Must-see
Villarrica · Guairá
Villarrica del Espíritu Santo
The 'wandering city' that moved seven times: capital of Guairá, cradle of poets and home of the Guairá Carnival.
172 km1 day
Regions · Guairá · Caazapá
Guairá and Caazapá: hills, colonies and legends
Guairá and Caazapá are Paraguay's hill country: the Ybytyruzú range, home to Tres Kandú — the highest point in the country — and waterfalls plunging more than 60 meters through Atlantic Forest. At the foot of the hills, colonies founded by German settlers pour ice-cold draft beer and sell grapes in summer, while artisan villages embroider ao po'i (fine hand-woven cotton) and encaje ju lace. Farther south, Caazapá and Yuty still bear the imprint of the Franciscan missions and legends such as that of the Ykua Bolaños spring. And all year round there's a packed calendar of patron-saint feasts, festivals and fairs.
What to see 15
Must-see
Independencia (casco urbano: Melgarejo) · Guairá
Colonia Independencia
A German-founded colony at the foot of the Ybytyruzú: waterfalls, hills, grapes, ice-cold draft beer and Chopp Fest.
179 km2–3 days
Must-see
Independencia · Guairá
Salto Suizo (Parque Ecológico Salto Suizo)
A waterfall of more than 60 meters deep in the Ybytyruzú forest, with ziplining, rappelling and nights in wine barrels.
192 km1 day
Must-see
General Eugenio A. Garay · Guairá
Cerro Tres Kandú
The roof of Paraguay: 842 meters and a demanding trail through Atlantic Forest and rock.
215 km1 day
Must-see
Caazapá · Caazapá
Caazapá
The most important Franciscan mission in the Río de la Plata region and the legendary spring of Friar Luis de Bolaños.
230 km1 day
Yataity · Guairá
Yataity del Guairá
The cradle of ao po'i: a village where most families spin, weave and embroider cotton by hand.
164 kmHalf a day
Mbocayaty · Guairá
Mbocayaty del Guairá
Home of encaje ju lace, with an 1857 church, a municipal museum and Expo Guairá every October.
166 km2–3 hours
Félix Pérez Cardozo · Guairá
Félix Pérez Cardozo (antigua Hyaty)
The cradle of the Paraguayan harp: hometown of Félix Pérez Cardozo, with his mausoleum and a festival of its own.
186 km2–3 hours
Itapé · Guairá
Itapé y el Santuario de la Virgen del Paso
Every December 18, tens of thousands of pilgrims converge on the shrine of the Virgen del Paso, beside the Tebicuarymí River.
190 kmHalf a day
Paso Yobái · Guairá
Paso Yobái
Capital of gold and yerba mate: a yerba-growing colony transformed by a 1990s gold rush.
210 kmHalf a day
San Juan Nepomuceno · Caazapá
San Juan Nepomuceno
Caazapá's most populous town: shops, the Ykua Kurusu spring and a gateway to the Atlantic Forest.
250 kmHalf a day
San Juan Nepomuceno, Tavaí y Abaí · Caazapá
Parque Nacional Caazapá
A remnant of Atlantic Forest with almost no tourists, home to toucans, monkeys and river headwaters.
270 km1 day
Fulgencio Yegros · Caazapá
Fulgencio Yegros
An immigrant town with a one-of-a-kind diagonal street plan, a museum honoring Elvio Romero and liqueurs made from native fruits.
278 kmHalf a day
Yuty · Caazapá
Yuty
A Franciscan mission from 1611, a 1902 railway station and a century-old iron bridge over the Pirapó River.
300 kmHalf a day
Tavaí · Caazapá
Cenote de Tavaí (Cerro Morotĩ)
A half-open cave with ice-cold pools at the foot of Cerro Morotĩ: extreme adventure in Caazapá.
330 kmHalf a day
Getting there
From Asunción, take Route PY02 to Coronel Oviedo (≈ 130 km), then PY08 south to Villarrica (≈ 170 km in total, about 2 h 45 min). PY08 continues on to Caazapá (≈ 50 km more), Yegros and Yuty. Colonia Independencia and Paso Yobái are reached via a paved branch road that leaves from Mbocayaty. Long-distance buses run from Asunción's main bus terminal to Villarrica and Caazapá (check timetables before you go), and local buses connect Villarrica with Independencia. For waterfalls, hills and parks you're better off with your own car — and a 4x4 if it has rained.
Best season
April to September (fall and winter) for trails and hill climbs in cooler, drier weather. September to November for waterfalls in full flow, the Festival de la Raza, Expo Guairá and Chopp Fest. December to February for the big celebrations — Virgen del Paso, Expo Ao Po'i, the Ykua Bolaños Festival and the Guairá Carnival — with intense heat that can top 35 °C.
Cities
Festivals
Jan
Ykua Bolaños Festival
Paraguayan and popular music in the town of Friar Luis de Bolaños’s legendary spring: one of the biggest festivals outside the capital.
MusicCaazapá, CaazapáFeaturedFebGuairá Carnival
Dance troupes, carnival royalty and drum bands in the Villarrica sambadrome, one of the most traditional carnivals outside the capital.
CarnivalVillarrica, GuairáFeaturedMayGuairá Rally (Codasur round)
The South American rally championship comes to the roads of Guairá, based in Villarrica, with stages among hills and farming colonies.
SportVillarrica, Guairá16MayEspíritu Santo · Villarrica
Procession around the cathedral, fireworks and a folk festival with jineteada (bronc riding) and a food fair.
Patron saintVillarrica, GuairáFeaturedAugItaju (Gold) Festival of Paso Yobái
In the “gold capital,” the festival raffles off chests of rocks hiding gold nuggets, amid dances and music.
FestivalPaso Yobái, GuairáSepVillarrica Flower Parade
Themed floats from schools and youth groups roll through downtown Villarrica to welcome spring.
FestivalVillarrica, GuairáSepCradle of the Harp Festival
Open-air harp music in the hometown of Félix Pérez Cardozo, composer of “Tren lechero” and a giant of the Paraguayan harp.
MusicFélix Pérez Cardozo, GuairáSepIta Karu Festival
Music in an old southern town, named after the magnetite found in the Aguaray stream.
FestivalYuty, CaazapáOct→ NovGuairá Expo
Guairá’s big farming, livestock and industry fair, with shows for the whole family.
ExpoMbocayaty del Guairá, GuairáOctFestival de la Raza
One of the oldest folk festivals outside the capital, with artists from Guairá and a “Giant Night.”
MusicVillarrica, GuairáRoutes
14 days
Asunción, the capital · Greater Asunción and Lake Ypacaraí · Cordillera and Paraguarí: hills, waterfalls and villages · Guairá and Caazapá: hills, colonies and legends · The Jesuit Missions and the South · The East: water, energy and borderlands · The Chaco and the Pantanal
The Grand Paraguay in 14 Days
From the lake to Guairá, the missions, Itaipú, and the Mennonite Chaco
6 days
Cordillera and Paraguarí: hills, waterfalls and villages · Guairá and Caazapá: hills, colonies and legends
Adventure: Hills, Waterfalls, and Rappelling
Zip lines, an ancient volcano, waterfalls in the forest, and the roof of Paraguay
Where to stay
Hotel · Villarrica
Villarrica Palace Hotel
Villarrica's go-to hotel, at the entrance to town on Route PY08; a comfortable base for exploring Guairá and the Ybytyruzú hills.
₲₲₲
Resort · Independencia
Vista Alegre Natural Resort
Villas, cabins and suites set in some 200 hectares of Atlantic Forest at the foot of the Ybytyruzú hills, in Colonia Independencia.
₲₲₲
Hotel · Independencia
Hotel Independencia
A 24-room hotel on Route PY10 in Colonia Independencia, open since 2002, with two pools with a quincho (covered barbecue shelter) and service in German as well.
₲₲₲
Glamping · Independencia
Parque Ecológico Salto Suizo
Converted barrels and Swiss-style cabins, plus camping, inside the Salto Suizo park, home to one of the tallest waterfalls in the country (SENATUR puts it at 40 to 60 m) in the Ybytyruzú forest.
₲₲₲
Guesthouse · Independencia
Posada Mirian Mabel
A family guesthouse in SENATUR's program in the Cerro León area, close to the waterfalls of Colonia Independencia.
₲₲₲
Ranch stay · Independencia
Granja Francisca
A rural tourism farm near Cerro Akatí in Colonia Independencia: smallholding life at the foot of the Ybytyruzú hills.
₲₲₲
Camping · Independencia
Camping Tacuara
A registered campsite and hostel in Colonia Independencia, handy for hikers heading into the Ybytyruzú hills.
₲₲₲
Camping · General Eugenio A. Garay
Camping del Cerro Tres Kandú
Camping areas at the base and on the summit of Cerro Tres Kandú, Paraguay's highest point (842 m), reopened in August 2025 after safety works.
₲₲₲