other gear<\/a>, and thanks to its wheels we could move it around easily. And, most importantly, Ibo had no objections to renting the crate.<\/p>\n\nIbo didn\u2019t ride in the crate, though\u2014he stretched out comfortably on the back seats. By placing two carry-on bags behind the front seats we created an almost completely flat platform, topped with a travel blanket. The whole space felt like a small dog bed\u2014ideal for a comfy ride. The drive itself clearly didn\u2019t thrill him; he slept through most of it.<\/p>\n\n
\n\nThe route from Asunci\u00f3n to Encarnaci\u00f3n<\/h3>\n\n
We set off from Asunci\u00f3n, from our place in the Villa Mora neighborhood. After a short drive through town we joined the main road out via San Lorenzo and continued on Ruta 1. Some stretches of the capital\u2019s main artery out of town felt a bit neglected\u2014uneven surfaces and heavy traffic can eat up time. But as soon as we left the metro area, the traffic thinned and the drive became much smoother.<\/p>\n\n
In Paraguar\u00ed we left the main route and continued on the quieter, more pleasant Ruta 10 toward Villarrica. Taking Ruta 10 meant calmer driving, better views and far fewer cars than the busy Ruta 1.<\/p>\n\n
\n\nVillarrica \u2013 an ideal place for a break<\/h3>\n\n
Villarrica is a major regional center and transport hub in southern Paraguay. It may not look like a destination worth a stop at first glance, but it proved perfect for a short break along the way.<\/p>\n\n
We more or less stumbled upon Guair\u00e1 Park<\/strong>, right at the city\u2019s entrance when you arrive from Asunci\u00f3n. The park has plenty of sports facilities, a pond, public toilets and, most importantly for us\u2014dogs are allowed<\/strong>, which Ibo greatly appreciated. Despite the heat (around 30\u202f\u00b0C), the shade and greenery made it very pleasant.<\/p>\n\nJust a couple of minutes\u2019 drive from the park (about two) there\u2019s a Burger King<\/strong>. They wouldn\u2019t let us in with the dog, but Ibo managed the wait in the idling, air-conditioned car. Close by is the Superseis<\/strong> shopping center, where we stocked up for the rest of the trip\u2014as always, Iva took care of it.<\/p>\n\n
\n\nThe final stretch to Encarnaci\u00f3n<\/h3>\n\n
Getting through Villarrica took a bit longer\u2014there\u2019s no bypass, so the route runs straight through the center. Once out of town we rejoined the main route, now a standard primary highway. Traffic on this section was minimal, the road well maintained and comfortable. Although the posted maximum is 90 km\/h for most of it, some straight, open sections could be driven quite safely at around 130 km\/h.<\/p>\n\n
We ended our drive in Encarnaci\u00f3n\u2014a city on the Paran\u00e1 River, directly opposite the Argentine city of Posadas.<\/p>\n\n
\n\nTrip summary<\/h3>\n\n\n- Distance:<\/strong> approximately 370 km<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Duration:<\/strong> 6 hours 30 minutes (including breaks)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Navigation:<\/strong> Waze and Mapy.cz (both suggested the same route)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Recommendation:<\/strong> definitely an air-conditioned car\u2014the daytime highs were 30\u202f\u00b0C and above<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
Notes from the road:<\/h4>\n\n\n- Leaving Asunci\u00f3n was slow\u2014heavy traffic and rougher road conditions<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Outside the city, smooth driving on good main highways<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- A pleasant stop in Villarrica (Guair\u00e1 Park\u2014dog friendly)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Getting through Villarrica is slow; no bypass<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The last stretch is fast, comfortable and almost traffic-free<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The drive from Asunci\u00f3n to Encarnaci\u00f3n On our first visit to Paraguay, our wanderings took us to Encarnaci\u00f3n in the south. The city made a good impression, but we didn\u2019t have time to explore it properly. So we decided to … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2016,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"Asunci\u00f3n to Encarnaci\u00f3n Road Trip with a Dog: Route, Stops & Tips \u2022 IBO GUIDE","_seopress_titles_desc":"Dog-friendly drive from Asunci\u00f3n to Encarnaci\u00f3n via Ruta 10 and Villarrica: route tips, a park stop, road conditions, and what to expect on a 370 km trip.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[92,100,87],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2015","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-americas","category-paraguay","category-road-trips","latest_post"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibo.guide\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2015","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibo.guide\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibo.guide\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibo.guide\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibo.guide\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2015"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibo.guide\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2015\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3213,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibo.guide\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2015\/revisions\/3213"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibo.guide\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2016"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibo.guide\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2015"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibo.guide\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2015"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibo.guide\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2015"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}