Coronel Bogado, Capital Nacional de la Chipa
A must-stop on Route PY01: more than thirty chiperías (chipa bakeries), some sixty varieties and ovens fired day and night.
What it is
At the junction of Routes PY01 and PY08, Coronel Bogado lives from and for chipa, the cheesy cassava bread beloved across Paraguay. Dozens of chiperías sell, around the clock, the classic version made with cassava starch as well as stuffed versions, baked in a tatakua (traditional clay oven). Besides eating, you can learn: the Chipa'apo experience teaches you how to knead it. The cultural center occupies the old train station, with carriages and locomotives, and the Plazoleta de los Eslavos honors the immigrants who helped build the district.
What to see and do
- The chiperías trail along Routes PY01 and PY08
- The Chipa'apo workshop to learn how to make chipa
- The Cultural Station in the old railway station
- Plazoleta de los Eslavos (Slavs' Square)
- The National Immigrant Festival and the anniversary festival (2 May)
Did you know…?
Under Law 5267/14, the second Friday of August is National Chipa Day in Paraguay.
A local regulatory committee oversees the quality of Bogado's chipa.
History
Formerly called Ka'i Puente ('monkey bridge'), it was founded on 2 May 1913 by decree of President Eduardo Schaerer and is named after Colonel José Félix Bogado, a veteran of the South American wars of independence. It grew alongside the railway and with European settlers, mostly Slavic. In 2017 DINAPI (the national intellectual property office) officially recognized it as the National Capital of Chipa.
Tips
- Chipa comes out of the oven at all hours: buy it hot and take a bag for the road.
- Prices from about ₲5,000 each (2026, check before you go).
- Ask the municipality for the dates of the National Immigrant Festival and the Chipa Festival: they change every year.
Chiperías along the highway are open practically 24 hours a day.
Best time: Year-round; May for the anniversary and August for National Chipa Day.
What to try
- Chipa almidón (cassava-starch chipa) fresh from the tatakua
- Stuffed chipa and chipa so'o (meat-filled chipa)
- Local homemade sausages
Activities
Festivals and events here
National Immigrant Festival (Coronel Bogado)
The communities that settled Coronel Bogado show off their dances, costumes and food at a festival of integration.
Heritage communitiesCoronel Bogado, ItapúaDecCoronel Bogado National Chipa Festival
The “national chipa capital” celebrates its cassava bread with chipas of every kind, butifarra sausages and big shows.
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Researched and reviewed in September 2026 with 6 sources. A second reviewer checked dates, coordinates and lodging. Hours and prices may change.