Must-see
Caacupé · Cordillera
Basílica de la Virgen de los Milagros de Caacupé
Paraguay's spiritual capital: a Marian basilica, the Virgin's spring and the country's largest pilgrimage.
54 km2–3 hours
Garcia.dennis · CC BY-SA 4.0Cities · Cordillera · Cordillera and Paraguarí: hills, waterfalls and villages
Caacupé
Just an hour from Asunción, the Cordillera de los Altos and the hills of Paraguarí hold much of Paraguay's soul: the Basilica of Caacupé, Franciscan churches like the one in Yaguarón, villages of potters, leatherworkers and weavers, and the living memory of the War of the Triple Alliance at Piribebuy and Acosta Ñu. Cold streams and waterfalls tumble down between sandstone hills, and every town has its patron-saint festival, its local fair and its own chipa (Paraguay's cheesy cassava bread). This is the heart of the classic Circuito de Oro, the Golden Circuit.
65 km from Asunción · ≈ 1 h
What to see
Caacupé · Cordillera
Cerro Cristo Rey
A peak of about 300 m in the Cordillera de los Altos, on Route 2, with wide views and a reputation as an educational ecological reserve.
55 km2 to 3 hours
Festivals
Sep
Yvoty Rape Flower Fair
The “path of flowers”: nurseries from Cabañas sell plants, cut flowers and citrus along the highway.
FairCaacupé (compañía Cabañas), CordilleraNov→ DecOur Lady of Caacupé: Novena and December 8 Pilgrimage
The country’s greatest display of faith: thousands of pilgrims walk from Asunción and all over Paraguay to the Basilica of Caacupé.
ReligiousCaacupé, CordilleraFeatured8DecVirgen de los Milagros de Caacupé (Inmaculada Concepción) · Caacupé
The country's largest pilgrimage: thousands walk from Asunción and all over Paraguay to the basilica of the nation's spiritual patroness.
Patron saintCaacupé, CordilleraFeatured