SPECIAL REPORT
of the south, Concepción enjoyed an economic golden age
before being plunged into confl ict during the Paraguayan
War. Today, its central streets and cobbled alleys still bear
all the hallmarks of a colonial outpost that did very well
indeed from its various agricultural pursuits. Visitors embark
and disembark from their hop-on, hop-off river cruises up
the meanders of the Paraguay River, wonder at the elegant
façades and painted Spanish-style churches, and enjoy the
sultry tropical airs as they go.
11. La Santísima Trinidad de Paraná
Paraguay’s historical piece de resistance can be found
set just north of the fun-loving southern hub of Encarnación,
rising from the rolling hills just a stone’s throw from the
Parana River. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the spot is a
fi ne example of a South American Jesuit Reduction. These
would once have peppered the Latin lands from Argentina to
Bolivia and worked to convert the local Indian populations
to Christianity in a non-invasive way. Nowadays, the site
showcases crumbling churches and priests’ living quarters,
many adorned with European artworks, others complete with
a curious intermingling of Indian and Italianesque styles.
12. San Cosme y Damián
Jutting its way out into the colossal oxbow lakes and
fl ooded plains that swell where the Paraná River weaves
along the borderline with Argentina to the south, the village
of San Cosme y Damián is a real sight to behold. It comes
encompassed by shimmering, palm tree-spotted, yellow-
sanded dunes, which ebb and fl ow across the landscape
before plunging down directly into the waters. There is also
an interesting old Jesuit mission situated nearby, while boat
trips and hiking excursions across the shores are a great way
to explore the otherworldly vistas and shifting sands.
13. San Bernardino
Barred off from the chaos of the capital by the great liquid
curve of Lake Ypacaraí, San Bernardino has fi rmly established
itself as one of the prime gateways for the moneyed jet setter
Asuncenos. Ferries buzz across several times a day from the
outer districts of Areguá, depositing folk on the waterside
boulevards of Bernardino, between swaying palm trees and
the artifi cial sand stretches that have been set up there. Of
course, the town has oodles of pubs and discos to let loose in,
and partiers fl ock to the plazas with beers and salsa-ready hips
right throughout the summer high season (typically running
from December to March).
14. Villarrica
Set in the shadow of the rugged Ybyturuzú highland
ridges, Villarrica is a proud and historically rich Paraguayan
town; a place where monuments to national heroes pepper
the plazas and some of the country’s most important cultural
institutions and traditions are on the line-up. The tourist can
lurk the Maestro Fermín López Museum in the heart of town,
which showcases collections of old munitions and arms from
the Chaco War next to ancient Indian weaponry. Then there
are the booming Easter celebrations, which erupt on the
squares and between the gorgeous Spanish-style towers of
the Franciscan church – one seriously handsome relic of the
colonial era to say the least!
15. Bella Vista’s tereré plantations
The bitter herbal tea known as tereré is Paraguay’s most
beloved beverage. It was exported to Europe in the 19th
century and even used as currency, exchanged for boats and
building materials. One must head to Bella Vista in the south
of the country to take a tour of the immense plantations that
pepper the countryside.
There’s a saying in Paraguay that people who visit the
country always cry twice – once when they arrive, and once
when they leave. Emotions might run high in this mellow
niche, a nation whose beautiful, the beguiling and baffl ing
persona is made all the more alluring by its relative obscurity.
¡Hail Tourist, nos vemos en Paraguay!
* Author is Bureau Chief (Kolkata), Indian Observer Post
PARAGUAY 2019 • 39