups, alongside striking contemporary canvases.

Pack into the national stadium when Cerro Porteño or Olimpia clash, and surrender to a sea of waving flags, deafening chants, and pyrotechnics.

Stroll past pastel-coloured 19th-century townhouses with filigree balconies in this languid port city on the Paraguay River.

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.

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.