We flew to Paraguay to Silvio Pettirossi International Airport in Asunción with our dog Ibo. It is a relatively small and straightforward airport where you can navigate all arrival formalities fairly quickly. Passport control took the most time for us – however, if you have a residency card (Cédula), you can save a lot of time here.
Passport control and baggage claim
After passport control you immediately reach the belts for baggage claim. It was here that Ibo’s crate was already waiting for us, placed on the floor together with the other animal crates that traveled on the same flight. Everything is concentrated in one place, which greatly simplifies the whole process.
Veterinary inspection and the language barrier
This was followed by a veterinary inspection carried out by an airport employee. Unfortunately, she could communicate with us only in Spanish, which can be a complication for some.
A small problem arose when she wanted to take Ibo’s veterinary documentation – not only the official translation but also all the original documents. We clearly refused that. We had to use hands, feet and a lot of patience to explain to her that we would not part with the originals or the translations.
Fortunately Iva was prudent and had copies of all the documents made before the flight, which we recommend to anyone planning to do something similar with a dog. In the end the officer was satisfied with the copies and we were able to officially enter Asunción.
Airport facilities
The airport offers standard services – restaurants, small shops, car rental branches and currency exchange. As for internet, WiFi is available, even in several open networks depending on which part of the airport you are in.
A nice plus is that there are grassy areas right in front of the airport where you can quickly walk the dog. They are not officially designated for this purpose, but they served without any problems.
Transport to the city
For the transfer to downtown Asunción we recommend using Uber. Regarding regular taxis we have two important warnings.
The first is the fact that the airport WiFi often doesn’t reach the parking lot where taxis usually wait, so without mobile data you may have trouble ordering a ride.
The second warning is the size of the cars – the vast majority of taxis here are smaller vehicles. In our case, when we were traveling with two months’ worth of luggage and Ibo’s crate, one taxi couldn’t handle it. The driver therefore called a colleague and we ended up traveling to the city center in two taxis.
Cash and currency
As always, we recommend having the local currency – the Paraguayan guaraní (PYG). You can exchange money directly at the airport exchange office. If all else fails, have at least US dollars in smaller denominations, which are generally accepted here.
Overall assessment
We rate the airport in Asunción as average, functional and without unnecessary complications. It provides all basic services and arriving with a dog is manageable as long as your documents are in order and, ideally, you have copies of them.
We definitely recommend checking the current weather before arrival, as it can affect your first impression and the transfer from the airport itself. Overall, this is an airport where arriving with a dog can be handled calmly and without major stress.