Practical Information for visiting Paraneña

Coverage for mobile networks is good across the eastern region with 4G in the cities and along the main roads, from Tigo, Personal and Claro.

Local SIM cards are very cheap and easy to obtain with a passport; data bundles cost little.

Wi-Fi is standard in hotels, hostels and cafes in Asuncion, Encarnacion and Ciudad del Este, with variable speeds.

Signal thins in the rural departments and the forest reserves, though it is far better than in the Chaco.

Power cuts are fairly common, particularly in summer storms, despite the country generating a large surplus of electricity; most hotels have generators.

Eastern Paraguay is generally safe for visitors, with ordinary urban precautions and two areas worth understanding.

• Asuncion: petty theft and occasional robbery. Avoid the riverside bananero neighbourhoods, do not display phones or jewellery, and use app taxis at night.
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• Ciudad del Este and the border area is a major contraband hub. The commercial centre is fine in daylight but crowded and pickpocket-heavy; keep documents secure at the crossing.
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• The northern departments near Concepcion and the Brazilian border have an ongoing problem with an armed group and organised crime; check current advice before travelling there.
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• Driving: unlit vehicles, motorcycles without lights and animals on the road after dark.
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• Summer heat and violent thunderstorms.
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• Protests can close roads.

Private clinics in Asuncion are reasonable and inexpensive; public facilities are stretched and rural provision is thin. Travel insurance is important, and anything complex means the capital.

Vaccinations: routine cover plus hepatitis A and typhoid; yellow fever is recommended for Paraguay and a certificate may be required for onward travel to some countries.

Dengue is endemic with serious outbreaks most years, and chikungunya and Zika occur. Use repellent consistently — the mosquito that carries dengue bites in daylight.

Chagas disease is endemic in rural areas; avoid sleeping in unimproved adobe or thatch housing without a net.

Heat and humidity in summer are the most likely problem.

Water: bottled or filtered outside the main cities.

Pharmacies are widespread and dispense freely.

Terere etiquette is the important one: accept when offered, drink the whole serving, hand the guampa back to the server rather than passing it on, and never wipe the bombilla.

Greetings: a handshake, or a kiss on both cheeks between women and between men and women who know each other, and buenos dias before any request.

A word of Guarani is disproportionately well received.

Punctuality is loose socially and expected for buses.

At the missions, do not climb on the stonework or move the carved blocks.

Photography: ask before photographing people, especially in indigenous communities.

Dress is casual but neat; beachwear stays at the river.

Religion is taken seriously; be respectful at Caacupe.

Emergency numbers: 911 for police, 132 for fire and 141 for ambulance.

Medical. Private hospitals in Asuncion — Bautista, Migone and others — are the best in the country and inexpensive by international standards, with payment expected at the time. Outside the capital, facilities are limited.

Summer storms bring power cuts, flooding and fallen trees, and can close roads with little warning.

River flooding affects the low-lying parts of Asuncion in high-water years.

At the border, get your passport stamped on both sides — the Friendship Bridge crossing is busy and it is easy to be waved through without one, which causes serious problems later.

Tourist police operate in Asuncion and at the main sites.

Most embassies are in Asuncion.