Practical Information for visiting Chaco

Coverage for mobile networks follows the highway and the colony towns, with reasonable 4G in Filadelfia, Loma Plata and Neuland.

Away from those, there is nothing. Large parts of the region have no signal at all, and a journey into the national park means being out of contact for days. A satellite phone or messenger is genuinely advisable rather than a precaution.

Paraguayan SIM cards from Tigo or Personal are cheap and easy to obtain with a passport, and the colonies have decent fixed internet.

Wi-Fi is available in the colony hotels and is usable.

Power is reliable in the towns and generator-based elsewhere; cuts happen in storms.

Crime is not the issue in the Chaco — the colonies are safe and the region is empty. Everything dangerous here is the environment and the distances.

• Heat is the primary risk. Above 45°C, with no shade and no water, a breakdown becomes life-threatening within hours. Carry far more water than seems reasonable.
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• Breakdown and isolation: hundreds of kilometres between settlements, little traffic, and no signal. Travel with a second vehicle or a satellite device for remote routes.
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• Roads: the highway has fast traffic, wandering cattle and no lighting; unpaved roads are impassable when wet.
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• Snakes, including rattlesnakes and the yarara, and antivenom hours away.
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• Getting lost: the terrain is featureless and the thorn forest disorienting.
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• Isolated Ayoreo territory must not be entered.

Medical facilities are very limited. The Mennonite colonies run good hospitals by regional standards — Filadelfia’s is the best in the Chaco — but anything serious means evacuation to Asuncion, six or more hours away by road. Insurance including evacuation is important.

Vaccinations: routine cover plus hepatitis A and typhoid; yellow fever is recommended for Paraguay and may be required for onward travel.

Dengue occurs and chikungunya is present; malaria risk is low but not zero. Use repellent.

Chagas disease is endemic in rural Paraguay, transmitted by a bug that lives in mud and thatch walls; avoid sleeping in unimproved rural housing without a net.

Heat and dehydration are the most likely problems by far.

Water: much local groundwater is saline. Drink bottled or treated.

Terere: if a group offers you the guampa, accept, drink it all, and hand it back to the server without wiping the straw — wiping it is a clear insult.

In the colonies, Sunday is observed and much is closed; dress modestly, and do not photograph people at church or school without asking.

Indigenous communities: visit with a guide or invitation, ask before photographing, and buy craft directly rather than bargaining hard — the margins are already minimal.

Isolated peoples: do not enter or seek out the Ayoreo territory. This is a matter of life and death for them, not etiquette.

Punctuality is expected in the colonies and looser elsewhere.

Greetings: a handshake and buenos dias before any request.

Fires: never light one outside a designated place.

Emergency numbers: 911 for police, 132 for fire and 141 for ambulance, all of which depend on having signal.

Medical. The Mennonite colony hospitals at Filadelfia and Loma Plata are the best facilities in the region and will treat anyone. Serious cases are evacuated to Asuncion by road or, rarely, air.

Before leaving the highway: tell someone your route and expected return, carry water for several days, spare fuel and tyres, and a satellite messenger. Staying with a broken-down vehicle is safer than walking.

In the wet season, check road conditions in the colonies before setting out; local advice is reliable and worth taking literally.

Snakebite: keep the limb still, get to Filadelfia, and do not attempt field treatment.

Consular help is in Asuncion.