Best Time to Visit Paraguay

Asunción and the rest of the country

Our data covers Asunción, the capital, on the Paraguay River. It's the easiest base for most trips. The Chaco, the dry, thinly settled west, is hotter and emptier. The east is greener and more humid. Asunción's timing is a good guide for the east, but the Chaco gets harsher in summer.

June to September: the best window

This is winter, and it's the most comfortable time to visit. Days are mild and the heat that wears you down in summer is gone. It's good for walking around the old centre, the Palacio de López and the Costanera, the riverside promenade. It's also the right time for day trips to Areguá, a lakeside town known for ceramics and strawberries, and San Bernardino on Lake Ypacaraí.

Nights can feel cool, and houses often have no heating. Bring a jumper for the evenings.

Summer: hot and stormy

January is the hottest month at 34°C, and the afternoons are sticky. Locals drink tereré, cold herbal mate, to cope. Rain comes in big bursts, and November is the wettest month at 176 mm. Dirt roads outside the cities can turn to mud, which matters if you're heading to the Jesuit ruins of Trinidad and Jesús near Encarnación.

December and January are also the main school-holiday months. Many Paraguayans travel, and Christmas and New Year are family time, so some shops close for a few days.

Holidays, events and seasons

Caacupé, east of Asunción, hosts a huge pilgrimage on 8 December for the Virgin of Caacupé. Roads and buses get packed. Holy Week in March or April is another quiet, family-focused stretch, and many places close on Thursday and Friday. Independence Day is on 14 and 15 May.

High season for locals is the summer holidays and Holy Week. For visitors, there's no big tourist rush anywhere. That makes June to September the sweet spot: better weather and calmer streets. If you don't mind heat, the low-season months can be cheaper and quieter.