Hola Amigos
Im Curently in Sao Paulo and in a couple of weeks will go to Paraguay through Iguazu and head to Bolivia.
If anyone can recomend roads, places to see, places to stay etc
Thanks Maciek

Hi Maciek, I see you finally solved your problem with your carburettor and are back on the road.

Since there's not that much information on Paraguay I decided to write a small report of my month worth of travelling there. Includes the highlights of the trip and some practical advice.

Getting into Paraguay

From Puerto Iguazu, Argentina to Ciudad del Este, Paraguay.

Starting from Puerto Iguazu cross the bridge towards Brazil. Immigration and customs from the Argentinian side then Brazilian immigration. The latter tell me I should stop by Brazilian customs later, just before crossing the Paraguay/Brazil bridge. I do, they stamp my passport again and send me on my way.

You need to ride a few km into Foz de Iguaçu to reach the other international bridge. It's fairly easy to get there, but the signs are barely enough to take you there so ride slow and keep your eyes wide open. A bit of planning and a good map definitely help here. Or just follow one of the many yellow buses with Argentinian plates that go to Paraguay every half an hour

There's a lane just for motorbikes to the left of the road. It's quite narrow, very twisty at the entrance and lined with fairly tall concrete blocks clearly intended to scratch your panniers as you pass trough, I made it trough it without much trouble, but I was riding a small and sleek bike with no panniers. If you are riding a wide bike or have panniers you may want to ignore the signs and ride trough the cars lane. Cross the bridge with Paraguay. Lots of people jump towards me blocking the road and offering to take me to a parking lot. I decline and keep riding. They do this for the many Brazilian and Argentinian who go shopping there and need a safe spot for their cars.

Immigration and customs are out of the way and unless you actively search for them you'll miss them. I ask a policeman and he instructs me to park my bike on the street and walk across the main road into the immigration office. The policeman stays by my bike keeping an eye on it (!). Immigration was routine. They stamp my passport and send me on my way. 90 days without even asking. I ask about the temporary import of the vehicle and they seem baffled, but send me next door to customs to ask, but it turns out to be an export office. From then they send me to the building uphill across the street, which stands behind another building and is therefore not visible from the main road, to the Direccion Nacional de Aduanas.

This is how you actually have to make this to minimize going back and forth between offices:

After you cross the international bridge keep riding for about the length of a street. When you go trough the large blue and yellow, concrete and glass immigration building with a roof from one side of the main road to the other turn right and follow the road uphill to customs (there are no signs for this, at least that I could see). Its an older looking building on top of a small hill labeled ANNP, which stands for Administracion Nacional de Navegacion y Puertos. The sign reads Administracion de Aduana de Ciudad del Este. Potestad Aduanera. Keep riding just past the main entrance and you'll see a parking lot at your right specially for imported vehicles. Park there.

Walk downhill back to the blue building on the main road I mentioned before. There are stairs going from the main entrance of customs towards there. Cross the street and enter the immigration office. Get your passport stamped and pick up a map and some brochures from the tourism information desk right next to it.

With your stamped passport walk back uphill to the customs office and enter the building. Go upstairs and look for the "Resguardos" office. Fill out a form, get your stamp and you're done. They asked me for how long I intended to keep the bike in Paraguay and I said just a few weeks. They gave me 30 days, which can be renewed later. Pick your bike and ride away. The road will take you back to the main street. I renewed the import permit a few weeks later and they gave me 30 more days. The whole process took under a minute.

I was never asked for money nor observed any dodgy activities there. However no one seems to have a clue of what's going on and if you don't ask and actively seek the required offices for doing all paperwork they'll let you in with zero checks on your papers or luggage. Thousands of vehicles go across this border every hour and most of them don't require any paperwork, but unless you're from one of the neighbouring countries and you intend to go back to your country at the end of the day you do need to pay customs a visit.

Costs

Actual exchange rate for cash at any money exchange place: 1 USD = 4755 PYG, that's Paraguayan Guarani, commonly denoted by G$ in Paraguay. Brazilian Reais and U.S. Dollars are easily exchanged and even accepted for payment at most places including supermarkets and petrol stations. The exchange rate at the supermarket was exactly the same as the going rate at the money exchange houses, but at the petrol station was a rip-off. The Argentinian Peso isn't as popular, but it's still easily exchanged. This happens only at the border, in the rest of the country only Guaranies are accepted.

ATMs dispense both U.S. Dollars and Guaranies. Western Union and MoneyGram pay wired money in either local or U.S. Currency. Same rate as cash if you decide to get Guaranies, so it's best to cash it in U.S. Dollars and exchange as needed. Old style currency was accepted without hesitation everywhere I tried but no one will accept worn, torn or stained notes so be careful on what you accept.

Cheapest rate for a single room with private bathroom and safe parking in the city centre seems to be 80.000 G$. The highest I saw in Paraguay.

Cheapest hotels I could find are at Barrio Obrero by the bus terminal. A decent enough place charges 50.000 G$/Night for a private room with bathroom. No breakfast, no internet. It's a solid 45 minute walk to the commercial area through some rather dodgy areas. Buses go back and forth the bus terminal and the border. These are the oldest, most deteriorated and dodgy looking buses I've seen in all of South America, no doubt about it.

Riding into the commercial area is problematic and there are little opportunities for free parking and a lot of opportunities for theft. If you are not staying in the area it's better to leave your bike at your crash pad and walk to the malls. I found, however a couple of free alternatives:

Park at the customs office where you did your paperwork. Relatively safe and the malls are a street away from there. If asked just claim, in your worst Spanish, to be doing paperwork there (no one asked me anything, my foreign license plate was enough)

Zuni shopping mall. Free unmetered parking for motorbikes with around the clock security. It's on the main street a bit away from the border, but still within walking distance (around 15 minutes walking). Keep riding on the main road and you'll eventually see it on your right. On the third floor there's free, unsecured and temperamental WiFi and a handful of restaurants. Buffet is 29.900 G$/Kg. The WiFi didn't work for me, but I found an internet ice cream parlour there as well.

Prices at the supermarket give an idea of the cost of living in Paraguay:

Milk, whole, fresh: 3.360 G$/lt
Bread, white: 4.000 G$/Kg
Cheese, fresh, Ricotta: 7.600 G$/Kg
Cold cut, beef and pork, premium quality: 26.280 G$/Kg
Yogurt: 4.980 G$/lt
Mandarins: 2.000 G$/Kg
Oranges: 2.630 G$/Kg
Bananas, on sale: 675 G$/Kg
Roasted Peanuts: 10.010 G$/Kg
Quaker Instant Oats (350gr box): 7.379 G$

Also:
95 octanes petrol: 5.900 G$/lt. 85 octanes widely available, but watch out for contaminated fuel! I had to drain my carburettor twice after I got some dodgy fuel somewhere and I filled it with super. Locals say this is common.
Internet access: 4.000 G$ to 5.000 G$ per hour. WiFi not widely available.
Double Burger with Cheese: 15.000 G$
Set lunch at most restaurants: 10.000 G$ to 15.000 G$, drinks sold separately.

Carry:

Mosquito net, locals strongly recommend using a very fine mesh as there are very small mosquitoes named polvorines (dusties) that can get trough thicker meshes.
Insect repellent and ant specific insecticide (look for hormiguicida in the supermarket)
Wide brim hat for the sun
U.S. Currency
Rain suit

Buy:

Electronics are the main draw. There are several motorbike shops selling parts and accessories, but the selection is most certainly inferior to that found in neighbouring countries. Finding an oil filter for my bike turns out to be impossible and for finding a replacement for a broken plastic I'm sent to Foz de Iguaçu, Brazil or Asuncion, Paraguay. As far as I can tell no original parts are sold there anywhere.

Camping gear isn't particularly common, but a few places have stuff. Tyres are a popular product there and prices are somewhat lower than in neighbouring countries. Good deals in GPS, if you need one.

I found most items sold in Ciudad del Este to be low quality knock-offs. That being said there are plenty of things to buy but you'll need a lot of time and legwork to find it. Don't expect prices to be particularly low, but deals can be found.

I found the Casa Americana and Casa China department stores to be particularly well stocked, tough their prices are slightly higher than elsewhere.

All in all I found Ciudad del Este to be nowhere as seedy as people say it is. While it's most certainly not as nice as the neighbouring cities of Brazil and Argentina, the place isn't the dump some travellers complain about. Going out at night is better avoided there. Also the guys who approach you on the street asking you what you're looking for are a PITA.

Salto Monday (Monday Waterfall)

Camping at Salto Monday (The name is unrelated to the homonym day of the week). 10km South of Ciudad del Este. There are some signs along the route, but I had to ask the locals how to reach the place anyway. There are no signs in the immediate vicinity, but you'll eventually have to make a right at the small football field and follow a rocky road to get there. 3.000 G$ entrance no matter if you're camping or not. There's a couple of low-end looking hotels in the vicinity if you decide not to camp. And right in front of it is what seems a private resort with camping under construction but I didn't enquire.

Camping there is pretty basic. It's basically a park where you're allowed to pitch a tent, but has no camping specific facilities. No showers, no electrical sockets except for one in the bathroom.

Lots of trees from where to hang your hammock there. You may prefer doing that as the terrain is rocky and inclined. There are relatively few bugs there, but I decided to use my mosquito net anyway.

Avoid going there during the weekend. I arrived on Sunday and the place was packed with locals grilling meat on makeshift racks. Monday I was the only one there. No alcohol is supposedly allowed, but locals were having s.

There's a very basic cantina (that's Paraguayan Spanish for a snack bar) there, and there are shops in the neighbouring area less than 5 streets away from the park. If camping it's best to stock on food in Ciudad del Este.

The waterfall itself is nice, but the best views aren't easily accessed from the park. If you're coming from Iguazu, as I was, you may be disappointed. Then again the price difference is dramatic.

There's some construction going on at the time of my visit, so you may enjoy improved facilities and better views that I did.

I rode my bike all over the park with no complaints from anyone. The park is small and easily managed on foot.

A few km from the fall it is possible to take a boat across the river to Argentina.

Tati Yupi Biological Reserve

Infested is not a strong enough word to describe the amount of insects present in the otherwise pleasant camping facilities available for free at this reserve. You need to request permission to visit the place beforehand. Ride to the zoo (closed Sunday afternoon and Monday all day) passport in hand and ask for the required permission. Again, avoid going during the weekend. I arrived Tuesday and I had the whole place for myself. Permission was granted immediately, but I may have been lucky as a lot of people visit the park every day. You can camp or use the shelter, your call. I preferred to camp.

Oh yeah, and while you're requesting the permission pay a visit to the zoo and the museum next door. I found the zoo a bit depressing full of sad looking animals withstanding the oppressive heat in small concrete and chicken wire cages. There's a nice variety of animals there ranging from pumas and leopards to toucans and capibaras to parrots and deers, snakes, tortoises and monkeys.

Tati Yupi is found a few km north of Hernandarias, a town that's better skipped (yeah, I went there). There's an small upmarket supermarket, with prices to match, near the Parana Country Club.

The facilities are reached 7 km from the entrance trough a dirt road. All vehicles must park at the entrance. No motorbike riding inside the reserve, but you can use a bicycle and even ride a horse for free (within a small fenced area)!

There's a small shop there selling junk like soda and crisps. Thankfully I brought my own food. If you carry some meat you can make your own barbecue in one of the many racks there.

There are fairly well kept bathrooms and showers. There's electricity available at most buildings. No internet.

The place has lots of bugs, specially ants, bees, flies and every variety of mosquito known to science. Bring insecticide and insect repellent. This isn't optional. There are plenty of places for hanging your hammock, if you have one.

The place is popular as a day trip destination for school kids. Don't be surprised if you find yourself suddenly surrounded by a bus-load of teenagers.

This place has some of the planet's largest reserves of water. Tap water is top notch.


Itaipu Dam

Book ahead this free light show at the visitors centre. It's done on Friday and Saturday nights. It's over in 30 seconds and is not as great as they say to begin with, but it's different and free. Don't worry too much if you cannot fit this into your schedule, contrary to organizer's claims this is pretty lame. The day tour of the hydroelectric plant is quite good.

Villarrica

Staid at a cheap hospedaje (El Porvenir) for 20.000 G$ making it the cheapest room I found in Paraguay. It was pretty basic, but clean and safe. It's on the road that connects the entrance of town with the main square, has parking and there's an internet place right across the street.

Tourism information centre was not functional at the time of my visit but may be open now, it's on the entrance of town.

There's a new paved road connecting Villarica and Paraguari. Not shown in most maps. Also between Acahay and Villarrica or San Jose (should save you a good 50+ km)

Decent town with quite a large number of motorbiking shops, all of them catering to the locals scooters.

There are several money exchange places there in case you are short of Guaranis. The rate seems to be the same as in Asuncion.

Not a bad place to chill out for a couple of days, tough its attractions are pretty limited.

Caves with artwork allegedly made by lost Vikings in pre-Columbian times nearby.

Colonia Independencia is a German colony fairly close from Villarrica. I went there and saw nothing of worth, except there are a couple of camping places on the route from Villarica if you feel like camping in the area. I didn't enquire. If you are interested in seen the German colonies in Paraguay I reckon there are better places in the Chaco. This place disappointed, then again no one ever told me to go there anyway.


Asunción

Weather gets unbearable hot there sometimes. Awful traffic. Asphalt cannot be taken for granted 5 blocks away from the presidential palace. Watch out for the buses as they'll stop anywhere anytime. Most of their drivers are reckless psychopaths. A strong contestant for the title of nastiest traffic in South America.

Camping at the botanical garden: 11.450 G$ per person for tent camping, 20.000 G$ for car camping. The park is being fenced, so this will improve security somehow, but it's still far from safe. Security guards told me many petty criminals actually live within the park, thankfully far away from the camping facilities (it's a large park) The place is popular with overland travellers from all over the world.

When I arrived there was no electricity, but they fixed the problem. Next day there was no water, but they fixed that as well. The place is noisy, it gets all the noise from the traffic on the nearby street. Chatty staff wakes up very early (around 5 am) to work. A lot of people work in the park and they use the same bathroom as guests.

There's a zoo inside the park. 5.000 G$ entrance. Features both local and exotic animals including a lion and an elephant.

Riding your bike inside the park is tacitly tolerated. Has some nice trails.

Cheap hospedaje right in the city centre: Pension da Silva 50.000 G$ Has safe parking for motorbikes. Address: Eligio Ayala 843. No sign outside.

On my way out of the city I took a small detour to the South American Football Museum. Look for the giant football shaped building.

San Bernardino

Polluted lake with a number of overpriced hotels and bars catering to well to do Asuncionites. During the week the town is dead, but it's said to be full of people during the weekends. I decided not to stay there.

Paraguari

Small town that you'll probably go through if you ever go to or from Asuncion. Seems to be the largest town around. Not a bad spot to split a riding day and have lunch.

Ybycui National Park

Nice enough for a visit in case you find yourself in the area but a bit overrated. Why do guidebooks list this as one of Paraguay's finest spots is beyond me. It's a good spot but it's a national park as many others, with poor, unkempt camping facilities, non-existent security and only one electrical socket, inconveniently located in the bathroom.

5.000 G$ entrance fee + 5.000 G$ extra for camping. Corrupt people in charge of admission will try to overcharge you. I believe they pocketed my fee, even though I got an official looking receipt.

On the bright side of things, there are some nice walking trails inside, leading to a few small waterfalls. Not even remotely suitable for biking but its great trekking. If feeling adventurous you can swim at a couple of spots in the river.

Some sources list this park as being a mere 120km from Asuncion. This is wrong. It's about twice as far away. The Ybycui park is actually not very close to the Ybycui village, and appears on some maps as La Rosada, which is the name of the old iron foundry that used to exist there (now a nice little museum worth checking out).

Carry food.

The road to the park is fully paved, with pavement ending right at the entrance of the park. The last few km are quite deteriorated. The dirt road that goes trough the park leads to Villarrica, the only half decent town you'll find in hundreds of km. This road turns into mud with rain, so reconsider going this way if there has been rain in the past couple of days. You can leave the park by following that road and avoid paying any fees.

Ciudad del Este to Encarnacion

There are a few inconsequential towns along this route. Probably not worth stopping by, but if for some reason you want to split this trip there doesn't seem to be a shortage of accommodation options.

I was stopped by the police on my way from Ciudad del Este to Encarnacion. The officer just inquired where was I going and from where I was coming and waved my way through.

Hohenau

Parque Manantial in Hohenau. I arrived Monday just to discover it is closed on Mondays. 10.000 G$ admission fee + 15.000 G$ more if you want to use the pool. Good camping spot. Carrying your own drinks prohibited. You have to let your vehicle outside, with no security whatsoever. Packed on weekends. Has WiFi.

The Jesuit Missions of Trinidad, Jesus and Cosme & Damian

25.000 G$ gives you the admission to the three Jesuit missions but ticket must be used within 72 hours. No extra charge for camping, I slept two nights just outside the Trinidad ruins at no extra cost. Bathroom is kept spotlessly clean, but has no showers. Water was cut at night (?!) There's no fence, no electrical sockets, no grill, no nothing. There's a night watchman and the reception desk has maps in case you just crossed the border and need some. Try to get the road map of Paraguay. AFAIK, it's the only up to date road map you'll find and it's free.

All roads leading to the ruins are paved.

Also there was heavy rain + electrical storms all the time I was there. Morning, afternoon, evening and night of rain.

Trinidad is the largest and nicest. I saw far more tourists on my two days there than in the whole month I spent elsewhere in Paraguay. And for good reason, it's one of the finest sights of the country. Recommended.

Encarnacion

Ugly border town. Cheap and nasty hotel Itapua charges 40.000 G$ a night, more with TV. It has WiFi but signal was too weak to reach my room. In the lobby and restaurant the signal is strong, but it doesn't work anyway. Has parking. Pretty easy to find, near the bus terminal. Food at its attached restaurant is as lousy as its rooms. There has to a be a better place to stay than there.

From Encarnacion I crossed the international bridge towards Posadas, Argentina. No problems whatsoever.

Great write-up, thanks for taking the time.

Welcome to Sao Paulo.

If you do not know anyone in sao paulo, maybe I can help you with some suggestions if you need it

Indeed, Tenebra made ​​a good summary.
Do you know anything about "Pantanal"?
Hugs!

A very comprehensive writeup, fer sure. I don't feel like I made a bad decision spending a few days instead of several weeks there, but it's a friendly, pleasant country, and as an overland motorcyclist you're definitely a rarity, and this attracts some interesting conversation.

I rode the motorcycle lane into Ciudad del Este: it's do-able with panniers, but I was definitely a lot slower than the locals. At one point I pulled off to let them pass and had a lot of trouble getting back in again.

Mark

Thanks for the write up mate
And Paulo i do not know anything about the Pantanal
Im currently in San Paulo and thinking of Heading for Iguacu in a few days
Was thinking of heading to Curitiba from here but then unsure as of my next stop (bit far to do it in one day)
Dose any one know of places to stay or camp?
Paulo maybe we could catch up a ?
Cheers Maciek

Hi, Maciek.

I believe I will be in São Paulo maybe this next saturday, 23, and would be glad to meet you on sunday morning.

Curitiba is a beautifull city with very pleasant people. I don't know any camping site there but, for sure, if you could stay there for 2 days would be a good idea.

It is +- 6 hours far from São Paulo in a soft ride (100/110 km/h).

And, about "Pantanal", look at this:

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
For other uses, see Pantanal (disambiguation).
Pantanal Conservation Area*
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Typical Pantanal Fazenda scenery.
Country Brazil Bolivia Paraguay
Type Natural
Criteria vii, ix, x
Reference 999
Region** Latin America
Inscription history
Inscription 2000 (24th Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List.
** Region as classified by UNESCO.

The Pantanal is a tropical wetland and the world's largest wetland of any kind. It lies mostly within the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul but extends into Mato Grosso as well as into portions of Bolivia and Paraguay, sprawling over an area estimated at between 140,000 square kilometres (54,000 sq mi) and 195,000 square kilometres (75,000 sq mi). Various sub-regional ecosystems exist, each with distinct hydrological, geological and ecological characteristics; up to twelve of them have been defined (RADAMBRASIL 1982).[1][2][3][4][5]

80% of the Pantanal floodplains are submerged during the rainy seasons, nurturing an astonishing biologically diverse collection of aquatic plants and helping support a dense array of animal species.

The name "Pantanal" comes from the Portuguese word pântano, meaning wetland, bog, swamp or marsh. By comparison, the Brazilian highlands are locally referred to as the planalto, plateau or, literally, high plain.

I'll wait your reply!

Hugs!
Hugs!

Hey Paulo
I think im going to leave on saturday or sunday so probably wont get to cach up, where are you form im actualy staying in san bernardo
As for Pantanal yes ive looked it up and am going to Bonito and other places after Paraguay
M

Ok, Maciek.
Bonito (State of Mato Grosso do Sul) is famous as a nice place to visit - rivers and creaks, cristaline water, you can dive among a lot of coloured fishes - but keep your eyes aware about the weather on the road.
And, don't forget the TRUCKS AND BUSES: ALWAYS keep a VERY VERY VERY SAFE distance.
Have a nice trip!

Paulo

Was getting the visa a long process?

JLee, I'm going to guess that if you want current information about a Paraguay visa you'll do better starting a new thread than joining onto one from 7 years ago. Further, you'll want to state your nationality, since it matters greatly, and probably where you'd be applying for the visa too.

Assuming you're American: I got mine in Buenos Aires, and it was easy enough, requiring a bit of standing in line and a middling stack of cash US dollars....but that was 8 years ago, and things change. Maybe start with the US State Department website for current info, then ask a more specific question if that doesn't satisfy you.

Hope that's helpful.

Mark