Horqueta, the department's second city, is a must-stop on the road between Concepción and Pedro Juan Caballero. Its pride is saddlery: handmade leather saddles, belts, bags and riding gear with the look of the north's cattle country. It's known as the 'Capital of Ka'a He'ẽ', after stevia, and the surrounding countryside has ranches where you can go horseback riding, fishing or exploring dirt roads between pastures. In summer, locals head for the beaches of the Aquidabán River, such as those at Paso Mbutú. It's a hardworking, unpretentious town, ideal for buying authentic handicrafts.

It grew up around a chapel and was officially founded in 1793 by Juan Manuel Gamarra and Andrés Salinas. Its name comes from 'Tape Horqueta', the fork in the road where oxcarts rested on the long journeys of the north. Today it has around 39,500 inhabitants (2022 census) and lives off farming, cattle ranching, yerba mate and leather.