The East: water, energy and borderlands

From Asunción, Route PY02 takes you to Coronel Oviedo (≈ 132 km, 2 h), Caaguazú (≈ 180 km) and Ciudad del Este (≈ 327 km, about 5 h by car). Frequent daily buses run from Asunción's bus terminal (Terminal de Ómnibus) to all these cities (≈ 5–6 h to Ciudad del Este). Salto del Guairá (≈ 407 km) and the Mbaracayú area are reached via Route PY03, through Curuguaty. From Brazil, you cross the Friendship Bridge (Puente de la Amistad) from Foz do Iguaçu; the new Integration Bridge in Presidente Franco is, for now, open only to private cars of border residents holding a DTVF (local border-traffic permit), 07:00–13:00 (as of September 2026).

Autumn (April to June) and spring (September to November) bring mild days, ideal for hiking and visiting the dams and nature reserves. Summer (December to March) is hot and humid, but it's beach season on Lakes Yguazú and Acaray. Winter (June to August) is gentle, with the occasional cold front, and it's when the big country festivals take place (ribs, suckling pig, the Expo Yguazú); during the July school holidays, hotels in Ciudad del Este fill up. It rains year-round (about 1,850 mm a year in Ciudad del Este): after heavy downpours the waterfalls roar and Itaipú sometimes opens its spillway, though dirt roads get worse.