Paraguay

The least visited country in South America, and it shows in the prices

Paraguay receives fewer foreign visitors than any other country in South America, which is the main thing to know about it. There is no Machu Picchu, no Iguazu on its own soil, no famous beach. What there is instead is a country almost entirely unshaped by tourism, at prices that reflect that.

It is also the only country in the Americas where an indigenous language is spoken by the majority of the population regardless of ethnicity. Guarani is co-official with Spanish and most Paraguayans use it daily, which gives the country a distinct identity its neighbours do not share.

The Jesuit missions at Trinidad and Jesus de Tavarangue are the standout sight, UNESCO-listed ruins of the reducciones, self-governing indigenous communities that existed until the Jesuits were expelled in 1767. The Chaco in the west is a vast, hot, thorny wilderness with serious birdlife and jaguars, and almost no infrastructure at all. Asuncion is a faded, humid riverside capital that grows on you.

Annual events and festivals

• San Juan (Jun) — the biggest folk festival. Fire-based games including a burning ball and a flaming bull frame.
• Carnaval Encarnaceno (Feb) — the largest carnival in the country, in the southern city of Encarnacion.
• Virgen de Caacupe (8 Dec) — the national pilgrimage. Hundreds of thousands walk to the basilica.
• Independence Day (14-15 May) — marks the 1811 declaration from Spain.
• Nanduti Festival, Itaugua (Jul) — celebrating the distinctive spiderweb lace made only here.
• Fiesta de San Blas (3 Feb) — honouring the patron saint of Paraguay.
• Chipa season (Easter) — the cheese bread ring is made in enormous quantities during Holy Week.
• Dia de la Paz del Chaco (12 Jun) — marks the end of the Chaco War with Bolivia.
• Transchaco Rally (Sep) — one of the toughest rally raids in the world, across the Chaco.
• Fiesta de la Tradicion Misionera (Aug) — folk music and dance in the Jesuit mission region.