One of the least visited countries in South America has some great history, birding, and Asado!!!
Paraguay is a country that is not often visited on the list of countries in South America, compared to Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina and Chile. However it does offer a wide range of activities from the historic center of Asuncion to the many birding and wildlife activities among the Rio Paraguay as well as the Chaco region.
First off, just like its neighbors of Brazil, Chile, Argentina and Uruguay, grilling or Asado is king here. It is not uncommon to go into a supermarket to find some of the best cuts of meat for more than half the price you will find in USA, UK, or Europe. It is also not uncommon to go into a steak restaurant and order twice as much food as you would in the above countries and pay three times less of the price.
The Paraguay River pretty much runs through the country and the biggest city on this river is Asuncion. I took a full day excursion as I have heard the birding and wildlife is good along the river. I was extremely impressed with so many different species of birds. I also learned some of their names in Spanish which was quite interesting. Among some of the species I saw were Egrets, Long Necked Heron, Cormorant, three types of Kingfishers including the Amazon Kingfisher, American wood stork, Black headed vulture, Blue Egret, Osprey, Pink Spoonbills, lapwings, and Tiger Egret among many others. As I like to photograph Kingfishers as they are on the move a lot, it is always a challenge, especially photographing birds in with the sun in a bad position. An added bonus to this was an old church from the 1860s that was built for the then president of Paraguay. It had fallen into disrepair but looks like there is efforts underway to restore it.
An added bonus to all the birding was near the late afternoon we ran into a family of Howler Monkeys that were feasting up on the trees from the banks of the river. With the males being more dark than the females and babies, these guys were hard to photograph, but luckily they were interested in the boat and kept looking down. If only the sun was in a good direction, their features could become more clear. However it was nice to watch them hang around in the trees going about their everyday life and them being just as much interested in me as I was of them.
Asuncion has a lot to offer and tourism is not a big thing here. With an up and coming district with restaurants and bars on every corner, to the historic center with new buildings popping up next to old buildings, this city is great for photography. It is not as bustling as other South American cities, but offers a good glimpse into a relaxed lifestyle. Mercado 4 was a bustling market where you can pretty much find anything your heart desires and more!!!! I did do a historical tour to learn about the fascinating history after Spanish colonization up until the present and saw some very interesting sites from where the government operates to different monuments scattered about the historic center.
Overall I was extremely surprised by this country and there is a lot more to visit here. It may be one of the best kept secrets in South America and I believe within a few years the tourism will start picking up, so people can travel around this incredible place!!!