What to see in Paraguay: 11 must-sees

Enter the Monday Falls trail and hear the roar before you see the water: 45-meter cascades plunging over basalt rock surrounded by rainforest in the heart of Alto Paraná. Walk among the vegetation, feel the mist on your face, and watch the Monday River crash down, forming rainbows between the dark crevices. Ideal for hiking, photography, and observing native birds and flora, this natural spot lies just minutes from Ciudad del Este.

Take in Lake Ypoá, in the Central department, where mangroves line the water and birds set the rhythm of every morning. Explore its shores by boat, pick out herons and kingfishers among the vegetation, and camp by the bank as evening falls. Walk the trails that circle the lagoon, watch the local wildlife and wetland flora, and see how the water has shaped this corner of Paraguay. Bring binoculars, insect repellent, and supplies, since services near the lake are scarce and the experience depends on your own preparation.

Immerse yourself in Asunción with a stroll through Mercado 4, where chipa and tereré stalls sit alongside yerba mate and wormwood vendors. Cross the bay to the Palacio de los López and step inside the Metropolitan Cathedral before continuing to the National Pantheon of Heroes on Palma Street. On the Costanera, overlooking the Paraguay River, sunsets draw families out to share tereré, while the Loma San Jerónimo neighborhood paints its staircases in bright colors and the Casa de la Independencia preserves documents from 1811.

Explore the 17th-century Jesuit ruins at Jesús de Tavarangüé, Itapúa, where walls of hewn stone and the unfinished church reveal the scale the mission once reached. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it bears witness to the evangelization of the Guaraní and a vanished cultural tradition. Walk among the carvings, climb the lookout for views of the valley, and understand how the Guaraní lived alongside the Jesuits.

Cross the Paraguayan Chaco to Teniente Agripa Enciso National Park, in the department of Boquerón, where the region's dry forest and wildlife reveal themselves unfiltered. Here you can go on safari, hike trails, and birdwatch, with the chance to see armadillos, seriemas, and the wild cats that inhabit these arid plains. The reserve protects one of the most untouched corners of the Chaco, a land of marshes, quebracho stands, and espartillo grasslands that changes completely between the dry and rainy seasons, making every visit a different experience.

the ruins of the Jesuit reduction of San Cosme y Damián, in southern Itapúa, where the still-standing church preserves carvings in wood and hewn stone made by Guaraní and Jesuits in the 18th century. Walk the atrium, look at the remains of the indigenous dwellings, and visit the Buenaventura Suárez astronomical observatory, the only one of its kind among Paraguay's missions. From the banks of the Paraná, take in the view of the river while local guides tell the story of how this community lived before the Jesuit expulsion of 1767.

Visit Asunción Cathedral in the heart of the Paraguayan capital, considered by local tradition one of the oldest cathedrals in South America. Its sober, light-toned façade frames an interior of spacious naves, altarpieces, and colonial details that recall the city's founding in 1537. The country's principal masses and the religious events of the Paraguayan calendar are held here. Walk among its columns, admire the centuries-old images, and soak in the silence that contrasts with the bustle of the historic center surrounding it.