Things to do in Encarnación
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Encarnación
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
High summer and peak season, with beach swimming from December and carnival on Saturdays in January and February.
Autumn cooling makes this the best window for walking the exposed mission ruins, with fewer visitors.
Mild dry winter, the most walkable months, with August the driest and the WRC rally filling the city at its end.
Spring warms up and October is the wettest month, so keep a flexible day for rain in this stretch.
What's on
- Carnaval Encarnaceno Saturday nights in January and February
Paraguay biggest carnival, with comparsas competing at the Sambódromo and visitors across the season above 100,000.
- WRC Rally del Paraguay Late August when on the WRC calendar; check dates
World Rally Championship round based in Encarnación, with stages across Itapúa and a Costanera super special stage.
- Virgen de Itacuá pilgrimage season December
Devotees from across Itapúa visit the Santuario de la Virgen de Itacuá, adding pressure to December rooms.
Best things to do in Encarnación
Costanera de Encarnación
The riverfront promenade along the Paraná where the whole city walks at sunset, with Posadas in view across the water.
Playa San José
The main city beach on the Paraná, with serviced sand, shallow warm water, lifeguards in season and the best sunsets in town.
Centro Cívico de Encarnación
The Sambódromo home of the Carnaval Encarnaceno, where comparsas compete on Saturday nights in January and February.
Plaza de Armas
The shaded main square whose immigrant community corners explain the mix of cultures that shapes this border city.
Catedral de Encarnación
The calm working cathedral a block from Plaza de Armas, the natural second stop on a walk through the centre.
Iglesia Ortodoxa San Jorge
The green domed Orthodox church near the plaza, the visible sign of the large Ukrainian community in Itapúa.
Museo del Ferrocarril
The railway museum in the old station quarter, explaining how the train made this river city a trading city.
Museo Casa de la Victoria
A small municipal museum of Chaco War memory, the most substantive indoor history stop inside the city itself.
Where to stay in Encarnación
Centro and Costanera
first trip, walking base
Walk to Playa San José at sunset, Plaza de Armas, the cathedral and most restaurants, with taxis out to the missions.
Quiteria
resort stays and quiet
Green river arm setting west of the centre around the Awa Resort, a taxi ride from the centre sights.
Avenida Irrazábal
value, parking and casino nights
A broad avenue east of the centre with the Carnaval Hotel Casino, easy parking and a short drive to the Costanera.
Think twice about
- Circuito Comercial by the international bridge
Border shopping sprawl with bridge queues, heavy traffic and the city main pickpocket watch. Shop there if you like, do not sleep there.
- Far Ruta 1 highway strips
Highway motels far outside the centre are fine with a car and pointless without one, leaving you taxi dependent for everything.
- Unlit far Costanera stretches late at night
The lit waterfront by Playa San José is a city strength, but dark far ends of the long riverfront are best avoided late at night.
Best restaurants in Encarnación
Milord
The city special occasion table at the boutique hotel, with polished service and steaks anchoring the splurge menu.
Novo Rodeio - Rey do lazo
A Brazilian style steakhouse built around rodizio and a large buffet, the feast choice for groups and families.
Ribera Restó
River fish fine dining at the Awa Resort, where surubí gets an international treatment in a quiet piano room.
Hiroshima Restaurante
A serious owner driven Japanese restaurant reflecting the local Japanese community, with teishoku sets and sashimi.
Portobello Pasta & Birra
Mid range pasta and beer in a European leaning room, the reliable lighter night after a rodizio feast.
Vicio's
A long running local favourite for South American food, popular for delivery and takeaway as well as eating in.
Fusión Chef Pizza y Terraza Costanera
Pizza on a terrace by the Costanera at sunset, a relaxed and family easy format the waterfront was built for.
Las Papas Belgas
A small spot proud of its Belgian fries, serving artisanal burgers and a beef bourguignon at cheap prices.
Outdoor things to do in Encarnación
Misión Jesuítica Guaraní de la Santísima Trinidad de Paraná
The most complete Jesuit Guaraní mission in Paraguay, a vast stone church and town best seen early or at sunset.
Ruinas Jesuíticas de Jesús de Tavarangüé
The great unfinished Jesuit church near Trinidad, frozen as a building site when the Jesuits were expelled in 1767.
Misión Jesuítica Guaraní de San Cosme y San Damián
The least visited mission, still a working church, with a Jesuit astronomy past, a precise sundial and a planetarium.
Dunas de San Cosme y Damián
Pale sand dunes rising from the Paraná near San Cosme, reached by boat and best paired with the mission there.
Playa Mboi Ka'e
The locals second beach west along the Costanera, large and lifeguarded in season, with volleyball and picnic space.
Playa Pacu Cuá
The quietest of the city beaches, with fewer services, a tranquil feel and strong sunset views over the Paraná.
Complejo Ecológico Museo del Árbol
An eco complex in Nueva Alborada with ziplines, a bike zipline, swings and viewpoints, pairing well with a missions day.
AguaVista Club de Campo
A private 18 hole championship golf course near Encarnación with Paraná views, arranged through members in advance.
Best hotels in Encarnación
Awa Resort Hotel
The city resort splurge on a Paraná arm in Quiteria, with extensive grounds, pools, spa and its own restaurant.
Savoy Hotel Encarnación
The polished city hotel alternative to the resort, with a pool and a central position at the top local tier.
Alula Hotel Encarnacion
The newest top rated boutique name in the city, with a pool and poolside bar, on a still young review base.
Carnaval Hotel Casino
The best value serious hotel in the city, with two pools, a spa, a casino and a well reviewed restaurant.
Milord Hotel Boutique
The boutique choice in the centre, with the city top restaurant downstairs and boutique scale throughout.
De la Trinidad Hotel
The reliable mid range hotel by the water, with a spa and a long record among the city beach area stays.
Colonial Hostel
The backpacker base near Playa San José and the bus station, with a terrace, a big kitchen and local advice.
Kerana Hostel
A well ranked budget hostel in the centre whose breakfast travellers single out, a sound second cheap base.
Is Encarnación expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | PYG 180,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | PYG 420,000 a person |
| Splurge | PYG 900,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Centro Cívico de Encarnación: weeks ahead
- Dunas de San Cosme y Damián: a few days ahead
- Complejo Ecológico Museo del Árbol: a few days ahead
- AguaVista Club de Campo: weeks ahead
- Represa Yacyretá: a few days ahead
- Milord: a few days ahead
- Novo Rodeio - Rey do lazo: a few days ahead
- Ribera Restó: a few days ahead
- Book hotels weeks ahead for carnival in January and February and for the WRC rally weekend in late August.
- Reserve a Yacyretá tour in advance through the binational entity and arrange any AguaVista golf round through the club.
- Book Milord and Hiroshima for weekend dinners, especially in carnival season.
Is Encarnación safe?
- Encarnación is widely regarded as one of the safest cities in Paraguay, and the lit Costanera is busy with families.
- Keep valuables at the hotel in carnival crowds and stay aware around the bridge queues and commercial circuit.
- Swim at lifeguarded beaches in season and respect Paraná currents beyond the marked beach areas.
- Heat and sun are the main risks, so carry water, shade and a hat, and plan air conditioning in summer.
Encarnación travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- The Circuito Comercial is a border price market, not a sight, and it carries the city main traffic and pickpocket risk.
- Playa San José at summer weekend midday is crowded and shadeless, while the same beach at sunset is delightful.
- Arriving at the exposed mission ruins at noon in summer is the standard way to ruin them, so start early.
- Posadas is a pleasant garnish of a day trip, never a substitute for the Jesuit missions.
Getting around Encarnación: public transport and more
- Walk the centre and Costanera early and late, and rent a bicycle to link San José, Mboi Ka'e and Pacu Cuá.
- Use taxis for Quiteria, Avenida Irrazábal and the terminal, and keep small guaraní notes for fares.
- Local buses run from the terminal toward Trinidad every 20 to 30 minutes in traveller accounts, taking about an hour.
- Posadas is a half day across the bridge by bus or car with a passport, and bridge queues build at peaks and weekends.
Who Encarnación suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Encarnación your trip
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