Ulises Icardi · CC BY-SA 4.0Vallemí y sus cavernas
Paraguay's cement capital hides more than 50 limestone caves, with stalactites and macaw-filled forests.
What it is
Vallemí lives off cement and limestone, and that same stone has carved more than 50 caves beneath its hills. With local guides you explore galleries hung with stalactites several meters long, chambers where the temperature drops to around 18-20 °C, and passages where you sometimes have to crawl. Caverna 54, with a vertical entrance more than 5 m deep, can be descended by rappel; the Peñón de Kamba Hopo, a rocky outcrop with its own cave, can only be reached by launch along the Paraguay River, about 2 km from the port. Back outside, the town looks out over the river, with beaches on the Paraguay and the Apa, red macaws in the hills and a Guaná Indigenous community on the banks of the Apa.
What to see and do
- Caverna 14 de Julio, in Tres Cerros: about 300 m of galleries
- Santa Caverna and its geological formations
- Caverna 54, with a vertical entrance and the option to rappel
- Peñón de Kamba Hopo, reached by launch along the Paraguay River
- A river circuit by launch to the mouth of the Apa
- The riverside promenade on the Paraguay at sunset
Did you know…?
In Santa Caverna you climb down about 6 m by stairs, and a stalactite more than 6 m long hangs from the ceiling, formed over thousands of years.
Streets and houses were built with local cement, which is why it's known as 'the cement capital'.
The gua'a pytã (red-and-green macaw) is one of the star birds of the nature circuits.
The Vallemí karst covers about 66 km² and has 54 known caves; in 2021 SENATUR studied nominating the caves for UNESCO's World Heritage tentative list.
History
Cement production began in the mid-20th century (SENATUR gives 1949) and is now run by the state-owned Industria Nacional del Cemento (INC), which owns the land around several caves. In 2012, Law 4577 declared several areas of the San Lázaro district protected natural monuments, among them the Camba Hopo cave, the Tres Cerros hills with Santa Caverna, and the Ykua Pa'i cave. The first local caving guides were trained in 2004.
Tips
- Entry is only with registered guides: book them before you travel (helmets and flashlights are usually included).
- Wear closed shoes with good grip and clothes you don't mind getting muddy; some stretches require stooping or crawling.
- There are buses from Concepción, with limited timetables; by car it's about 150 km on PY22, so set off early.
- Don't touch the formations: a stalactite takes centuries to grow.
Guided visits by prior booking only. Rates vary by cave and type of tour: check before you go.
Best time: April to September: cooler days for walking among hills and caves. In summer the heat is intense (the cement amplifies it), so head out at dawn; after heavy rain some access roads get difficult.
What to try
- Fish from the Paraguay and Apa rivers, in soup or grilled
- Chipa and cocido for an early start on the excursions
Activities
Geology here
Cave
Calizas del Grupo Itapucumí y cavernas de Vallemí
The country’s largest karst system: 66 km² of Ediacaran limestone with more than 50 known caves, in northern Concepción.
Fossil
Fósiles ediacáricos de Vallemí (Cloudina y Corumbella)
In the Vallemí limestones lie some of the first animals with skeletons: Cloudina tubes and Corumbella remains.
Formation
Alto Apa (basamento más antiguo del país)
In the north, along the Apa River, the country’s oldest rocks crop out: a craton more than a billion years old that forms the base of the Vallemí limestones.
Nearby
Vallemí · Concepción
La Ruta del Gua'a (Puerto Valle-mí)
An educational circuit of trails and bird-watching stations to protect and reintroduce the blue macaw on the upper Paraguay River.
Puerto Casado (La Victoria) · Alto Paraguay
Iglesia San Ramón Nonato (La Victoria)
A church from the tannin-industry era with a European design, carved images and bells bearing soldiers' pencil marks from the Chaco War.
Puerto Casado · Alto Paraguay
Puerto Casado (Puerto La Victoria)
A tannin town on the Paraguay River, with the old Carlos Casado factory and the railway that opened up the Chaco.
Carmelo Peralta · Alto Paraguay
Cerro Siete Cabezas (Cucaani)
An isolated 248 m hill, the highest point of the Carmelo Peralta municipality; to the Ayoreo people it is Cucaani, "the hill".
Carmelo Peralta · Alto Paraguay
Carmelo Peralta, entrada al Pantanal
A town on the Paraguay River facing Porto Murtinho (Brazil), gateway to the Pantanal and start of the Bioceanic Route.
Puerto Pinasco · Presidente Hayes
Puerto Pinasco
A former tannin port on the Paraguay River, where the idea for Friendship Day on July 30 was born.
Researched and reviewed in September 2026 with 8 sources. A second reviewer checked dates, coordinates and lodging. Hours and prices may change.