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Paraguay

South America's best-kept secret and the ultimate 'dupe' destination. Explore wild Chaco wilderness, atmospheric Jesuit ruins and authentic culture, blissfully crowd-free.

  • Currency ₲ Paraguayan Guaraní (₲)
  • Language Guaraní, Spanish
  • Best time May – September
  • Visa Visa-free (up to 90 days)
Why visit

Why Paraguay

South America's best-kept secret and the ultimate 'dupe' destination. Explore wild Chaco wilderness, atmospheric Jesuit ruins and authentic culture, blissfully crowd-free.

  • Jesuit missions of Trinidad and Jesús (UNESCO)
  • Riverside Asunción and Mercado 4
  • Ybycuí and Cerro Corá parks
  • The wildlife-rich Gran Chaco
Read more

Landlocked at the heart of South America, Paraguay is the continent's great undiscovered corner, a genuine 'dupe' destination for travellers who want authenticity without the crowds. Here, tradition runs deep and tourism is refreshingly low-key.

Its treasures reward the curious: hauntingly beautiful Jesuit mission ruins, the vast and wildlife-rich Chaco wilderness, and a bilingual culture where Guarani and Spanish blend into everyday life.

This is community-led, rural travel at its most genuine, ideal for families and independent explorers seeking real connection, warm hospitality, and a slower, more meaningful pace far from the tourist trail.

A pillar, not a footnote

Eat your way through Paraguay

The single reason many travellers come back — the food culture worth reshaping a trip around, and the dishes to seek out region by region.

Paraguay

Cheese-and-corn breads, the 'only solid soup', endless asado — and ice-cold tereré all day.

Paraguay runs on two crops — corn and mandioca (cassava) — turned into a whole family of cheese breads. The famous one is sopa paraguaya, a spongy baked cornbread that Paraguayans proudly call 'the only solid soup'; alongside it come chipa, chewy manioc-and-cheese rings baked in a clay tatakua oven and sold by roaming vendors, and mbeju, a starch-and-cheese griddle bread for breakfast. Beef and open-fire asado anchor the weekend, a legacy of cattle-ranching country.

Under it all runs a strong Guaraní current — this is a genuinely bilingual nation, and the food carries the same rustic, indigenous-mestizo roots. The ritual that never stops is tereré: ice-cold yerba mate steeped with herbs and passed around through a metal straw in the subtropical heat, in parks, offices and on every street corner. Graze the stalls of Asunción's Mercado 4 and you've tasted the country.

Dishes to seek out
  • Sopa paraguaya (baked cheese cornbread)
  • Chipa (manioc-and-cheese bread)
  • Chipa guasú (fresh-corn casserole)
  • Mbeju (starch-and-cheese flatbread)
  • Vori vori (cornmeal-dumpling soup)
  • Mandioca (boiled cassava)
  • Tereré (ice-cold yerba mate)
Things to do

Nature, culture & hidden gems

Editorial content coming soon

We're hand-picking the standout places, hidden gems and can't-miss activities in Paraguay. Meanwhile, the cities above are a great starting point.

Plan your trip

Curated Paraguay itineraries

Browse all Paraguay trips →
When to go

Weather & timing in Paraguay RIGHT NOW 21° cloudy

Best Jun–Aug · Shoulder Mar, May, Sep

  1. Jan 6° / -4°
  2. Feb 8° / -2°
  3. Mar 12° / 2°
  4. Apr 18° / 8°
  5. May 24° / 14°
  6. Jun 28° / 18°
  7. Jul 30° / 20°
  8. Aug 28° / 18°
  9. Sep 24° / 14°
  10. Oct 18° / 8°
  11. Nov 12° / 2°
  12. Dec 8° / -2°

Best time to visit

May – September

Best for
  • Jesuit Missions
  • Chaco
  • Iguazu
  • Rivers
At a glance
Sunshine 7 hr/day (est.)
Rain days 8 days/mo (est.)
Wettest December · 60mm
Driest June · 10mm
Part of Southern Cone →
By season
Spring (Mar–May)

What to expect — Daytime highs average about 18°C with overnight lows near 8°C, and it stays largely dry.

What's best — Mar and May are comfortable, with thinner crowds.

Summer (Jun–Aug)

What to expect — Daytime highs average about 29°C with overnight lows near 19°C, and it stays largely dry.

What's best — Jun, Jul and Aug are among the best time to visit — good weather with manageable crowds.

Autumn (Sep–Nov)

What to expect — Daytime highs average about 18°C with overnight lows near 8°C.

What's best — Sep is comfortable, with thinner crowds.

Winter (Dec–Feb)

What to expect — Daytime highs average about 7°C with overnight lows near -3°C.

What's best — Cold and quiet; some mountain roads and sights run reduced hours.

A little context

A little history

To read what you're looking at — the empires and eras that shaped Paraguay's food, art and streets.

Guaraní roots and 17th–18th-century Jesuit missions forged a bilingual mestizo identity, leaving the UNESCO ruins of Trinidad and Jesús
landlocked at the heart of the continent, Paraguay depends on the Paraná-Paraguay rivers
the catastrophic War of the Triple Alliance (1864–70) killed a huge share of the population
the Chaco War secured the arid west; Stroessner's 1954–89 dictatorship still marks the institutions
Guaraní's co-official status makes it one of the world's few truly bilingual states
Before you book

Know before you go

The practical back-matter — safety, drones and the essentials, in one place.

Safety

Low risk FCDO advice →

Official UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office guidance is the definitive source — check it close to your travel dates.

Drone rules (sub-250g)

  • Paraguay
    DINAC-regulated: every flight needs prior authorisation — register the drone and email a request to DINAC at least five business days ahead with pilot, model and coordinates. ⚠ Insurance is mandatory for commercial work and advised for recreational; flights near airports, cities or populated areas need specific DINAC approval, and customs can scrutinise incoming drones, so arrange authorisation well in advance. Rules checked: Jul 2026

National parks, protected sites and religious/heritage venues often have their own rules and permits — always check the specific site before you fly.

The essentials

Plug & voltage Type C · 220V
Daily budget Budget-friendly
Region South America