The best time to go to Paraguay depends on your priorities: places visited, weather, availability, preferred activities, local seasonality, local festivals and events. Paraguay is an all-year destination, whether you are visiting Asuncion or the Jesuit Missions.
The local holiday time is Dec-Feb but the best time to visit for foreign visitors is considered to be Apr-Sep when the weather is less humid and there are a number of festivals.
- The climate is subtropical and warm to very warm all year. Warm days can be expected mid-Sep-end May. In high summer (Dec-Feb) temperatures easily reach 35°C in Asuncion and Encarnacion, warmer still in the Chaco (up to 42°C). Winters are pleasantly warm, making travel comfortable, but cool fronts bring chilly days (as low as 10-15°C), rain and surprisingly cool nights Jun-Sep.
- The best time to visit the rural communities and wildlife of the Chaco is the period Jun-Sep, when temperatures may be more moderate and humidity lower than during high summer.
- The country’s outstanding festival is Carnival, the 5 day Feb-Mar event culminating on Shrove Tuesday similar to other mardi-gras festivals held in other Latin American countries, such as Rio de Janeiro’s. There are pageants and parades through the streets, especially in Asuncion, with music and dancing into the night.
- Beer-lovers might head for Paraguay’s Oktoberfest, modelled on its German namesake. It actually takes place in September, in Asuncion, where descendants of German immigrants proudly celebrate their heritage.