{"id":2132,"date":"2026-01-28T13:32:42","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T12:32:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ibo.guide\/paraguay-our-first-visit\/"},"modified":"2026-03-23T08:28:15","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T07:28:15","slug":"paraguay-our-first-visit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ibo.guide\/en\/paraguay-our-first-visit\/","title":{"rendered":"Paraguay: Our First Visit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Our first time in Paraguay was also our first trip to South America. On that journey in the spring of 2020, we visited Ecuador and, briefly, Panama as well. The main reason we chose Paraguay wasn\u2019t classic sightseeing; it was to secure my residency in the country.<\/p>\n\n

I handled the whole process through a well-known company, Liberation Travel<\/strong> (https:\/\/liberation.travel\/<\/a>), which specializes in helping foreigners obtain residency in Paraguay and other countries.<\/p>\n\n

Honestly, we knew very little about the country. Paraguay was one of those places most people simply overlook\u2014and we were no exception.<\/p>\n\n

That changed shortly before departure. A quick dive into maps, articles, and blogs gave us at least a rough idea of where we were headed. The Liberation Travel team filled in more details, but we still flew to Paraguay with a big question mark and very modest expectations.<\/p>\n\n

Arrival in Asunci\u00f3n and a quick start<\/h2>\n\n

We landed absurdly early after a convoluted flight from Quito, with a change in Panama City. We were exhausted, but the schedule was packed from the start. We only had a few days in Paraguay and, small as the country is, our plans were ambitious.<\/p>\n\n

If you\u2019re curious about the airport in Asunci\u00f3n, we cover it in a separate article<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

We ordered a ride\u2014just a regular Uber\u2014and reached our place in the center with no fuss. The fare was strikingly low. After checking in, we crashed for a short nap. Around eight in the morning, after a hearty breakfast, Clara<\/strong>, Liberation Travel\u2019s representative in Paraguay, met me in the hotel lobby. While Iva caught up on sleep at the hotel, I headed out with Clara to get everything done.<\/p>\n\n

Residency in one morning<\/h2>\n
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The schedule proved surprisingly efficient. Immigration, a notary, a bank, the police, back to immigration\u2014and we were done. No stress, no pointless waiting. Clara handled most of it for me; without knowing the system and with the language barrier, it couldn\u2019t really have worked any other way.<\/p>\n\n

Before I knew it, Clara announced we\u2019d wrapped up the essentials. It was lunchtime, and I was still marveling at how fast it had all come together. The bonus: a few extra hours for Paraguay we hadn\u2019t expected.<\/p>\n\n

First culinary impressions<\/h2>\n\n

The rest of the day unfolded under a cloud of jet lag, but we still went out to sample the local cuisine. On Clara\u2019s recommendation we picked a nearby restaurant. Given the warm weather and our fatigue, we hopped in another taxi\u2014and once again laughed at how little the ride cost.<\/p>\n\n

What was meant to be a late lunch turned into hours at the table. Our lack of the local language made ordering a bit of a puzzle, but the waiter was unfailingly kind and almost saintly in his patience. We ended up with more dishes than planned, and no regrets\u2014the flavors were worth it.<\/p>\n\n

Wiped out, we taxied back to the hotel and went straight to bed. Full of food and wine and worn out from the journey, we didn\u2019t manage anything else that day.<\/p>\n\n

First impressions of the city<\/h2>\n\n

The next day we slowed down and explored Asunci\u00f3n. We stayed in Las Lomas<\/strong>, close to several malls yet in a relatively quiet area, and within easy reach of one of the city\u2019s prettiest quarters\u2014Villa Mora<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n

Asunci\u00f3n blends that familiar South American buzz and a touch of chaos with strong Spanish influence. The architecture, especially in the center, feels distinctly European, though modern buildings aren\u2019t yet as widespread as in major European capitals.<\/p>\n\n

What surprised us most was how green the surrounding neighborhoods are. Villa Mora feels calm yet leafy, with trees everywhere. Parks, large and small, add to the picture. The mix of residential homes and greenery gave the city a character we hadn\u2019t encountered before.<\/p>\n\n

You see it best from above. A quick drone flight revealed just how green Asunci\u00f3n really is. Here and there a taller modern building pops up, but overall the city feels very natural.<\/p>\n\n

As a city, it has everything you might need. You\u2019ll find places to eat of every kind\u2014from cheap street food to stylish caf\u00e9s and high-end restaurants. Everyday services are very good, too.<\/p>\n\n

We dipped into a few malls, coworking spaces, and grocery stores\u2014everything\u2019s here, including plenty of car rentals, pharmacies, and even veterinary clinics.<\/p>\n\n

Time to hit the road<\/h2>\n\n

We\u2019re not big-city types, so on the third day we left Asunci\u00f3n, picked up a rental and set out to see the country. Clara tipped us off that while rental cars officially can\u2019t leave Paraguay, there\u2019s an exception for crossing into Brazil to visit the Iguaz\u00fa Falls. We decided to give it a try.<\/p>\n\n

It\u2019s worth noting that from Asunci\u00f3n\u2019s location near the Argentine border, many parts of Paraguay are quite a drive. That includes the frontier with Brazil, beyond which the famous falls lie.<\/p>\n\n

Heading for Ciudad del Este<\/h2>\n\n

We drove toward Ciudad del Este, right on the Brazilian border. To make the most of the day, we detoured to hike Cerro Tres Kand\u00fa, the highest point in this otherwise very flat country. We weren\u2019t exactly prepared, but we made it. You\u2019ll find the full account of the hike in a separate article<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

The climb took longer than expected, so we reached Ciudad del Este only by late afternoon\u2014just as truckers went on strike.<\/p>\n\n

We hit a highway blocked by trucks; with no idea what was going on, we slipped into the empty oncoming lane and kept going. A few kilometers later we drove straight into a crowd armed with sticks and signs.<\/p>\n\n

It was a little intimidating, but I kept calm, rolled down the window and, with a smile, repeated: “Tourists. Please, can we go? Thank you!” To my surprise it worked, and the protesters waved us through. A few cars behind us clearly liked the tactic and followed.<\/p>\n\n

We finally reached Ciudad del Este late at night and saw nothing but the hotel. Only in the morning, as we continued toward Brazil, did we glimpse a few streets\u2014and had to admit the city felt rather dirty and chaotic. It was a marked contrast with Asunci\u00f3n.<\/p>\n\n

Into Brazil for the Iguaz\u00fa Falls<\/h2>\n
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At the time, Ciudad del Este and Brazil were linked by a single bridge\u2014Puente Internacional de la Amistad<\/strong>, also known as the International Friendship Bridge<\/strong>. We couldn\u2019t avoid the usual morning traffic, but after about an hour of waiting we crossed to the Brazilian side into Foz do Igua\u00e7u<\/strong>, the gateway to the Iguaz\u00fa Falls, about 20 minutes\u2019 drive farther on. Two things surprised us: nobody asked for documents at the border, and the Brazilian side looked unbelievably clean and organized. At moments, compared with Paraguay, it felt like a little Switzerland.<\/p>\n\n

Visiting the falls is just as well organized\u2014from parking to how visitors move through the park. Seeing Iguaz\u00fa was powerful. We were there in the dry season, yet you still see a number of cascades, large and small, with astonishing force. We spent about two hours and then retraced our route back to Ciudad del Este. With daylight to spare, we set our next target: Encarnaci\u00f3n in southern Paraguay. Protests flared up along the road again, more than once. The first time our 4×4 let us slip around; the second time we weren\u2019t so lucky and simply had to wait it out.<\/p>\n\n

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Encarnaci\u00f3n<\/h2>\n
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We only stayed one night in Encarnaci\u00f3n, but we still found time for excellent street food and a great beer on the riverside promenade along the Paran\u00e1. The promenade felt like the city\u2019s highlight. Honestly, the place didn\u2019t win us over at the time; it took a year or two to grow on us. On a recent return we saw it differently and really enjoyed it\u2014and so did our dog Ibo.<\/p>\n\n

Salto Cristal Waterfall<\/h2>\n
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With our departure approaching, we left Encarnaci\u00f3n for the airport in Asunci\u00f3n, breaking the drive with a stop at Salto Cristal. It\u2019s no Iguaz\u00fa, of course, but it\u2019s a pretty spot and relatively easy to reach. Rain caught us there, yet I still swam beneath the falls. The weather cleared, turning the break into a relaxed pause before the flight. From there it was back to the airport to return the car and board our plane to Panama City.<\/p>\n\n

Final thoughts<\/h2>\n\n

We came to Paraguay with scant information, few expectations, and only a short window of time. All the more reason the country surprised us. In just a few days we sorted out residency, explored Asunci\u00f3n, sampled the food scene, road-tripped across the country, climbed its highest peak and even made it to the legendary Iguaz\u00fa Falls.<\/p>\n\n

We left full of experiences, feeling we\u2019d seen and done far more than a short visit should allow. Paraguay stopped being a blank spot on the map and became a place we\u2019ve grown attached to. And, as it turned out, it wouldn\u2019t be our last time there.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Our first time in Paraguay was also our first trip to South America. On that journey in the spring of 2020, we visited Ecuador and, briefly, Panama as well. The main reason we chose Paraguay wasn\u2019t classic sightseeing; it was … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2133,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"Paraguay: Asunci\u00f3n, Iguaz\u00fa, Encarnaci\u00f3n and a road trip across the country \u2022 IBO.GUIDE","_seopress_titles_desc":"Our first visit to Paraguay while traveling through South America. Asunci\u00f3n, securing permanent residency, a road trip across the country, Iguaz\u00fa, Encarnaci\u00f3n, and experiences that exceeded expectations.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[92,95,100,87],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2132","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-americas","category-brazil","category-paraguay","category-road-trips","latest_post"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibo.guide\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2132","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=2132"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibo.guide\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2132\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3206,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibo.guide\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2132\/revisions\/3206"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibo.guide\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2133"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibo.guide\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2132"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibo.guide\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2132"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibo.guide\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}