Nature

Nature of Paraguay

Paraguay has no coastline, but it has the nature of an entire continent. Within its borders you'll find the Chaco, the southern tip of the Pantanal, the Cerrado, the last remnants of the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest and the great marshes of the south. This is home to the jaguar, the giant armadillo, the maned wolf and the Chacoan peccary, or taguá, a species known only from fossils until 1975, when scientists confirmed it was still alive in the Chaco. More than 700 bird species have been recorded here. Many of these landscapes are under threat, and traveling with local guides is one way to help protect them. It pays to follow the seasons: the pink lapacho (tajy) in bloom at the end of winter, the bellbird calling in spring, and flamingos on the Chaco's salt lagoons.

Trees 9

Handroanthus heptaphyllus

Pink lapacho (pink trumpet tree)

tajy hũ

The national tree: at the end of winter it paints cities, highways and forests pink.

Handroanthus albus, H. ochraceus y H. pulcherrimus

Yellow lapacho (yellow trumpet tree)

tajy sa'yju

The golden successor to the pink tajy: blazing yellow crowns at the end of winter.

Bulnesia sarmientoi

Palo santo (Paraguay lignum vitae)

A Chaco tree with greenish, heavy, fragrant wood; the symbol and scent of the western region.

Ceiba chodatii y Ceiba speciosa

Silk floss tree (bottle tree)

samu'ũ

A pot-bellied, prickly trunk that stores water; huge flowers and pods that release white fluff.

Ilex paraguariensis

Yerba mate

ka'a

The leaf Paraguay gave the world: the basis of mate, tereré and mate cocido.

Peltophorum dubium

Yvyra pytã (cañafístula)

yvyra pytã

Named “red tree” for its wood, but famous for its yellow crowns in high summer.

Enterolobium contortisiliquum

Ear pod tree (timbó)

timbo

A giant, wide-crowned tree with ear-shaped pods; its trunks were once carved into canoes.

Cedrela fissilis

Paraguayan cedar

ygary

A noble, reddish, aromatic wood, heavily logged and now scarce in the eastern forests.

Schinopsis balansae

Red quebracho

The “axe-breaker” tree whose tannin built the ports of the upper Paraguay River.

Palms 3

Copernicia alba

Karanda'y palm

karanda'y

The palm of the Humid Chaco: it forms palm forests in marshes that flood.

Syagrus romanzoffiana

Queen palm (pindó)

pindo

A slender palm with feathery fronds and clusters of orange fruit that feed half the forest.

Acrocomia aculeata

Macaw palm (Paraguayan coconut)

mbokaja

A spiny palm of the open country whose small coconuts are sold on the street and yield oil.

Herbs 2

Stevia rebaudiana

Stevia (ka'a he'ẽ)

ka'a he'ẽ

The Guaraní “sweet herb,” introduced to science by Moisés Bertoni.

Varias especies (p. ej., Mentha, Aloysia, Allophylus edulis, Kyllinga)

Pohã ñana: the herbs of tereré

pohã ñana

Medicinal herbs crushed in a mortar and added to the tereré jug: a UNESCO-recognized heritage.

Flowers 3

Passiflora caerulea

Passionflower (mburucuyá)

mburukuja

A passionflower with a blue-and-white corona, the star of a Guaraní love legend.

Brunfelsia australis

Paraguayan jasmine (yesterday-today-and-tomorrow)

A fragrant shrub whose flowers fade from violet to white: the flower chosen in 1936.

Orchidaceae (varias especies nativas)

Native orchids

Hidden jewels of the humid forest, growing on trunks and branches; exhibitions let you see them up close.

Fruits 3

Campomanesia spp. (C. xanthocarpa, C. adamantium)

Guavirá (native guava fruit)

guavira

A yellow, fragrant, tangy native fruit, celebrated in the polka “Guavira poty.”

Eugenia uniflora

Surinam cherry (pitanga)

ñangapiry

A small ribbed red fruit, sweet and tart: the taste of childhood in backyards and woods.

Plinia cauliflora

Jaboticaba (yvapurũ)

yvapurũ

The tree that bears fruit right on its trunk: sweet, juicy little black berries.

Cacti 1

Cereus stenogonus, Stetsonia coryne y otras Cactaceae

Chaco cacti: candelabra and cardón

Spiny columns that trace the Dry Chaco skyline and feed its wildlife.

Aquatic plants 2

Pontederia crassipes (antes Eichhornia crassipes)

Water hyacinth (camalote)

aguape

A floating plant with lilac flowers; during floods it forms islands that drift down the rivers.

Victoria cruziana

Santa Cruz water lily (irupé)

yakare yrupe

The giant water lily of the Paraguay and Paraná rivers, with leaves up to two meters across.

Tips

Bring binoculars and log what you see on eBird or Merlin: data from visitors helps local science.
For the deep Chaco, the Pantanal and remote parks, hire local guides or baqueanos (backcountry guides), travel by 4x4 with spare water and fuel, and notify the park rangers in advance. Many areas have no cell signal.
The best time for the Chaco is May to September. In summer the heat tops 40 °C and rain makes dirt roads impassable.
Use insect repellent, long sleeves and closed shoes: there are mosquitoes, ticks and venomous snakes such as the yarará. Watch where you step and don't put your hands into holes.
Before traveling, check current vaccination recommendations (for example, yellow fever outside Asunción) and protect yourself against dengue.
Don't buy wild animals, skins, feathers or parrots: wildlife trafficking is one of the biggest threats and is prohibited under the wildlife law (Law 96/92).
On Chaco roads, drive slowly at dawn and dusk: anteaters, foxes, armadillos and even pumas cross the road and are killed by vehicles.
Sport and commercial fishing have an annual spawning closed season: it usually starts in early November and runs until late December (until late January in waters shared with Brazil). Check the dates published by MADES before you go and get a fishing license.
Between August and October the risk of wildfires is high, especially in the Chaco and the Pantanal: don't light fires outside designated areas.
If you pass through Indigenous communities, ask permission before entering or taking photos, and whenever possible buy crafts directly from the people who make them.
To see the lapachos in bloom, plan your trip between July and September. In Asunción, the streets and squares turn pink and then yellow.