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The capital city is situated on the Bay of Asunción, an inlet off the Paraguay River. Planned on a colonial Spanish grid system, it has many parks and plazas. On the way to the waterfront the visitor enters the old part of town, an area of architectural diversity. A good view of the city can be had from the Parque Carlos Antonio Lopez high above Asunción. The Botanical Gardens are situated in a former estate of the Lopez family on the Paraguay River. There is also a golf-course and a small zoo. The Lopez Residence has been converted into a natural history museum and library. Package trips can be booked to see the Iguazú Falls and the Salto Crystal Falls, and river trips to Villeta or up the Pilcomayo River to the Chaco. Luque, near the capital, is the home of the famous Paraguayan harps.

A popular tourist itinerary is the ‘Central Circuit’, a route of some 200km (125 miles) that takes in some of the country’s most interesting sites clustered around the capital. San Lorenzo dates from 1775 and is the site of the university halls of residence and an interesting Gothic-style church. Founded in 1539 by Domingo Martínez, Ita’s main speciality is handpainted black clay Gallinita hens. Yaguarón is set in an orange-growing district 48km (29 miles) from the capital and played a part during the Spanish conquest as a base for the Franciscan missions. Their churches date back to 1775.
Situated in the foothills of the Cordillera de los Altos, the historic village of Paraguarí has several old buildings in colonial style. The holiday centre of Chololo, 87km (54 miles) from the capital, has tourist facilities that include bars, restaurants and bungalows for rent.
Piribebuy was the scene of bloody fighting during the war of the triple alliance. The Encaje-yú spindle lace, the ‘sixty-stripe’ Paraní poncho and other handmade goods are produced here. It is also famous as a place of worship of the ‘Virgin of Miracles’. Situated on Lake Ypacarai, 47km (29 miles) from the capital, San Bernardino is a holiday resort and, owing to its beaches and lake shores, very popular during the summer months. It also has a camping ground, ‘Camping 19’.

On the border with Argentina and Brazil in the northeast of the Chaco, the spectacular Iguazú Falls are a major tourist attraction. Ciudad del Este, 326km (204 miles) east of the capital, is the fastest-growing town in the country and has a cosmopolitan atmosphere. Situated close to the border with Brazil, the town is also a good starting point for a visit to the majestic Monday Falls and Iguazú Falls, which are a 15 to 30 minute drive from the city. Also nearby is the Italpú Dam, the largest hydroelectric complex in the world. Stretching over 180km (112 miles), the water reservoir provides a unique ecosystem for wildlife and birds as well as providing tourists with a number of activities, including fishing, watersports, sailing, camping and walking tours.
Well to the south, Encarnación has many colonial buildings and a sleepy waterfront area with gauchos and sandy streets. Nearby is the Roque González de Santa Cruz bridge linking Paraguay with Posadas in Argentina across the river Paraná.

This vast, scarcely populated area, consisting mainly of empty plains and forests, covers 61 per cent of the country’s total surface, but is inhabited by only 3 per cent of Paraguay’s population. The drive from Asunción leads through the Low Chaco, a land of palm forests and marshes, and reaches the Middle Chaco with its capital Filadelfia. Here Mennonites of German descent have set up farms and other agricultural outlets as well as their own schools and are considered to be the only organised community in the whole of the Chaco region. The Chaco is home to Paraguay’s major national parks including the Defensores del Chaco, Tifunque, Enciso and Cerro Cora. Wildlife and nature enthusiasts can also visit the area’s beautiful biological reserves (in Itabo, Limoy, Tati Yupi) or the protected forests in Mbaracayu and Nacunday, where over 600 species of birds, 200 species of mammals and numerous kinds of reptiles and amphibians live in a natural habitat. The Chaco is, after the Amazon rain forest, the world’s second-largest forest area and is a popular location for pursuers of ecotourism.

In the 16th century, the Company of Jesus started the process of converting the Guaraní people to Christianity. As a result, the native Indians eventually agreed to live in reducciones, large villages with a fairly rigid socioeconomic structure based on Jesuit principles and values. Skilled in construction and artistic techniques, the Guaraníes left behind a heritage of churches, religious sculptures and paintings scattered throughout Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay. Seven of the largest Jesuit missions remain in Paraguay, and those in Jesús de Taravangue and Trinidad del Paraná have been declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. They can be reached either by plane, car/bus or via light river transport.