PARAGUAY TRAVEL...
Full of nature and
Guarani Indians traditions
Experience Paraguay travel and get to know one of South America's great wilderness areas.
Part of the Gran Chaco, the Paraguayan Chaco is another reservoir of dense forests, jungles and wildlife, together with Pantanal and the mighty Amazon rainforest.
If you love nature, these are outstanding destinations for your South America vacation.
Paraguay. Flying Hummingbird- © Graffisimo/Istockphoto
Overview:
"To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries."
Aldous Huxley (1894-1963)
Paraguay is definitely a country worth discovering.
A landlocked country surrounded by Argentina, Bolivia and Brazil, it boasts a handful of national parks and protected forests, breathtaking waterfalls - such as Monday and Iguazu falls - impressive Jesuit missions and plenty of Guaranis indians traditions.
With a total territorial area of 406,752,000 square km (157,048,000 square miles), Paraguay river divides the country into two contrasting regions...
- Paraguayan Chaco:
An area marked by permanent swamps in the southern and eastern regions, it covers 246,827 square km (95,300 square miles) - Oriental Chaco:
Crossed by the Parana river in the east and south, merges into the Mato Grosso plateau to the north, covering an area of 159,800 square km (61,700 square miles)
Here's some Paraguay facts and figures...
Capital:Asuncion Language: Spanish, Guarani Population: 6,158,000 Area: 406,752 square kilometers (157,048 square miles). Currency: Guarani (PYG) Exchange Rate: 1 Guarani (PYG) = 0.0001954 US Dollar (May 2009) Religion: Roman Catholic Read more Facts about Paraguay |
Paraguay's Top Destinations:
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Your Paraguay travel experience will most likely start in Asuncion, its capital, located in the bay of Asuncion, an inlet of Paraguay river.
With many parks and plazas to choose from, one of the best views of the city can be observed from Parque Carlos Antonio Lopez.
Places to visit here include the Botanical Gardens and the Museum of Natural History.
Moving inland, sights not to be missed are the Salto Crystal falls, Monday falls and the fantastic Iguazu falls, in the border with Argentina and Brazil.
Not far from Ciudad del Este, on the Parana river, is the Itaipu Dam, largest hydroelectric complex in the world,
Itaipu comes from the Guarani word, meaning "the sound of the stone".
This gigantic water reservoir provides a unique ecosystem of wildlife and many opportunities to the sports oriented...
- bird watching
- water sports
- sailing
- fishing
- trekking
Other famous summer retreats for Paraguayans are Chololo (around 87 km from Asuncion) and San Bernardino (47 km away), on the Ypacari lake.
If you love architecture, your Paraguay travel circuit should include Yaguaron (some 48 km away), the historic village of Paraguari, in the foothills of the Andes mountains, and San Lorenzo.
Paraguay. Asuncion at Night - © Alexander Steffer
The Paraguayan Chaco is a place not to be missed if you are nature and wildlife enthusiast. This region of mainly empty plains, swamps and forests covers more than 60% of the country and is the least populated as well, with less than 3% of the total.
Here we find Paraguay's most important national parks (ileven in total), such as...
- Tifunque
- Enciso
- Defensores del Chaco
- Cerro Cora
...and the birdlife-packed protected forests of Nacunday and Mbaracayu, with 650 species of birds (as many as the entire United States).
Among mammals, with over 200 species, we find the "Tagua" or Chaco peccary, the largest and stockiest pig-like peccaries.
It was thought to be extinct but found alive in the middle seventies.
Paraguay's World Heritage Sites:
Back in 16th. century Jesuits started a revolutionary project in the Spanish Americas: Jesuit Missions of the Guaranis indians, that lasted for about one century and a half, until they were expelled by a royal edict in 1767.
Missions (reducciones) were erected to catechize as well as to integrate the indigenous population by introducing them to most of the arts and trades of Europe. Remnants are found in Argentina (visit Jesuit Missions of the Guaranis and Jesuit Blocks and Estancias de Cordoba for more info), Bolivia and Brazil.
As a result, the Guaraníes left a formidable legacy of churches, religious sculptures and paintings. Out of the seven Jesuit missions found in Paraguay, two were listed as World Heritages Sites by UNESCO in 1993...
- Jesuit Missions of La Santísima Trinidad de Parana
- Jesus de Tavarangue
So when you make it to this end of the world, include Paraguay travel in your agenda, another very unique South America travel experience indeed...
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