Sitting in the deep south of Paraguay, right on the argentinian border, you can find the small city of Encarnacion. The city itself doesn’t really have many attractions and apart from five days of carnival per year (more to it soon!) it’s often almost tourist-free.
San Jose beach is a nice place to take a dip during the warmth months, around the center you can find plenty of nice churches to visit and even a couple of museums. But let’s be honest here, this is not the kind of place you would dedicate more than a day-trip given what there to see. Nevertheless, what if we told you that there’s indeed something that draws a lot of travellers here from both Paraguay and Argentina. Something that it’s really worth visiting, something for which you should at least be setting basecamp in town for a couple of nights. THAT sounds interesting, right?
View of Posadas (Argentina) from Encarnacion
San Jose beach is a local highlight!
Well, you’ll be relieved to know that Encarnacion is famous for being the gateway to visit the most beautiful Jesuit missions in Paraguay (and unofficially in Argentina). If you are thinking…
“What if i’m not really into religion and don’t fancy visiting holy places etc..?”
…then you’re on the wrong path. The missions have all been abandoned many years in the past and what’s left of them now is just the ruins which have all included in the UNESCO. Visitors come here to appreciate the beautiful architecture but also to know the history behind these places.
The three Jesuit missions
Back in the days, the Jesuit created the missions with the idea of gathering indigenous people and offering protection in exchange for work. Under the same roof, the jesuits could impart religious teachings to working natives and at the same time, keep them in a community separated from the Spanish Empire. Pretty smart, eh? Effectively, a small “jesuit” world inside a huge empire: these were literally the missions of Rio de la Plata.
La Santísima Trinidad de Paraná
Also known in short as the “Mission of Trinidad”, this is by far the most famous, accessible and well-kept jesuit mission in the area. On-site the ruins cover a pretty big surface and it’s still possible to see part of the huge church that used to stand in the heart of the community. Overall, visiting the place by yourself doesn’t take longer than 1h but you can also opt for a guided tour. Guided tours are included in the ticket price and leave at the front gate of the ruins every half hour.
Getting there | Bus from Encarnacion (10’000Gs.), then walk 5 blocks/15min
Ticket Price | Adult cost 25’000Gs. but valid for Jesus & San Cosme
Jesus Tavarangue
Twin sister with the Trinidad Mission, the mission of Jesus de Tavarangue is pretty close to Trinidad and most of the people visit the two mansions in one go. The complex was never completed but the church which was being built was supposed to be the biggest at the time.
Getting there | Monday to Saturday there’s a bus twice a day at 10am and then back at 1.30pm, on Sundays the only option is to take a taxi with return (60’000Gs.) from Santissima Trinidad.
Ticket Price | Adult cost 25’000Gs. but valid for Jesus & San Cosme
San Cosme y Damian
Surely the less visited of the lot, San Cosme & Damian is another beautiful jesuit ruin. On top of the free guided tour you also get the chance to visit a lovely observatory and a planetarium (including a night star observation). These ruins are located several hours away from the rest but the on-site camping makes it a good place to overnight.
Getting there | Bus from Encarnacion (every hour)
Ticket Price | Adult cost 25’000Gs. but valid for Jesus & San Cosme
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