Travel Guide Pedro Juan Caballero

The capital of Amambay is nicknamed the "terraza del país" (the "terrace of the country") because it is located at an altitude of nearly 600 m in the Amambay mountain range. The city is famous for its "dry border". Here, the border is not a river, but the international avenue. You just have to cross it to find yourself in Ponta Porã, Brazil! On one side the Brazilian pão de queijo, on the other the Paraguayan chipa. We speak in Spanish and Portuguese, or a mixture of the two, Portuñol, and of course also in Guarani or Jopará! Founded in 1889, Pedro Juan Caballero, or simply Pedro Juan (that always sounds better than Pierre Jean Cavalier!) was an important centre of wood production. Today it is a commercial centre that rivals Ciudad del Este. The gigantic Shopping China, close to the border on Ruta 5, is said to be the country's biggest shopping centre. Pedro Juan has a reputation for being a violent city, due to the frequent settling of scores between drug traffickers, mostly from Brazilian gangs. For the inhabitants, this violence is largely exaggerated by the tabloids. It's a happy and optimistic nature here, the Brazilian influence is perceptible. Tourists usually only stop for the night before visiting Cerro Corá National Park. The Senatur has an office (Turista Róga) Av. Dr. Francia e/ Curupayty (+595 336 274 642), with tourist information about the city and Cerro Corá. Most of the hotels are for Brazilian merchants and traders. Modern and unattractive, they are expensive by Paraguayan standards. On the restaurant side, many churrasquerías (grilled meat) on either side of the border, and lots of snacks to eat a lomito arabic (kebab), or a pizza.