Must-see
Areguá, San Bernardino e Ypacaraí · Central y Cordillera
Lago Ypacaraí
The lake behind Paraguay's most famous guarania: sunsets, sailboats and historic towns along its shores.
29 kmHalf a day
FF MM · CC BY-SA 3.0Editorial selection by Asunción City, with data checked in September 2026.
Gran Asunción 6
Must-see
San Bernardino · Cordillera
San Bernardino
An 1881 German colony on the shores of Ypacaraí and Paraguay's summer capital: lakeside promenade, bars and long nights.
53 km2-3 days
Ypacaraí · Central
Ypacaraí
The town that gave the lake its name and home of the Lake Festival, Paraguay's great showcase of folk culture.
41 km2-3 hours
Limpio · Central
Limpio
Karanda'y palm hats, a church with colonial roots and lagoons of giant water lilies beside the Paraguay River.
23 kmHalf a day
Lambaré · Central
Lambaré
Asunción's neighbor at the foot of Cerro Lambaré, home to the legend of a Guarani chief and the much-loved burreritas.
10 km2-3 hours
Villeta · Central
Villeta
A colonial port on the Paraguay River, scene of the December 1868 campaign, with a brand-new riverside promenade.
36 kmHalf a day
Cordillera 7
Must-see
La Colmena (compañía Isla Alta, límite con Borja, Guairá) · Paraguarí
Salto Cristal
A curtain of crystal-clear water over rock walls, hidden in the forest between Paraguarí and Guairá.
150 km1 day
Piribebuy (colonia Piraretã) · Cordillera
Salto Piraretã
A hidden waterfall in the Piraretã farming community, with a stream, family campgrounds and fresh forest air.
85 kmHalf a day
Quiindy (acceso por la compañía Niño–Tacuary) · Paraguarí
Lago Ypoá
A vast wetland of floating islands and lagoons, a little-explored Ramsar site south of Asunción.
135 km1 day
Must-see
Ybycuí (Minas Cué) · Paraguarí
Parque Nacional Ybycuí
Atlantic Forest, cold-water falls and the ruins of the La Rosada iron foundry, from 1854.
150 km1 day
Piribebuy (compañía Chololó) · Cordillera
Chololó
A clear stream tumbling over rocks through the forest: the classic swimming spot on the Piribebuy–Paraguarí road.
85 kmHalf a day
Caapucú · Paraguarí
Caapucú
A town of colonial houses and the Casa Stewart, with white-sand beaches on the Tebicuary River.
141 kmHalf a day
Arroyos y Esteros · Cordillera
Arroyos y Esteros
The 'emerald of the hills': rivers, wetlands and the birthplace of Paraguay's organic sugar.
67 km1 day
Misiones 8
Must-see
Encarnación · Itapúa
Costanera y playas de Encarnación (San José, Mbói Ka'ẽ y Pacu Cuá)
Miles of promenade and sandy beaches on the Paraná: this is the capital of the Paraguayan summer.
370 kmHalf a day
Must-see
Encarnación · Itapúa
Encarnación
The Pearl of the South: riverfront promenade, river beaches, carnival and the perfect base for the Jesuit missions.
365 km2-3 days
Villa Florida · Misiones
Villa Florida y las playas del río Tebicuary
White sand and the gentle waters of the Tebicuary: the closest river beach in the south, two hours from Asunción.
162 km1 day
Carmen del Paraná · Itapúa
Carmen del Paraná
The Rice Capital boasts a riverfront promenade several kilometers long, three beaches and the Tacuary battlefield.
330 km1 day
Ayolas · Misiones
Ayolas
Paraguay's dorado capital: sport fishing, white-sand beaches and the Yacyretá dam next door.
305 km2-3 days
Pilar · Ñeembucú
Pilar
A historic town on the Paraguay River: the only surviving colonial cabildo, a marble basilica, wetlands and fishing.
230 km2-3 days
Cambyretá · Itapúa
Cambyretá
Encarnación's neighbor, the 'land of milk': a quiet riverside promenade, sports and sunsets over the Paraná.
380 km2-3 hours
Paso de Patria · Ñeembucú
Paso de Patria
The corner where the Paraguay and Paraná rivers meet: fishing, wetlands and memories of war.
290 km1 day
Este 7
Must-see
Presidente Franco · Alto Paraná
Saltos del Monday (Cataratas del Monday)
Three main drops of about 40 meters amid Atlantic Forest, just minutes from the bustle of Ciudad del Este.
340 kmHalf a day
Must-see
Yguazú · Alto Paraná
Lago Yguazú y Circuito Vivencial del Mundo Guaraní
A trail through Guaraní gods, myths and medicine on the shores of a large lake ringed by Atlantic Forest.
300 kmHalf a day
Ciudad del Este · Alto Paraná
Lago de la República
Ciudad del Este's green lung: laps around the lake, caimans, craft beer and the city's biggest festivals.
327 km2–3 hours
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
Ñacunday · Alto Paraná
Parque Nacional Ñacunday (Salto Ñacunday)
A curtain of water 40 meters high and 70 meters wide deep in the rainforest, next to the Paraná.
400 km1 day
Salto del Guairá · Canindeyú
Salto del Guairá
Capital of Canindeyú and of northern border shopping, with the memory of the waterfalls lost in 1982.
407 km1 day
Hernandarias · Alto Paraná
Hernandarias
The city of energy: dams, a beach on the Itaipú reservoir and a Way of the Cross lit by candles.
335 km1 day
Guairá 3
Must-see
Independencia · Guairá
Salto Suizo (Parque Ecológico Salto Suizo)
A waterfall of more than 60 meters deep in the Ybytyruzú forest, with ziplining, rappelling and nights in wine barrels.
192 km1 day
Itapé · Guairá
Itapé y el Santuario de la Virgen del Paso
Every December 18, tens of thousands of pilgrims converge on the shrine of the Virgen del Paso, beside the Tebicuarymí River.
190 kmHalf a day
Tavaí · Caazapá
Cenote de Tavaí (Cerro Morotĩ)
A half-open cave with ice-cold pools at the foot of Cerro Morotĩ: extreme adventure in Caazapá.
330 kmHalf a day
Norte 11
Must-see
Santa Rosa del Aguaray · San Pedro
Laguna Blanca
White sand, see-through water and cerrado all around: Paraguay's most unexpected beach.
286 km1 day
Must-see
San Alfredo · Concepción
Arroyos Tagatiyá
Turquoise water over a limestone bed: the 'Paraguayan Bonito', where you float among the fish.
478 km1 day
Concepción · Concepción
Navegación por el río Paraguay desde Concepción
Days of river, herons and fishing: the Paraguay upstream, bound for the Chaco and the Pantanal.
418 km2-3 days
Must-see
Concepción · Concepción
Concepción
The Pearl of the North: grand old mansions, a port with fiery sunsets and a gateway to the Paraguay River.
418 km1 day
Must-see
Vallemí · Concepción
Vallemí y sus cavernas
Paraguay's cement capital hides more than 50 limestone caves, with stalactites and macaw-filled forests.
568 km2-3 days
Capitán Bado · Amambay
Capitán Bado y sus saltos
Some thirty waterfalls hidden in the Amambay range, right on the dry border with Brazil.
401 km2-3 days
Belén · Concepción
Belén
The 'City of the Payé', where the Tropic of Capricorn passes through and the Ypané offers white-sand beaches.
409 kmhalf a day
San Pedro del Ycuamandiyú · San Pedro
San Pedro del Ycuamandiyú
Colonial mansions, a Franciscan cathedral and beaches on the Jejuí River, with Puerto Antequera just next door.
334 km1 day
Villa del Rosario · San Pedro
Puerto Rosario y Villa del Rosario
A fishing port on the Paraguay River, and June festivities with bulls and a music festival.
236 kmhalf a day
Horqueta · Concepción
Horqueta
Capital of ka'a he'ẽ (stevia) and fine leatherwork: saddles, belts and beaches on the Aquidabán.
376 kmhalf a day
Bella Vista Norte · Amambay
Bella Vista Norte
Beaches on the Apa River facing Brazil, and an emerald 'ojo de mar' hidden in the woods.
470 km1 day
Chaco 8
Must-see
Colonia Menno (distrito Teniente Irala Fernández) · Presidente Hayes
Laguna Capitán y lagunas saladas del Chaco Central
Salt lagoons deep in the Chaco where flamingos, coscoroba swans and hundreds of waterbirds spend the winter.
480 km1-2 days
Must-see
Fuerte Olimpo · Alto Paraguay
Fuerte Olimpo
A colonial fort from 1792 and three hills above the Paraguay River: the gateway to the Pantanal.
780 km2-3 days
Must-see
Bahía Negra · Alto Paraguay
Bahía Negra y el Pantanal paraguayo
The last Paraguayan town upriver: caimans, capybaras, otters and Yshir culture in the Pantanal.
900 km2-3 days
Bahía Negra · Alto Paraguay
Parque Nacional Río Negro y Puerto Caballo (triple frontera)
Pristine Pantanal wetlands and the corner where Paraguay, Bolivia and Brazil meet.
910 km1 day
Villa Hayes · Presidente Hayes
Villa Hayes
The gateway to the Chaco, half an hour from Asunción, named after a president of the United States.
31 kmhalf a day
Puerto Casado · Alto Paraguay
Puerto Casado (Puerto La Victoria)
A tannin town on the Paraguay River, with the old Carlos Casado factory and the railway that opened up the Chaco.
650 km1 day
Bahía Negra (río Negro) · Alto Paraguay
Estación Biológica Los Tres Gigantes
A Pantanal reserve reachable only by boat, named after the giant otter, the giant anteater and the giant armadillo.
940 km2-3 days
Puerto Pinasco · Presidente Hayes
Puerto Pinasco
A former tannin port on the Paraguay River, where the idea for Friendship Day on July 30 was born.
527 kmhalf a day