Arroyos y Esteros
The 'emerald of the hills': rivers, wetlands and the birthplace of Paraguay's organic sugar.
What it is
North of the Cordillera, where the hills open into wetlands, Arroyos y Esteros sits among the Piribebuy and Manduvirá rivers and the Yhaguy, Yhú and Capiatá streams. This is sugarcane country: organic sugar production took hold here and is now exported, and the green of its fields earned it the nickname 'emerald of the hills'. To stay a while, country inns by the water, such as Puerto Naranjahái on the banks of the Manduvirá, invite you to unplug to the sounds of the forest under open skies.
What to see and do
- The district church, with a tower from the 1950s
- Oratorio Olivares, at the confluence of the Manduvirá and the Paraguay River
- Wetland scenery and the Piribebuy and Manduvirá rivers
- Sugarcane fields of the so-called Organic Valley
Did you know…?
It calls itself the 'world cradle of organic sugar' for its early production and exports.
Musicians Marizza and Tony Martínez were born here.
History
It began as a chapel in 1781 under Governor Pedro Melo de Portugal and became a parish in 1793; the town grew around it from about 1795 and was declared a district on February 21, 1873. At the confluence of the Manduvirá and the Paraguay River, Carlos Antonio López had the Oratorio Olivares built, restored in recent years.
Tips
- Many rural roads are dirt or cobblestone: after rain, ask about conditions.
- From Asunción, take the PY03; the stretch from Tobatí was badly deteriorated in 2026.
- Puerto Naranjahái has no restaurant: bring your own food.
Best time: Autumn and winter for dry landscapes and clear skies; in summer, the water. Patron saint St. Francis of Assisi: October 4.
What to try
- Organic sugar and sugarcane products from local growers
Activities
Where to stay
Festivals and events here
Nearby
Tobatí · Cordillera
Tobatí
Paraguay's craft capital: potters, carvers of saints and sandstone hills with a natural stone arch.
Atyrá · Cordillera
Atyrá
Billed as Paraguay's cleanest town: leatherworkers, Franciscan altarpieces and country inns in the Cordillera de los Altos.
Emboscada · Cordillera
Emboscada
A town of stone and Afro-Paraguayan heritage, where feathered Guaikurú dancers honor San Francisco Solano every July.
Altos · Cordillera
Altos
The 'nation's terrace': a Franciscan town with German heritage, timbó wood carvings and the Kamba Ra'anga masked festival.
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.
Caraguatay · Cordillera
Parque Nacional Vapor Cué
An open-air naval museum: the ships the Paraguayan fleet scuttled in 1869 beside the Yhaguy River.
Researched and reviewed in September 2026 with 4 sources. A second reviewer checked dates, coordinates and lodging. Hours and prices may change.