Encarnación

Encarnación is the most southern city of Paraguay and often called The pearl of the South.

Understand

Encarnación is a short jaunt on a local bus across the river from Posadas, Argentina. A shopping destination for many Argentines availing themselves of the lower taxes and prices, Encarnación is a pleasant, modern and relaxed city. The nearby Jesuit Missions of La Santisima Trinidad de Parana and Jesus de Tavarangue near Encarnación are on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Get in

By bus

• Ciudad del Este stopping at all towns including Trinidad for the Jesuit Mission take about 6 hr and costs GS.60,000.
• Asuncion take about 7 hr. Tickets cost GS.70,000 and the buses pass by San Ignacio Guazú (3 hr).
• Posadas in Argentina Local buses labelled "Internacional", white in colour, depart from several stops in Posadas' centre, all along Calle Entre Rios. They leave regularly, about two per hour. Tickets are AR$6. The bus will drop you off at the Argentinian passport office, and wait for you to re-board. It will cross the bridge, then leave you at the Paraguayan passport office. Unless you are quick, the bus will move on without you, but you can wait and catch the next one (keep your ticket stub!) instead of paying the exorbitant taxi fees. Bus will drop you at the terminal in Encarnación.

By train

• 🌍 Estación Internacional de Pasajeros (a few hundred meters from the bridge, south of city center). A railway shuttle service connects Encarnación to Posadas, Argentina, across the bridge over the Río Paraná. This service departs every 30 minutes during the day and reduces travel time to just over ten minutes. (updated Feb 2019)

Get around

Encarnación is fairly compact, in as much as there isn't a lot to see outside the easily walkable centre. Buses are infrequent, each ride costs around GS.2,500. There are several taxi stands near the plaza and the bus station, should you wish to go further afield.

See

Encarnación as seen from the Argentine side of the river

• 🌍 Casa de la Cultura. 
• 🌍 Plaza de Armas. 
• 🌍 Catedral de Encarnación. 
• 🌍 Orthodox Church (St. Nicolas). Notable for its Cyrillic inscriptions. 

Do

Encarnación's beach

• 🌍 The Beach (Playa San José), End of Curupayty, along the river. The small, artificial beach in Encarnación is surprisingly pleasant. You can stretch out in the sun and soak up the rays, imagining you are at the coast; there is a slight breeze, and the river is wide. You can even go for a dip - apparently it is quite clean and safe. OK for the kids too, as it is not very deep. Yellow buoys separate bathers from jet-skis and boats. If you get hungry, the Hiroshima Grill restaurant has a small outlet on the beach selling snacks and sushi. Free. 

Buy

Unless you're going to Ciudad del Este, the cheapest place to buy just about anything, Encarnación would be a good spot to pick up consumer goods, especially electronics. Lower taxes and consequently lower prices than Argentina.

Eat

• Hiroshima Grill, Corner 25 de Mayo and Lomas Valentinas (Enter through the car park), ☎ [phone]. Opens 19:00, 20:00 some nights. Great Japanese food. Good value set meals. Sushi is quite cheap. Looks a little spartan, but the food and service are good. Mains GS.20,000-90,000, other mostly around GS.50,000. 
• Las Papas Belgas, Avenida Caballero c/ lomas valentina. Authentic Belgian burgers and fries. Excellent service, friendly, English and French-speaking staff and a beer garden. Mains GS.20,000-50,000.. 

Drink

Cold beers available pretty much anywhere.

Sleep

Budget

All three hostels in town are with 500 m. So, check them out each before deciding.

• 🌍 Mallorquin Hostel, ☎ [phone]. Conveniently has a bar at the bottom of the building. Dorm: GS.55,000 (without breakfast). (updated May 2018)
• 🌍 Maui Waui International Hostel, Padre Kreusser 247, ☎ [phone]. Rated highest in the city. But they have a dog. Dorm: GS.55,000/65,000 without/with breakfast. (updated May 2018)
• 🌍 Hostel Colonial, General Gervasio 762, ☎ [phone], [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Also offers camping opportunities. However, the staff is not very helpful and can be a little cold, watching their smartphone all the day. Dorm: GS.55,000/70,000 without/with breakfast. (updated May 2018)
• 🌍 Hotel Parana, Mcal. Estigarribia 1414 (Just beyond the plaza, coming from the bus station side of town), ☎ [phone]. A really good option, steps away from the plaza. Supermarket just down the street, ice cream shop across the road, Karumbé restaurant 20 seconds walk, ATMs around the corner. Nice bread, jam and fresh coffee and fruit juice for breakfast - served by a man in a tux! Hotel is clean and in good condition; some rooms could do with painting, but they are by no means dirty. Staff are helpful, and rather sweet - one was amazed to have foreign guests that spoke some Spanish. Rooms have WiFi (router upstairs, cleverly) and TV. GS.100,000 for double with fan; rooms are available with fridges and air con.. 
• 🌍 Hotel Germano, General Cabañas 488 (Directly opposite the bus station), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Cheapest beds in town, if you get the "economica" rooms. Clean place, welcoming staff, just a little bit impersonal. Economicas: GS.50,000 for single, GS.70,000 for twin. Normal rooms: GS.80,000 for single, GS.100,000 for double, GS.120,000 for twin. 

Mid-range

• 🌍 Hotel Cristal, Mcal. Estigarribia 1157 (with Cerro Corá, in the centre), ☎ [phone]. It's a hotel that has seen its best days, but it's still not bad. A little overpriced for the quality perhaps, but the lady working there is really lovely. GS.150,000 for a double (TV, incl. breakfast). 

Splurge

• 🌍 De la Costa Hotel, Avda. Rodriguez de Francia No. 1240. Very expensive for Paraguay, but also a very, very up-market hotel. Air-con, WiFi, television, fridge. Nice building, and close to the "beach". Friendly, English speaking staff. GS.174,000 for a single, GS.348,000 for a double. 
• 🌍 De la Trinidad Hotel, Mariscal Estigarribia esquina Jorge Memmel (At edge of downtown, one block from bus terminal), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Check-in: 2PM, check-out: 12PM. Double from US$72. (updated Mar 2017)

Go next

Paraguay

• See the Jesuit Missions

Beyond

Always buy your ticket in the offices, not from the guys outside. Some of them are genuine, but others will overcharge or sell tickets for non-existent buses.

• Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Brazil – International buses serve these destinations.
• Posadas, Argentina – The local bus costs GS.9,000 (as of May 2018), takes an hour and bus driver will drop you at the passport control from both Paraguayan and Argentine sides. If you are too slow just keep the bus ticket and take the next one.