The Pearl of the South: Encarnacion, Paraguay

Next stop for the Matney family was Encarnacion, Paraguay, which is located in the deep south of Paraguay on the Argentine border. You can see the city of Posadas, Argentina right across the river. First stop when we got to town was the newly built Costanera on the Paraná River. This is the closest thing to a beach there is in land locked Paraguay and honestly it is pretty awesome. There are a few food places right on the sand, volleyball courts and a long, winding boardwalk.

The next day we wandered a little outside of the city to Trinidad the site of impressive ruins of a Jesuit Mission. Founded in 1706, Trinidad is said to be the most complete set of ruins in the area, with all of the aspects of a functioning mission and in 1993 it was made UNESCO World Heritage site. I was not expecting much before we got there, given the state of tourism in Paraguay, but I was thoroughly impressed. There is a small welcome center at the entrance with an introductory video and small exhibit of photos and artifacts. They have tour guides available at your request. The ruins themselves were also quite interesting and they were in a surprisingly  well-kept state. 

Final stop on the Matney family vacation : Asuncion, Paraguay!