Trip readiness checklist for Paraguay
Paraguay is the country nobody visits, which is exactly why the people are so pleased to see you. Here's the trip-readiness checklist for Paraguay: what to pack, when to go, entry rules for your passport, and the official sources to confirm before you fly.
Build my checklistWhat to pack
Paraguay is South America with the tourists removed — Jesuit ruins, wild Chaco, and a national obsession with iced tea. Pack for real heat, and leave room for a guampa (you'll see).
Serious hot-weather clothing
Summer (Dec–Feb) regularly tops 40°C/104°F; the lightest fabrics you own, plus electrolytes.
Sun protection and a brimmed hat
Shade is scarce in the Chaco and at ruins; the sun is relentless.
Insect repellent
Mosquitoes are serious business, especially near rivers and in the wet months.
A layer for winter cold snaps
Southern winter (Jun–Aug) is mild but polar fronts drop temperatures fast.
When to go
The mild winter and shoulder months (May–Sep) are the comfortable time to explore — summer heat is genuinely limiting. Crowds are never the issue here; Paraguay is one of the continent's least-touristed countries, which is precisely its charm.
Money & getting around
Paraguay uses the guaraní (PYG) — expect prices in the tens of thousands; count your zeros. Cash dominates outside Asunción's malls. Tipping ~10% in restaurants. Join the tereré ritual (iced yerba mate passed around) when offered — it's the national handshake.
Local quirks worth knowing
Paraguay is the country nobody visits, which is exactly why the people are so pleased to see you. Bring patience and a thermos.
Tereré all day
Cold yerba mate with ice and herbs, passed round from one gourd. If you are handed it, drink and pass back; saying gracias means you are done.
Guaraní and Spanish, mixed
Most people speak both, often in the same sentence. A few words of Guaraní, like mba'éichapa for hello, earn instant goodwill.
Siesta is serious
From noon to about three, Asunción shuts; shops reopen into the evening. Plan sightseeing for the morning and after four.
Cash, in guaraníes
Notes come in tens of thousands and most things are paid in cash. Cards work in city hotels and malls, less so elsewhere.
Summer is brutal
December to February regularly passes 40 degrees. The Jesuit missions and the Chaco are for the cooler months.
A week in Paraguay, the list starts here
Quantities scale with your dates, the weather groups arrive once we have your travel days, and your own plans add their gear on Trip Pass.
- Passport & travel documents1
- Phone charger & adapter1
- Wallet, cards & some local cash1
- Toiletries bag1
- Any daily medicationsenough for the trip
- Underwear7
- Socks7
- T-shirts / tops5
What am I forgetting?
A real answer from Trip Happens for a sample week in Paraguay, departing in five weeks with a checked bag and nothing packed yet. Yours is built from your own trip.
A week in Asunción, five weeks out, nothing packed yet.
- 1.
Clothes for real heat
You arrive October 20, past the mild May–September window, and the local read is that the heat here is genuinely limiting. Pack light breathable layers and plan the ruins and markets for early morning rather than midday.
- 2.
Guaraní cash, small bills
Cash dominates outside Asunción's malls and prices run in the tens of thousands, so counting zeros at a stall is a skill. Sort out how you'll get guaraní on arrival and keep small notes for tips around ten percent.
- 3.
US entry requirements for Paraguay
You're travelling on a US passport and there's no entry guide loaded for this trip yet. Check the official Paraguayan requirements for US citizens, and check your own passport's expiry date while you're in there.
Entry, advisories & health
These change. Confirm at the official source before you book.
Entry and visa requirements depend on your nationality. Confirm the current rules for Paraguay with the official source below before you book.
U.S. State Department travel advisory for Paraguay — check the current level and any alerts before you go.
CDC traveler health page for Paraguay — recommended vaccines, health notices, and a packing checklist.
Get the full Paraguay checklist
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