Encarnación
Paraguay · Itapúa · 90 m
Description
Encarnación is the third city of Paraguay and calls itself the pearl of the south, a town on the Paraná opposite Argentina that was rebuilt with a long sandy waterfront when the Yacyretá dam raised the river and drowned its old lower quarter. The beach turned it into a summer destination, and its carnival in January and February is the largest in the country, run in a purpose-built stand with parading comparsas. A bridge crosses to Posadas in Argentina, and the Jesuit ruins lie half an hour north. The city is flat and its whole waterfront can be walked in an evening.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 2 to 5 days (optimal 3 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: January – February or April – May or September – October
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Encarnación carnival (January - February)
- San José beach and the costanera
- Trinidad Jesuit ruins nearby(Day trip)
- Bridge to Posadas in Argentina
- Riverside promenade and its bars
- Yacyretá dam and the drowned lower town
- Yerba mate estates of Itapúa(Day trip)
- German and Ukrainian colony villages inland(Day trip)
- Fishing and river beaches upstream
Getting there
- Airports:
- ENO
- Border town:
- Paraguay