Travel Guide Bella Vista Sur

Bella Vista constitutes with Hohenau and Obligado, las Colonias Unidas, the United Colonies. Three cities born of the strong German immigration at the beginning of the 20th century and which prospered thanks to agriculture. Here, we produce soya, corn, cotton, sorghum, peanuts, but mostly mate! Bella Vista is nicknamed the "Capital of the Yerba Mate" and a festival is held every year on October 11th, on the occasion of the National Mate Day (Día Nacional de la Yerba Mate). The largest companies are based around Bella Vista. Two of them have been offering guided tours for years (factories, maté fields) and it would be a shame not to visit at least one of them in tereré country! From a tourist point of view, this is the main interest of this green city, crossed by the Ruta 6 and the long Marcial Samaniego Avenue. From the centre of Encarnación, 50 km away, it takes 45 minutes by car and between 1 hour and 1 hour 30 minutes by bus (departures every 30 minutes in the morning, every hour in the afternoon, around 15,000 Gs). Get off at the roundabout, at the level of the sculpture of guampa and bombilla, a tribute to the culture of maté. Around the roundabout there is Mate Roga (the tourist office), an ATM and a petrol station. It's also the best place to catch a cab. You will soon notice many blond-haired, blue-eyed people who are descendants of the first German immigrants. Many still speak the language of their ancestors, in addition to Guarani, Spanish, and also Portuguese. There are several hotels and posadas in Bella Vista, including the Hotel Papillon, a nice address with a good restaurant.