Must-see
Areguá · Central
Monumento Natural Cerros Kõi y Chororĩ
Five- and six-sided sandstone columns: a geological rarity with few equals anywhere in the world.
30 km2-3 hours
Editorial selection by Asunción City, with data checked in September 2026.
Gran Asunción 5
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
Luque · Central
Parque Ñu Guasu
The big green lung between Asunción and the airport, with a 5 km loop for walking and running.
11 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
Ypané · Central
Ypané
A former Franciscan mission town on the Paraguay River, with the great monument to the Battle of Ytororó.
29 km2-3 hours
Cordillera 19
Must-see
Paraguarí · Paraguarí
Eco Reserva Mbatoví
Suspension bridges, two ziplines and rappelling in Atlantic Forest, with views of the Paraguarí hills.
76 kmHalf a 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
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
Must-see
Tobatí · Cordillera
Tobatí
Paraguay's craft capital: potters, carvers of saints and sandstone hills with a natural stone arch.
74 kmHalf a day
Must-see
Piribebuy · Cordillera
Piribebuy
Heroic town of 1869 and home of the 60-stripe poncho para'i, recognized by UNESCO as intangible heritage.
73 km1 day
Must-see
Sapucai · Paraguarí
Sapucai
A railway town among the hills: British workshops from 1894, steam locomotives and tea in the English Village.
88 kmHalf a 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
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
Caraguatay · Cordillera
Parque Nacional Vapor Cué
An open-air naval museum: the ships the Paraguayan fleet scuttled in 1869 beside the Yhaguy River.
95 km2–3 hours
Acahay · Paraguarí
Cerro Acahay (Monumento Natural Macizo Acahay)
An ancient volcanic complex visible from Asunción: trails, rock outcrops, caves and a crystal-clear stream on its slopes.
100 kmHalf a day
Atyrá · Cordillera
Atyrá
Billed as Paraguay's cleanest town: leatherworkers, Franciscan altarpieces and country inns in the Cordillera de los Altos.
61 kmHalf a day
Altos · Cordillera
Altos
The 'nation's terrace': a Franciscan town with German heritage, timbó wood carvings and the Kamba Ra'anga masked festival.
60 kmHalf a day
Valenzuela · Cordillera
Valenzuela
The pineapple town: a Franciscan church from 1783 with statues from the 1600s, and streams for cooling off.
107 kmHalf a day
Paraguarí · Paraguarí
Paraguarí
A town of hills and trains where Belgrano was stopped in 1811: lookouts, railway museums and rail bikes.
66 km1 day
Carapeguá · Paraguarí
Carapeguá
Capital of poyvi: loom-woven blankets, hammocks and ponchos on the banks of the Caañabé stream.
80 km2–3 hours
Caapucú · Paraguarí
Caapucú
A town of colonial houses and the Casa Stewart, with white-sand beaches on the Tebicuary River.
141 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
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
La Colmena · Paraguarí
La Colmena
Birthplace of Japanese immigration to Paraguay: orchards, apiaries and a hill nicknamed 'Colmena Fuji'.
130 km1 day
Este 10
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
Villa Ygatimí · Canindeyú
Reserva Natural del Bosque Mbaracayú
Paraguay's largest continuous Atlantic Forest: 64,000 hectares of rainforest, clear streams and 400 bird species.
310 km2–3 days
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
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
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
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
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
Presidente Franco · Alto Paraná
Hito Tres Fronteras
Where the Iguazú pours into the Paraná and, in a single glance, you take in Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina.
340 km2–3 hours
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
Presidente Franco · Alto Paraná
Monumento Científico Moisés Bertoni (Puerto Bertoni)
The forest where Swiss scientist Moisés Bertoni lived and worked, on the banks of the Paraná; now partially open.
355 kmHalf a day
Guairá 7
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
Must-see
General Eugenio A. Garay · Guairá
Cerro Tres Kandú
The roof of Paraguay: 842 meters and a demanding trail through Atlantic Forest and rock.
215 km1 day
Must-see
Independencia (casco urbano: Melgarejo) · Guairá
Colonia Independencia
A German-founded colony at the foot of the Ybytyruzú: waterfalls, hills, grapes, ice-cold draft beer and Chopp Fest.
179 km2–3 days
San Juan Nepomuceno, Tavaí y Abaí · Caazapá
Parque Nacional Caazapá
A remnant of Atlantic Forest with almost no tourists, home to toucans, monkeys and river headwaters.
270 km1 day
Félix Pérez Cardozo · Guairá
Félix Pérez Cardozo (antigua Hyaty)
The cradle of the Paraguayan harp: hometown of Félix Pérez Cardozo, with his mausoleum and a festival of its own.
186 km2–3 hours
San Juan Nepomuceno · Caazapá
San Juan Nepomuceno
Caazapá's most populous town: shops, the Ykua Kurusu spring and a gateway to the Atlantic Forest.
250 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 12
Must-see
Cerro Corá · Amambay
Parque Nacional Cerro Corá
Where the Great War ended: hills, forest and the stream where Marshal López fell.
420 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
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
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
San Carlos del Apa · Concepción
Parque Nacional Serranía San Luis
Limestone hills, cerrado and forest where blue and red macaws take flight.
496 km1 day
San Carlos del Apa · Concepción
Parque Nacional Paso Bravo y San Carlos del Apa
More than 100,000 hectares of protected cerrado on the banks of the Apa River, on the border with Brazil.
589 km2-3 days
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
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
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
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
Nueva Germania · San Pedro
Nueva Germania
The colony founded by Nietzsche's sister: a failed utopia turned yerba mate town.
284 kmhalf a day
Lima · San Pedro
Lima
A Franciscan town from 1792 with a colonial adobe church on the banks of the Aguaray Guasu.
253 km2-3 hours
Chaco 14
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
Bahía Negra (acceso por Madrejón) · Alto Paraguay
Parque Nacional Defensores del Chaco y Cerro León
Paraguay's largest protected area: dry forest, jaguars and Cerro León rising above the endless plain.
700 km2-3 days
Must-see
Boquerón (Neuland) · Boquerón
Fortín Boquerón
Trenches, cemeteries and a museum where Paraguay's victory in the Chaco War began.
500 km2-3 hours
Must-see
Del Puente Remanso a la frontera con Bolivia · Presidente Hayes
Ruta Transchaco (PY09)
A road trip of some 780 km through palm groves, marshes and thorny scrub, from the Paraguay River to Bolivia.
20 km2-3 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
Mariscal Estigarribia (zona La Patria) · Boquerón
Parque Nacional Teniente Agripino Enciso
Dry forest, Chaco War trenches and silent nights in the far northwest of the country.
660 km1-2 days
Teniente Esteban Martínez · Presidente Hayes
Reserva de Recursos Manejados Tinfunqué
Pilcomayo wetlands and a Ramsar site, ruled by marsh deer and waterbirds.
300 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
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
Mariscal Estigarribia (frontera con Bolivia) · Boquerón
Parque Nacional Médanos del Chaco
Sand dunes, dry forest and the tragic Picada de la Desesperación, in Paraguay's remote northwestern corner.
700 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
Mariscal Estigarribia (zona Laguna Negra) · Boquerón
Fortín Toledo y Proyecto Taguá
A Chaco War fort that is now a refuge for the taguá, the peccary once thought to be extinct.
485 km2-3 hours
Pozo Colorado (distrito de Villa Hayes) · Presidente Hayes
Pozo Colorado
The Chaco's great crossroads, where the Transchaco meets the road to Concepción: a must-stop for every traveler.
267 km1-2 hours
Filadelfia (desvío a Filadelfia) · Boquerón
Centro de Interpretación del Gran Chaco Americano (CIGCHA)
The best introduction to the Chaco: history, wildlife and Indigenous peoples in a bioclimatic building ringed by samu'u trees, with SENATUR tourist information.
455 km1-2 hours
Misiones 9
Must-see
San Cosme y Damián · Itapúa
San Cosme y Damián: misión y Centro de Interpretación Astronómica Buenaventura Suárez
The mission where a Jesuit studied the stars in 1703; today, a planetarium, telescopes and dark skies beside the Paraná.
335 km1 day
Must-see
Bella Vista · Itapúa
Ruta de la Yerba Mate (Bella Vista)
From plantation to gourd: factories, immigrant museums and a mate bar in Paraguay's National Capital of Yerba Mate.
410 km1 day
Alto Verá · Itapúa
Reserva para Parque Nacional San Rafael
One of Paraguay's last great Atlantic forests: tree ferns, hundreds of bird species and jaguar tracks.
370 km2-3 days
Encarnación · Itapúa
Santuario de la Virgen de Itacuá
A Marian grotto on the rocks of the Paraná, with woodland, trails and a huge pilgrimage every 8 December.
380 km2-3 hours
Ayolas · Misiones
Ayolas
Paraguay's dorado capital: sport fishing, white-sand beaches and the Yacyretá dam next door.
305 km2-3 days
Ayolas · Misiones
Represa de Yacyretá, Isla Yacyretá y Refugio Atinguy
One of the continent's great hydroelectric dams, with guided tours, a wildlife refuge and an island reserve.
315 kmHalf a day
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
Fram · Itapúa
Colonia Fram
Orthodox domes, wheat fields and sunflowers: the Slavic colony named after a Norwegian polar ship.
350 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