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Cars 4 Rental Guide To Travel In  Paraguay

Note: The border areas of the northeastern provinces of Amambay and Canindeyu should be avoided. Crime in Paraguay is increasing so the need to be alert at all times is essential. The threat of terrorist incidents in Paraguay is low. Most visits to Paraguay are trouble-free.

International Airports

Asuncin (ASU) (Silvio Pettirossi) is 16km (10 miles) from the city (travel time – 20 minutes). A coach and taxi service runs to the city. Airport facilities include a bureau de change, duty-free shopping, restaurants and car hire (Hertz).

Air passes: The Mercosur Airpass: Valid within Argentina, Brazil, Chile (except Easter Island), Paraguay and Uruguay. Participating airlines include Aerolneas Argentinas (AR) (however, flights on this airline cannot be combined with any others, as it has no agreements and its tickets are not accepted by other airlines), Austral (AU), LAN-Chile (LA), LAPA (MJ), Pluna (PU), Transbrasil Airlines (TR) and VARIG (RG) with the subsidiary airlines of Nordeste (JH) and Rio Sul (SL). The pass can only be purchased by passengers who live outside South America, who have a return ticket. Only eight flight coupons are allowed with a maximum of four coupons for each country and is valid from 7 to a maximum of 30 days. At least two countries must be visited (to a maximum of five) and the flight route cannot be changed. A maximum of two stopovers is allowed per country.
The Visit South America Pass: Must be bought outside South America in country of residence and allows unlimited travel to 36 cities in the following countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile (except Easter Island), Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. Participating airlines include Aer Lingus (EI), American Airlines (AA), British Airways (BA), Cathay Pacific (CX), Finnair (AY), IBERIA (IB), LAN-Chile (LA) and Qantas (QF). A minimum of three flights must be booked, with no maximum; the maximum stay is 60 days, with no minimum, and prices depend on the amount of flight zones covered. Children under 12 years of age are entitled to a 33 per cent discount and infants (under 2 years old) only pay 10 per cent of the adult fare. For further details, contact one of the participating airlines.


Departure tax: US$18. Transit passengers and children under 2 years of age are exempt.

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Air Travel

Paraguay’s national airline is Transportes Areos del Mercosur (PZ). Airlines operating direct flights to Asuncin include American Airlines (from New York). There are currently no direct flights from London. Most major airlines (including Alitalia, British Airways, Canadian Airlines and Lufthansa) operate connecting flights via Brazil (So Paulo or Rio de Janeiro). There are also a number of scheduled flights to Asuncin from other south American cities, notably Buenos Aires, Santa Cruz (Bolivia) and Santiago (Chile).

Air service is run by Aeronorte, Aerosur, ARPA (Aero Lneas Paraguayas), LADESA (Lneas Areas del Este), LATN (Lneas Areas de Transporte Nacional) and TAM (Transportes Areos del Mercosur). The most popular visitors’ flight is to the Iguaz Falls from Asuncin with Varig Airways (RG). Air-taxis are popular with those wishing to discover the Paraguayan Chaco (see Resorts & Excursions section). Travel agencies offer daily city tours, but services suffer from frequent disruption by weather conditions.

Approximate flight times: From Asuncin to London is 15 to 19 hours, depending on the route taken.

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Travel By Water

There are 2500km (1563 miles) of navigable rivers in Paraguay and there are ferry links with Argentina, Bolivia and Brazil. Travellers using the river to travel to Argentina should note that the Posadas (Argentina)–Encarnacin (Paraguay) route is 321km (200 miles) shorter than the more traditional route to Buenos Aires. It traverses the Argentine provinces of Misiones and Corrientes and then proceeds across a bridge over the Paran River to Resistencia. Those who prefer to continue along the left bank of the Paran River will have to travel to Paran, provincial capital of Entre Ros, crossing under the Paran River in the tunnel between the cities of Paran and Santa F. It is also possible to reach Paraguay by river from Brazil, in boats which connect Asuncin with the Brazilian city of Corumba.

River cruises to the main tourist attractions and throughout the Chaco are available. For further details, contact the Direccin de Turismo (see Contact Addresses section).

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Rail

A weekly service links Asuncin and Encarnacin – which are 431km (268 miles) apart – using original steam locomotives. There is also a weekly service from San Salvador to Abay. Services are often unreliable, however, and whole routes may be abandoned for months at a time.

There is no through service to Argentina, but a weekly train from Asuncin serves Posadas in Argentina by means of a train-ferry, with connections to Concordia and Buenos Aires. The rail services are very slow.

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Travel By Road

Traffic drives on the right. Roads serving the main centres are in good condition. However, unsurfaced roads may be closed in bad weather. Approximately 10 per cent of roads are surfaced. A highway links Asuncin with Iguaz Falls, a drive of up to 6 hours. Some travellers have reported problems with police checks; it is also advisable to lock doors. Bus: Often the best and cheapest method of transport within Paraguay. For longer distances, advance booking may be necessary. There are express links to major centres. Car hire: Cars can be hired at the airport or through local tourist agencies. Documentation: National driving licence or International Driving Permit are both accepted.

URBAN: Bus and minibus services are provided by private companies in Asuncin, with two-zone fares collected by conductors. There also remain two routes of the government-operated tramway.

TRAVEL TIMES: The following chart gives approximate travel times (in hours and minutes) from Asuncin to other major cities in Paraguay.


AirRoadRailRiver
Pedro Juan Caballero1.1511.00-13.00
Concepcin1.0012.00-14.00
Ciudad del Este1.055.00--
Valle M1.30--15.00
Encarnacin1.105.0014.009.00
The roads from Ro and So Paulo to Asuncin (via the Iguaz Falls) are paved and generally good, as is the one from Buenos Aires. Another road link to Argentina is via the San Roque Gonzlez de Santa Cruz bridge in Encarnacin across the Paran river. Bus: There are daily services from Rio de Janeiro and So Paulo, Buenos Aires (Argentina), Crdoba, Rosario and Santa F, and Montevideo (Uruguay).

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Car Hire Paraguay

Cars 4 Rental can provide car hire vehicles in all the popular locations throughout Paraguay.

Whatever your requirements Cars 4 Rental will be able to provide a car to meet your needs. Our hire cars can be equipped with many optional extras including child seats so that your car rental is ideally suited to your needs.

Hire a car in Paraguay

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