Paraguay

Paraguay - Today, it has taken steps to overcome its political, economic and geographic isolation and now welcomes visitors. The country has a relaxed riverside capital, impressive Jesuit missions, several national parks and the vast, arid, nearly vacant Chaco - one of South America's great wilderness areas.

Environment - Paraguay is a landlocked country surrounded by Brazil, Argentina and Bolivia. The country is divided into two unequal portions by the Río Paraguay, the third largest river in the western hemisphere. To the west of the river is the Chaco, a largely infertile and sparsely populated tract of land that makes up nearly 60% of the country's area. To the east, where almost all the population is concentrated, is a well-watered, elevated plateau of grasslands, with patches of subtropical forest stretching all the way to the Río Paraná on the Brazilian and Argentinian borders.

Wildlife is diverse and includes a number of parrot and parakeet, wood stork, hyacinth macaw and the once-thought-to-be-extinct Chacoan peccary, plus large reptiles such as caiman, anaconda and the boa constrictor. However, due to the dense human population of rural eastern Paraguay, mammals such as the giant anteater, maned wolf, Brazilian tapir and jaguar are fast disappearing.

The climate in eastern Paraguay is humid, with rainfall evenly distributed throughout the year.

Culture - Theatre is a popular medium, with occasional offerings in Guaraní as well as Spanish. Visual arts of startling unconventionality can be seen in many galleries. Paraguay's pre-eminent literary figure is the poet-novelist Augusto Roa Bastos.

Paraguayan music is something of a curiosity - despite the fact that the majority of the population still speak the native tongue, the music is European in origin, with little or no traces of Black, Brazilian or Argentinian influences. The guitar and harp are popular instruments and songs are usually slow and lachrymose. Dances, such as the polka and bottle dance (so-called because performers swing around with a jar on their head) are, however, much livelier.

Events

Prominent celebrations beside Christmas, New Year's Day and Easter include: Día de San Blas (Patron Saint of Paraguay) in February; Paz del Chaco (End of the Chaco War) in June; and the Fundación de Asunción (Founding of Asunción) in August.

Attractions: 

Eastern Paraguay - Many of Paraguay's finest attractions are just a short hop from the capital and include the weaving capital of Itaguá, where the famous ñandutí or spiderweb lace is made, and the lakeside resorts of Areguá and San Bernadino, both on Lago Ypacaraí. West of here is Caacupé, Paraguay's most important religious centre and the site of an annual pilgrimage. The tranquil and undeveloped Parque Nacional Ybycuí, preserving one of the few remaining areas of rainforest in the country, is to the south.

The Chaco - is a remarkable area of almost featureless plain, with a substantial population of Indian peoples. Its only paved highway, the Ruta Trans-Chaco, leads to the religious community of Filadelfia, which was settled by the Mennonites in the late 1920s. Other Mennonite colonies include Loma Plata, the oldest and most traditional settlement, and Neu-Halbstadt, which is a great place to purchase Indian handicrafts. Towards the Bolivian border is the Parque Nacional Defensores del Chaco, a wooded alluvial plain whose major feature is the 500-metre Cerro León. The dense thorn forest harbours some of Paraguays most endangered wildlife, and there's an excellent chance of spotting large cats like jaguars, pumas and ocelots. 

During the War of the Triple Alliance, the village of Piribebuy, east of Asuncion, served as the national capital. Today it is a quiet backwater, notable only for an excellent church, a strong local drink called caña, and an interesting museum that is opened on request by a Chaco War veteran. Wounded three times by Bolivian bullets, the man will gingerly take you around a number of deteriorating exhibitions - then lead you to his own bloodied and torn uniform on display.

Activities - There are several hiking trails in Ybycui and nature trails in the Parque National Cerro Cora. The fishing and camping are good at Villa Florida, while swimming and water sports are popular at Lago Ypacari, whose waters are thought to have heady curative powers. If you want to bust a gut, try climbing the 500-metre Cerro León or take an expedition into the Chaco wilderness (remember to bring plentiful supplies of food, water and fuel).

Getting There & Away - Asuncion is a convenient centre for Southern Cone air traffic. There are only a few overland crossings: three from Argentina, two from Brazil and a difficult border crossing from Bolivia. From Asuncion, a passenger boat takes irregular trips on the Rio Paraguay to and from the Brazilian city of Corumba.

Getting Around - Lineas Aereas de Transporte Nacional (LATN) and Transportes Aeros Militares (TAM), the airforce passenger service, have reasonably cheap flights to destinations in northern Paraguay and some parts of the Chaco. Bus services run frequently to most destinations around the country. Paraguay's antiquated, wood-burning trains are extremely cheap but sluggish, except for the 28-km line from Asuncion to Aregua, on Lago Ypacarai. Driving can be dangerous (especially at night), with wooden oxcarts and livestock among the more obvious road hazards. There are also passenger boats from Asuncion up the Rio Paraguay to a number of river ports. An extensive bus system and metered taxis operate in the capital.