Heart of South America – Paraguay

Paraguay, known as the “Heart of South America” is an astonishing contrast of rustic and sophisticated architecture, extreme poverty and mind-boggling wealth, natural beauty and gigantic man made marvels. A sub-tropical country, which is divided into two distinct regions a lush green east and an arid west is perfect destination for a great vacation for you.

There are not enough direct flights to Asuncion the major airport in Paraguay, offered from Europe. The best way to get there is to get a direct flight to Sao Paulo and take a connecting flight from there to Asuncion. There are frequent flights available from Buenos Aires and Quito to Paraguay.

There are many sights that are worth watching in and around Asuncion. You can start your tour of the city by visiting Parque Nacional Cerro Cora established in 1990 to counter the deforestation and to preserve the rare species of animals and birds. It is a great place to observe the wildlife of Paraguay. There are decent hotels in Asuncion that are available on different range of prices. Asuncion’s oldest building Casa la Independencia built in 1772 is the place where Paraguay declared its independence and is a place you should visit to learn more about the history of the country.

Itaipu Dam is the show piece of Paraguay, the world’s second largest hydro electric power plant. It supplies 80 percent of the country’s total electricity and the massive architecture of the dam is truly a marvelous sight to witness.

Parque Nacional Medanos del Chaco is another breath taking national park of the country, with its exotic wild life and lush surroundings. It is recommended that you take a 3 day tour of the park that is organized by the management of the park to explore it completely. But you should take care not to travel alone in the park, as there is always a danger from Jaguars in the park. You are safe as long as a trained ranger is with you.