A little more
Paraguay.
A lot less roaming.

Travelling to Paraguay: what to know before you go

Paraguay is a landlocked country in the heart of South America, split by the Paraguay River into a green, populated east and the vast, dry Chaco to the west. Few tourists come, which is part of the appeal: Jesuit mission ruins, a huge dam, wildlife and a bilingual culture where Guaraní is spoken everywhere. It suits travellers who like quiet places and getting off the usual South American route.

Where to go

• Asunción. One of the oldest cities in South America, on a bend of the Paraguay River.
• Jesuit missions of Trinidad and Jesús. The UNESCO-listed ruins of La Santísima Trinidad de Paraná and Jesús de Tavarangue, built by Jesuits and Guaraní communities in the eighteenth century.
• Itaipú Dam. One of the largest hydroelectric dams in the world, shared with Brazil on the Paraná River near Ciudad del Este.
• The Chaco. A vast region of thorn forest, wetlands and grassland covering most of western Paraguay but home to only a small share of its people.

Best time to visit

Paraguay's winter, from about May to September, is the most comfortable time to visit, with mild, sunny days and cool nights; occasional cold snaps can bring chilly mornings. Summer, from November to March, is very hot and humid, especially in the Chaco, with heavy thunderstorms.

Staying online in Paraguay

Mobile coverage is good in Asunción, Ciudad del Este, Encarnación and other towns, with 4G widely available. In the Chaco coverage is limited to settlements and parts of the main highway, and long stretches have no signal. Wi-Fi is common in hotels, cafés and restaurants in towns. Install an eSIM before you fly and switch it on when you land, and download offline maps before heading west.