Must-see
Hernandarias · Alto Paraná
Central Hidroeléctrica Itaipú
One of the world's largest hydroelectric plants, free and guided: colossal engineering on the Paraná River.
340 kmHalf a day
Alvnarvaja · CC BY-SA 3.0Cities · Alto Paraná · The East: water, energy and borderlands
Hernandarias
Hernandarias, once known as Tacurú Pucú, is home to both Itaipú and the Acaray power plant, which is why it bills itself as the capital of energy. Beyond the dam, it offers Itaipú's Tacurú Pucú Park, with a beach, barbecue shelters (quinchos), sports fields and playgrounds on the shores of the reservoir, plus guesthouses and country houses on Lake Acaray. Its calendar has two big moments: Good Friday, when the Great Way of the Cross (Vía Crucis Mayor) winds for about 3 km between bottles holding lit candles, and the patron-saint festival in August, with an entrepreneurs' fair and a popular music festival.
335 km from Asunción · ≈ 5 h 30
What to see
Must-see
Hernandarias · Alto Paraná
Tekotopa Centro Ambiental (Sendero del Jaguareté y Museo de Itaipu Tierra Guaraní)
Jaguars, tapirs and harpy eagles of the Atlantic Forest, plus Itaipú's great museum of nature and Guaraní culture.
335 km2–3 hours
Hernandarias · Alto Paraná
Reserva Natural Tatí Yupí
Itaipú's forest closest to the dam: horse-drawn carts, bikes, a giant peroba tree and birds everywhere.
340 kmHalf a day
Hernandarias · Alto Paraná
Museo Histórico Tacurú Pucú
A museum aiming to preserve Alto Paraná's cultural and historical heritage, housed in the Chaco War Veterans Union building.
335 km45 minutes
Hernandarias · Alto Paraná
Costanera y Playa Tacurú Pucú
A waterfront with a 2,100 m bike path, playgrounds and a 450 m beach on Itaipú lake, managed with the municipality.
335 km2 to 3 hours
Hernandarias · Alto Paraná
Central Hidroeléctrica Acaray
ANDE's dam on the Acaray River (210 MW), built between 1961 and 1969, predating Itaipú.
335 km30 minutes
Hernandarias · Alto Paraná
Modelo Reducido de la Represa de Itaipú
A 1:100-scale physical model of the Itaipú dam, with the reservoir and the Acaray, Yguazú and Monday rivers, at the Visitor Reception Centre.
340 km45 minutes