Ybycuí National Park

Ybycuí National Park (Parque Nacional Ybycuí) protects one of the last accessible remnants of the Atlantic forest in Paraguay, a green valley of streams and waterfalls only three hours from Asunción in a country that has cleared most of its eastern woodland. Trails run under a closed canopy to the Salto Mina and Salto Guaraní falls, where the water drops into pools cold enough to swim in. The ruins of La Rosada, the first iron foundry in South America, stand in the park and were destroyed by Brazilian troops in 1869. Weekends bring crowds from the capital, so weekdays are quieter.