Facts about Paraguay in the land of the Iguassu FallsFacts about Paraguay tell you about Ciudad del Este and its people. What about lodging in Ciudad del Este on your visit to Iguassu Falls? This city is only a few miles away from the falls and has some very interesting local attractions. Here’s what you need to know about this curious city that breeds the shopping frenzy of down town Hong Kong or Miami with the rhythm of Brazilian samba and the tranquil and friendly ways of Paraguayans. Facts about Paraguay also introduce you into the little known and fascinating Paraguayan culture. Paraguay is a most interesting country, one of the least Europeanized and deeply rooted into the even least known native Guarani culture. Ciudad del Este Our facts about Paraguay start with Ciudad del Este a city located on the Eastern Paraguayan frontier with Brazil and Argentina and only a few miles away from the
Iguassu Falls.
To the East, Ciudad del Este is connected with Foz do Iguaçu (Brazil) crossing the ‘Puente de la Amistad’ or Friendship Bridge over the Paraná River. You have to cross this bridge when coming to shop in Ciudad del Este from Foz do Iguassu or Puerto Iguazu (Argentina) and also have to cross it to visit the Iguassu Falls if you lodge in Ciudad del Este. To the West the Route Nº 7 connects you to Asunción the capital city of Paraguay 327 km. (203 miles) away.
Ciudad del Este is Paraguay(s) second largest city (pop. 300,000) and Capital of the Alto Paraná Department. Paraguay is a small, landlocked country with unique charms: the Paraguayan people and a beautiful natural environment that remains almost untouched and hidden to most international visitors. Facts about Paraguay #1: Ciudad del Este’s advantages for visitors. Though tourist infrastructure is more modest than what Foz do Iguaçu (Brazil) and Puerto Iguazú (Argentina) actually offer, Ciudad del Este has very interesting attractions and some advantages:
Discover Paraguay when discovering Iguassu Falls. Paraguay has very interesting attractions you can visit when visiting Iguassu Falls. They are withing a short distance from the falls and can add unexpected charm and adventure to your trip. To know about this, please read our Places to Visit in Paraguay page. Facts about Paraguay #2: Small hotels offer a peaceful and familiar atmosphere. If you are looking for a 5 star international hotel in Ciudad del Este you won’t find it. Instead, you will find the small family-run kind of hotel with a friendly and tranquil atmosphere. That’s the Paraguayan way of doing things, small, tranquil and friendly. If you want to read about hotels in Ciudad del Este please move to our
Iguassu Falls Hotels page.
Facts about Paraguay #3: Downtown Ciudad del Este an awesome place to go shopping. Down town Ciudad del Este is a city ruled by the law of supply and demand. A giant free marketplace with little government regulation where people from the world come to sale and buy imported goods.
What is the result? It is a somewhat disordered place full of people walking in all directions, people of different origins speaking in different languages, eating Chinese, Paraguayan, Brazilian or even Arabian, Spanish, German or Greek food (we have some good and affordable restaurants to recommend you) but all these people have one thing in common: they are here to take advantage of a duty and tax free shopping market.
Down Town Ciudad del Este is the world’s third largest tax free shopping center after Miami and Hong Kong, a busy place full of buyers and sellers of all kinds of imported goods. You can buy almost anything here at bargain prices. Here’s a first view of Down Town Ciudad del Este as you see it when entering the city from the ‘Puente de la Amistad’ or Friendship Bridge.
Fact about Paraguay #4: Brazilian atmosphere in Paraguay. Downtown Ciudad del Este is not a typical Paraguayan city, even though many Paraguayans work there the ‘official’ language is Portuguese and the local currency (the Guarani) is almost unseen. Instead everything is quoted in USD or Real (the Brazilian currency). The reasons for this are simple, many of the local businesses are run and owned by Brazilians and most of the customers are also Brazilians. The city pulsates to the rhythm of the USD/Real exchange rate, Brazilian visitors and business soars when the Real is strong against the Dollar and vice versa. Facts about Paraguay #5: The shopping popularity of the city has one setback.
One negative fact about Ciudad del Este is congestion and traffic jams on the Friendship Bridge. This can be a problem if you cross the bridge on peak business hours. We once got stuck with our car waiting to cross the bridge for two hours in the burning summer sun when usually it doesn’t take you more than 20 minutes to cross. Brazilians have a 300 USD annual duty-free buying allowance on imported goods and this is exploited by thousands of professional buyers called ‘sacoleiros’ (bag carriers in Portuguese) who come here with specific buying orders (mostly computer hardware parts) from Sao Paulo customers. Each ‘sacoleiro’ really buys much more than the 300 USD limit when coming here, they cross the Friendship Bridge back and forth many times in one same day and the Brazilian customs authorities until now don’t keep a registry of the people using the 300 USD allowance. In other words the ‘sacoleiro’ business is an ‘ant smuggling’ business that crowds the bridge at certain hours.
You can cross the Friendship Bridge on foot, car, taxi or public bus.
Crossing the bridge on foot (many do this during peak hours to avoid congestion) gives you time to stare the mighty Paraná River as seen from the bridge.
Shoppers in a hurry to cross during the worst congestion hours use a picturesque means of transportation. If you don’t mind riding on a motorcycle zigzagging in between jammed cars the ‘motoqueiros’ give you a lift on their motorcycle for a fee of about 1 USD and cross to other side in minutes. Helmet is provided!
But hopefully the congestion problem on the Friendship Bridge seems to be coming to an end; Brazilian authorities are going to start tracking Brazilian buyers crossing the bridge starting in 2.006 and the construction of a second bridge over the Parana River is scheduled to start in March 2.006.
Facts about Paraguay # 6: Know the right timing to cross the Friendship Bridge. If you are lodging in Ciudad del Este and want to visit the Iguassu Falls you have to cross the Friendship Bridge. To avoid congestion problems, here are the best hours to cross the bridge: • Going to Iguassu Falls (crossing from Ciudad del Este to Foz do Iguassu). Early morning hours (from 7 am to 9 am) are the best (the earlier the better). • Coming back from Iguassu Falls (crossing from Foz do Iguassu to Ciudad del Este). Late afternoon hours (4 pm and later) are the best. You can cross the Friendship Bridge without congestion problems any day during night hours and anytime on Sundays and Brazilian holidays.
Facts about Paraguay #7: Is Ciudad del Este a secure place to visit? This is something we are frequently asked. I’ve read and heard Ciudad del Este is an insecure place to visit. Such sayings are mistaken or overstated, as frequent visitors we have not experienced or seen anything that can confirm this.
The fact is some 50,000 people visit Down Town Ciudad del Este every day for shopping purposes (mothers and kids included).Down Town Ciudad del Este has the normal risk that you can find in any frontier city with crowded streets during business hours. Beyond taking the precautions that any tourist would take when walking on a congested sidewalk in a busy city you can fully enjoy your shopping here.
Our security tips when shopping in Down Town Ciudad del Este , Foz do Iguaçu or Puerto Iguazú are the same: • Wear simple casual clothes that won’t call people’s attention (see the pictures of shoppers on this page). • Do not wear jewels or any visible valuables. • Keep your camera or camcorder inside your bag or purse when not using it. • Make your buys in recommended secure shops and shopping centers.
One of the facts about Paraguay(s) way of doing business is that they bargain and we find this very fun to do. Please notice that if you are going to make small purchases in any of the many open street shops or small shops (usually owned by Paraguayans) only cash payments are accepted. Bring small change (US Dollars or Real) and no matter how cheap a price might seem to you, always bargain before closing a deal. 
Larger shops and shopping centers (usually owned by Brazilians) are different (more like you would expect in a civilized city), there is no bargaining there and they accept credit card payments.
When coming to down town Ciudad del Este take your time, don’t hurry and be prepared to walk yourself around. Walking the streets, moving in between the shops scattered on the sidewalks and going inside and out of large shopping galleries gives you the feel of this fascinating place full of unexpected surprises.
You will find almost anything that money can buy, common and rare alike, from high tech electronics and sophisticated golfing gear to hand made Paraguayan crafts passing through Arabian water pipes.
We recommend you take a walk in the ‘Paseo San Blas’ a pedestrians-only walkway with many small shops with interesting typical Paraguayan crafts (clothing and leather goods).
The ‘Paseo San Blas’ is decorated with beautiful murals of native Guarani motives by Paraguayan artists. The original Paraguayan art and culture deserves a separated chapter that you can read about moving from our Facts about Paraguay page to Culture of Paraguay. Facts about Paraguay # 9: The Lai Lai Center for computer hardware shopping. 
If you are interested in computer hardware we recommend the Lai Lai Center. It is a six storey shopping building packed with computer specialty stores. This is probably the most crowded shopping center because most of the ‘sacoleiros’ come here to buy cpu’s, memory chips, hard disks and mother boards.
As an important provider of the large Brazilian market Ciudad del Este is frequently used as a ‘test market’ by manufacturers for new releases of state of the art computer technologies. It’s not rare to see that new products are sold here before they are officially launched in the United States. You can buy ready to use desktops, laptops, computer parts and accessories, absolutely everything related to information technology. Prices of computer products are rock bottom low, in average 50% lower than in Sao Paulo which explains why Brazilians come here to shop these things, why not take advantage of this when you are coming to Iguassu Falls?
Facts about Paraguay #10: Monalisa, Ciudad del Este’s finest shopping center.
If you love to buy the most renowned international brands of anything that carries them and walk yourself in a refined atmosphere, Monalisa is your place to visit.
When entering this awesome place you will first find a world of famous French perfumes and beauty products.
You can then descend to a great wine cellar.
And a friendly expert will recommend you the best wines that money can buy.
The dark ambient and controlled temperature of this place is designed to preserve the quality of this treasure of beverages... and to put you in the mood to bring part of it to your own cellar.
Going up the moving stairs you will discover everything you would expect in the finest stores of New York or Paris. China, brand suites and clothing, golfing gear...
...or even concert pianos played by a talented pianist!
At the highest floor of the shopping you will find something you will use under your feet: Authentic Persian Carpets. There is an incredible variety of designs and materials to peak from. An important thing is you will be advised by an expert who knows everything about these unique Iranian crafts; carpets that don’t fly but have the magic to change the looks of your home or office.Monalisa is not a large shopping; you can walk all of it in minutes but will not want to leave for hours; a perfect combination of refinement and excellent personalized attention. If you find yourself hungry there is an excellent restaurant inside Monalisa where you can taste delicious fish dishes prepared with fresh produce from the nearby Parana River (open only for lunch). Monalisa closes its doors at 5 p.m.
Quiet, uncrowded neighborhoods with beautiful green spaces full of trees, suburban Ciudad del Este is the place of residence of Paraguayans. Many foreigners (retired and working alike) have also made this place their home for different reasons: year round warm benign climate, cheap housing and low cost of living, a beautiful and pollution-free natural environment and the personal warmth of Paraguayan people.
Facts about Paraguay #12: The Lago de la Republica residential area. 
Nearest from Downtown Ciudad del Este is the ‘Lago de la Republica’ (Lake of the Republic) area, it is the mini Central Park of the city where many residents do their daily jogging and walking exercises and place of some of the most luxurious homes.
There are also high end private schools and universities here which give the area a juvenile atmosphere. The Lago de la Republica is an artificial lake where rowing enthusiasts do their training.
Facts about Paraguay #13: The ‘Area 1’ residential area.
A little farther away from Downtown Ciudad del Este are the neighborhoods originally planned and built by Itaipu (the giant hydroelectric dam co-owned by Paraguay and Brazil located not far away) for its employees. Now most of the neighborhoods are privately owned by residents and open to anybody who wants to live there. Among them the one we like most is ‘Area 1’ (urban planners and engineers weren’t very creative naming the Ituaipu neighborhoods) because it has large open green areas and parks that preserve the original forests of this land. You have to visit this place to really appreciate its beauty.
Facts about Paraguay #14: The Exclusive Parana Country Club. Half way up the road to the north connecting Ciudad del Este with the Itaipu Dam is the Parana Country Club the pearl of all residential areas near down town Ciudad del Este. Technically it belongs to the neighboring Hernandarias County but locals consider it part of Ciudad del Este. This is a closed and exclusive neighborhood developed upon a unique peninsula with stunning views of the Parana and Acaray rivers. The commercial area holds many restaurants and shops, a supermarket, private schools and university. The residential area is built around two 9 holes golf courts and a beautiful Club House (where you can also play tennis, ping-pong, soccer, basketball and swim). Here’s where you will find the majority of European’s living in Ciudad del Este. Facts about Paraguay #15: Just Imagine you were living there There is something magical about living in the Paraná Country Club no mater if you are there on vacation, for working reasons or as a retired person (there are quite a few retired Europeans living there). Role playing is maybe the best way to explain you this magic so, why not imagine a day of your life in this authentic paradise?
Tranquility is one of the main facts about Paraguay and its people, and tranquility is perhaps the most notable quality of the Paraná Country Club where the loudest sound you can hear is the singing of wild birds, especially when you wake up early in the morning.
Making friends here is easy, especially among Paraguayans who are warm and friendly people. Most inhabitants of the Paraná Country Club are Paraguayan families, wealthy owners of businesses in downtown Ciudad del Este or rich soybean farmers and cattle raisers. There are also professionals like doctors, dentists, lawyers, accountants and so on. Your imagined neighbor, for instance, is a Paraguayan named Alcides married to Gladis and father of four children (Paraguayan families are almost always numerous). Alcides owns two gasoline stations in Ciudad del Este. He is the son of a rich merchant who arrived to Ciudad del Este when it was little more than a few huts in the middle of the jungle. The terrains he bought for peanuts back then have made him a real estate millionaire today.
Facts about Paraguay # 16:One important social tip When living in the Parana Country Club and in Paraguay saying hello to every person you meet (no matter if you know him or not) is one of the important social facts about Paraguay you cannot forget, it’s considered impolite not to do so. Everybody deserves your greeting here no mater his social condition. Your greeting will usually be answered with warmth and consideration because Paraguayans consider personal relations very important. As a foreigner they will open their arms to you without any reserves but you will have to make the first move because they are commonly timid with foreigners. What is your first move? Yes, you guessed right, say hello to him and you will probably start a friendship that lasts a lifetime. When you say “Buenos días Alcides, cómo está?” (Good morning Alcides how are you?) he will probably answer you with one word: “Tranquilo” which of course means tranquil. Paraguayans are tranquil persons who love tranquility so if he feels good he answers you “tranquilo” which means everything is fine with me. After that you can start chatting with him like friends.
Facts about Paraguay # 17: A country with incredible natural sceneries
Your house is located looking to the mighty Paraná River so you have a breathtaking view of this water course that has inspired legends, poems and music for its beauty and greatness. The privilege of having the Paraná in your backyard allows you to stare its hypnotizing and steadily moving waters from the balcony of your bedroom while the fresh morning air caresses your face. The sky is blue and the soft scent of the surrounding forest gives you a silent “good morning” while you stretch your lazy muscles after a good night sleep
Facts about Paraguay # 18: A place to live in contemplation
The fresh morning air invites you for a little jogging before breakfast. All you have to do is walk out the door of your home and a world of lonely roads, trees and beautiful gardens are waiting to give you company. Nobody perturbs you; it’s only you, your breathing and the sounds of Nature while you run the circuit you planed beforehand. After a good shower it’s time for breakfast, as you prepare yourself a coffee with toasts and “guayaba” marmalade a typical Paraguayan product you learned to appreciate, the kitchen windows invite you to the garden. While sitting on your favorite garden chair you can watch a “mainumby” (humming bird in Guarani) is visiting your Chivato tree blossomed with deep red flowers. It’s December and Nature has decorated this plant as it does every year in Paraguay with an exquisite combination of greens and reds just in time for Christmas.
One of the facts about Paraguay and especially of life in the Paraná Country Club is that here it is easier to own your time and do what you please with it. No schedules, no strict appointments, no hurries, no pressures and no stress, only the passing of days and nights to the rhythms of Nature.
Facts about Paraguay # 20: Paraguayans also enjoy Golf
You call Roberto (your caddie) and both go for a golf session. There you find yourself with other golfing friends. The hours pass without noticing it and all of the sudden hunger strikes you finishing hole 9.
You decide a fast lunch with your friends at the Club House discussing the play of that morning and making fun of each other before you continue with the next 9 holes. By the time you are finished with hole 18 most of your day has passed in the golf court. The Green Fee for visitors is worth USD 30 but if you are living here you only have to pay a monthly flat maintenance fee of about USD 70 and your Green Fee goes down to only USD 5.
But the day has not yet finished because it’s summer and there is sunlight until 8 pm. What about some refreshing swimming in the beautiful Club House pool? You can stay there until late at night enjoying with your friends a tasty caipirinia (a typical Brazilian drink) or a good Paraguayan beer.
With mild short winters and warm long summers the climate is benign throughout the year, one of the facts about Paraguay is you don’t need to neither worry about heating those freezing winters of other latitudes nor preparing for the possibility of hurricanes, nothing of that happens here. Weather is easy, steady and almost always warm here, just the same way Paraguayans are. Having plenty of shadows under the trees is important; this is the natural air conditioning in Paraguay’s warm climate. Of course you have a good air conditioning system in your house but remember you will want to pass much time in the beautiful open of your garden.
Facts about Paraguay #21: Paraguayans know how to nap
Having a Paraguayan hammock in your balcony or garden is ideal for napping or laying down to read your favorite books. Sometimes I think being able to do this in this place justifies all previous efforts in my life.
Facts about Paraguay # 22: Paraguayans love to gather and have fun
Another of the facts about Paraguay’s social life is Paraguayans like to have fun doing recreational activities in contact with Nature. If you are European you might like playing soccer and Paraguayans are soccer lovers too. It’s common here that friends gather to play a soccer match. Volleyball is also very popular here. Another favorite leisure activity of Paraguayans is organizing fishing escapes. If you like fishing Paraguay offers incredible opportunities for the practice of this sport. Paraguay is a land covered with many unspoiled rivers and every Paraguayan seems to know a secret fishing place of its own.
Facts about Paraguay # 23: Paraguay is perfect for garden lovers
If you like gardening to work your garden will be a great pastime with many satisfactions. A perfect natural combination of climate, soil and water seems to make everything grow so easily here year round. The variety of flowers and plants you can grow is astonishing and the beauty of Paraguayan gardens is a gift to the eyes and soul.
If you are a birdwatcher Paraguay is one of the least explored bird paradises in the world with hundreds of species to observe in natural unspoiled environments. Birds love trees and water and one of the facts about Paraguay is it is a heaven made of ‘montes’ (wild forests) and rivers. Inside your own home and in the Paraná Country Club you’ll already have plenty of opportunities to observe birds and only minutes away from there you will find several almost virgin natural reserves managed by Itaipú (the hydroelectric Dam located a few miles away). To visit those reserves is free; all you have to do is ask for an entrance permit in the Itaipú environmental administration. Ending the ‘role playing’ we started a few paragraphs above and going back to reality, one of the notable facts about Paraguay is that friendliness and personal relations are the backbone of Paraguay’s culture and you notice it right away when coming here. If you think living here is only for millionaires you are wrong. The value of properties is rock bottom low compared to paradises in other parts of the world and the cost of living here is the lowest in the region and one of the lowest in the world. Worried with isolation from the rest of the world? No need to do so, it is an isolated place and that’s one of the charms of living here but communications are state of the art (phone, wide band internet and mail services are easily available) and you are only minutes away from the international airport of Ciudad del Este with daily flights that connect you to your home land. Facts about Paraguay # 25:Paraguayan hospitality Why not test the Paraguayan hospitality at the same time you are visiting a world class attraction like the Iguassu Falls? When visiting the Paraná Country Club for the first time your best bet is to stay at one of the two hotels inside this property. Both are small and cozy hotels with very good personalized service located in the middle of an exuberant vegetation in a quiet and peaceful environment and with a breathtaking view of the Paraná River. You can easily make all your tours and activities from there: visiting the Iguassu Falls, the Itaipú Dam, the Itaipú Guarani Museum and Zoo (the best Zoo and museum in the region, I recommend it), going shoppin or dining in Ciudad del Este, visiting the Tati-Yupi reserve, or Foz do Iguassu (Brazil) or Puerto Iguazu (Argentina), everything is only minutes away from your place.
This is Hotel Casa Blanca.
This is the Hotel De La Tour.
Both hotels located in the residential area of the Parana Country Club offer Spa, swimming pool and restaurant service with large, comfortable rooms.
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