Paraguay Sightseeing

• Explore Asunción, the capital city, 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.

• Enjoy good views of Asunción from the Parque Carlos Antonio Lopez, high above the city. The Botanical Gardens are situated in a former estate of the Lopez family on the Paraguay River. Among the many religious buildings is the Metropolitan Cathedral.

• View the churches of Yaguarón, set in an orange-growing district, 48km (29 miles) from the capital. Yaguarón played a part during the Spanish conquest as a base for the Franciscan missions.

• Witness the famous Chaco, a vast, scarcely populated area, consisting mainly of empty plains and forests, that covers 61% of the country's total surface. It is home to 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 and 200 species of mammals live in a natural habitat.

• Prepare to see the breathtaking waterfalls in Ciudad del Este, 326km (204 miles) east of the capital. It is 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.

• Discover the seven villages remaining from when the Company of Jesus converted the Guaraní people to Christianity in the 16th century. They housed them in large villages with fairly rigid socioeconomic structures based on Jesuit values. Those in Jesús de Taravangue and Trinidad del Paraná have been declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.