Paraguay

If you want to do something different, visit Paraguay. One of the least known nations on the planet, Paraguay is off the beaten track and about as remote as Surinam. Few travelers go there, and accurate information is hard to get.

But times are changing. The old saying that, “Nothing ever happens in Paraguay—it just rolls along” is no longer true. Actually, quite a bit happens in Paraguay, and every year it attracts more visitors.

Paraguay is as big as California. It just looks little, nestled between its giant neighbors Brazil and Argentina. This country also has a unique cultural mix: Korean, Japanese, South Africans, and local Guarani communities.

presence that flourished in the eighteenth century), Itaipu Dam (one of the great hydroelectric installations in the world, where you can visit facilities on both sides of the border), the Chaco (24 million hectares of mostly dry desert inhabited by groups of indigenous peoples), and Mennonite communities. What little wildlife that exists in Paraguay you’ll find here in this thorny wilderness.

For a map of Paraguay, check the SAE catalogue. Also, read the trip reports and articles in back issues of the South American Explorer. You can also email paraguay@saexplorers.org with your questions.