Travel Guide Parque Nacional Defensores Del Chaco

It's the largest national park in Paraguay, and the most isolated as well. Created in 1975, it protects 780,000 hectares of a wild plain covered with samu'u, palo santo, white quebracho, cactus and thorny, and inhabited by an exceptional fauna: jaguar, ocelot, puma, tagua, armadillo, anteater, tapir, boa ... A large rocky mass of 40 km in diameter, made up of dozens of hills, stands out in the landscape: the Cerro León (604 m above sea level). This magnificent mountain, one of the most beautiful landscapes in Paraguay, has been located within a biosphere reserve since 2005 and could one day be classified as a World Heritage Site. It was seriously threatened in 2015 by a bill authorizing the exploitation of quarries, but active citizen mobilization, particularly on social networks, finally brought the project to a halt. Access to the park is not easy and requires prior contact with the SEAM in Asunción. A 4x4 is essential to cover the 210 km of track from Filadelfia, via Teniente Montanía, to reach Madrejón, where there is a guard house. Bring plenty of water, food, gas... Nasa has one bus per week (Tuesday morning, 6-8 hours ride), if the track is passable. Return the same day. To come back to Filadelfia, if you don't want to wait a week, you can try the stop sign, some trucks take this way... But the easiest (and most careful!) way if you are not limited in budget, is to contact (well in advance) a specialized agency (Paraguay Safari, DTP, or Gran Chaco Turismo).