Paraguay seems to be one of the quietest and least-known Spanish-speaking countries in the world. When I was in neighboring Argentina, locals even told me there wasn’t much to do there and tried to discourage me from visiting. Before arriving, I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but Paraguay ended up surprising me. I found Asuncion to be a comfortable capital to explore, with more modern infrastructure and more going on than I had anticipated. While Paraguay doesn’t receive anywhere near the number of international visitors as many of its neighbors, there are still plenty of reasons to travel here. For me, the vast and remote north known as El Chaco was always the part of Paraguay I was most interested in, so that’s where I focused much of my time. Many Paraguayans I met recommended exploring more of the southern part of the country as well, which gives me a good reason to return.
Explore Asuncion
Asuncion is one of the less-touristed capitals in South America, which is part of what makes it interesting to explore. Rather than being dominated by major tourist attractions, much of the experience comes from walking around the city and seeing its neighborhoods, plazas, monuments, historic buildings, and everyday life. The Paraguay River runs along the city and provides another side of the capital to explore, while newer neighborhoods offer restaurants, shops, and nightlife. Asuncion may not have the international fame of Buenos Aires or Rio de Janeiro, but I found that its quieter atmosphere gave the city a character of its own.
Explore El Chaco
Stretching across much of western Paraguay, El Chaco is the country’s great wilderness region. It covers more than half of Paraguay but contains only a small portion of its population, leaving enormous areas of dry forest, scrubland, ranches, and open country. Traveling here feels completely different from visiting Asuncion and the more populated eastern part of the country. Communities include Indigenous peoples, ranching families, and Mennonites whose settlements have become an important part of the region. El Chaco is also one of Paraguay’s best areas for wildlife, with jaguars, giant anteaters, tapirs, capybaras, and numerous species of birds inhabiting its forests and wetlands. For travelers interested in remote landscapes, wildlife, and getting far away from the country’s cities, El Chaco offers one of Paraguay’s most distinctive experiences.
