Ulises Icardi · CC BY-SA 4.0Sapucai
A railway town among the hills: British workshops from 1894, steam locomotives and tea in the English Village.
What it is
Sapucai grew to the rhythm of the Carlos Antonio López Railway. Its workshops, set up in 1894 by British engineers to maintain the locomotives of the Asunción–Encarnación line, are now a living museum of machines, tools, plans and photographs, and steam locomotives and carriages rest in its sheds. In season, a little train runs just over a kilometer. The English technicians' houses now hold a tea room and café, and Cerro Rokẽ preserves a stretch of the old cobblestone road.
What to see and do
- The living museum of the railway workshops
- Steam locomotives and carriages in the sheds
- A ride on the little train (in season)
- Villa Inglesa: tea and coffee in the British technicians' houses
- Cerro Rokẽ and remains of the old cobblestone road (tape bolí)
Did you know…?
SENATUR included Sapucai among its 'Picturesque Towns'.
The Salto Inglés waterfall, about a 4 km walk away, supplied the workshops with water through metal pipes.
The locomotive shed is popularly known as 'the train graveyard'.
History
The railway workshops were established in 1894 with British engineers, and the town was formally founded on July 16, 1910. Until 2005 the railway museum offered tourist rides on restored locomotives. The village of Sapukai is the setting of 'Son of Man' (1960), the novel by Augusto Roa Bastos.
Tips
- The little train and shops run daily mainly during the summer and winter holidays and Holy Week; outside those times, check before you go.
- The Salto Inglés carries little water in dry spells.
- Some roads to rural communities were in poor shape in 2026: ask before leaving the pavement.
Workshop museum: hours vary by season — check before you go.
Best time: Winter holidays (July) and Holy Week, when everything is running; autumn for hiking Cerro Rokẽ.
What to try
- Tea and coffee at the Villa Inglesa
- Asado (Paraguayan barbecue) at Parador La Estación, with grills shaped like railcars
Activities
Festivals and events here
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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.