Cmasi · CC BY-SA 3.0Santa Rita
The Brazilian-Paraguayan heart of soybean country: chimarrão, gaúcho barbecue, a tunnel of trees and a big agricultural Expo.
What it is
Santa Rita is the agro-industrial capital of southern Alto Paraná, founded by settlers from southern Brazil. Here you'll hear Portuguese as often as Guaraní, chimarrão (hot mate) shares the stage with tereré (iced mate), and barbecue is done gaúcho-style, the way cowboys do it in southern Brazil. Its great showcase is the Expo Santa Rita, held at the park of the "Indio José" Gaúcho Traditions Center (CTG): nine days of machinery, livestock, shows and food. Near town, the Green Tunnel (Túnel Verde) of leucaena trees on Route PY06 is a must-stop photo spot.
What to see and do
- The Expo Santa Rita (late April to early May)
- Photos in the Green Tunnel
- Gaúcho culture at the CTG Indio José
- The Rib Festival in Naranjal, about 25 km away (July)
- Aged suckling pig in Raúl Peña (late August)
Did you know…?
The Green Tunnel, around one kilometer long, began in the 1990s as a windbreak of leucaena trees to protect the soybean fields; over time, the treetops intertwined.
The Expo Santa Rita is the country's second-largest fair by number of visitors and one of the biggest by business volume.
History
The colony was born in 1973, when Adelino Vettorello and Heitor Pereira bought land from what was then the Rural Welfare Institute to settle Brazilian families. According to the 2022 census it has some 27,000 inhabitants, about half of them of Brazilian origin. In 2025 the Expo Santa Rita brought together more than 400 exhibitors and nearly 100,000 visitors over nine days.
Tips
- During the Expo and the Rib Festival, hotels sell out weeks ahead: book early or stay in Ciudad del Este or Minga Guazú.
- The Green Tunnel is on a road with traffic: park off the roadway to take photos.
Best time: Late April to early May for the Expo; July for the ribs in Naranjal and late August for the suckling pig in Raúl Peña: winter is the season of the big country festivals.
What to try
- Gaúcho-style churrasco and slow-roasted ribs
- Chimarrão, the hot mate of southern Brazil
- Boi no rolete, beef roasted on a rotating spit, a staple of the settlers' festivals
Activities
Festivals and events here
Nearby
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Saltos del Monday (Cataratas del Monday)
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Researched and reviewed in September 2026 with 13 sources. A second reviewer checked dates, coordinates and lodging. Hours and prices may change.