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Voykit pocket guide · Paraguay
Filadelfia
Go for 2 nights as a Chaco base: museums, cooperative tours and peccary reserve. Skip if you want nightlife or a beach.
Filadelfia is the largest Mennonite colony town in the Chaco, 467 km northwest of Asunción and about 7 hours by bus. Founded by German-speaking Mennonites in 1930 and run largely by the Fernheim Cooperative, it is a working cattle and dairy town with free museums, a helpful tourist office and a dry, extreme climate. Two nights covers the town and one nature reserve; three lets you add a second reserve or a day in Loma Plata.
- Country
- Paraguay
- Best months
- May–Sep (dry, cooler)
- Avoid
- Nov–Mar (severe heat), Jun–Aug nights can drop near freezing
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- PYG
- Money
- Currency is the Paraguayan guaraní (PYG, ₲). About ₲7,000–8,000 per US dollar in 2026 — check. Cash dominates outside hotels, malls and larger restaurants in Asunción.
- Daily spend
- Budget ₲150,000–250,000 excl. bed · Mid ₲250,000–450,000 excl. bed · High ₲450,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Tigo, Personal and Claro; prepaid SIMs with a passport at shops and malls, or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police 911 · Ambulance (Asunción) 141
- Plugs
- Types C, F · 220 V · 50 Hz · European two-pin plugs fit most sockets.
- Tipping
- Restaurant: About 10% if not included.; Taxi / app: Round up.; Guide: US$5–10 a day.
- Water
- Tap water is treated in Asunción but many drink bottled; bottled outside the city.
- Toilets
- Use malls, restaurants and bus terminals; carry tissues.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | ₲8,000–15,000 |
| Simple lunch (menu del día) | ₲25,000–45,000 |
| Beer: bottle in a bar / can at a shop | ₲15,000–25,000 / ₲8,000–12,000 |
| 5 km taxi3.1 mi taxi | ₲30,000–50,000 (check) |
| Museum entry (cooperative museums) | Free |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | ₲50,000–100,000 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- FLM · Filadelfia airstrip
- Small field at the eastern edge of town; no scheduled service — check
- ASU · Silvio Pettirossi International (Asunción)
- 467 km away; bus about 7 h from Asunción290 mi away; bus about 7 h from Asunción
Typical fares
- Asunción → Filadelfia, NASA-Golondrina bus
- about ₲140,000, about 7 h (check)
- Filadelfia → Loma Plata, bus
- about ₲10,000, about 45 min (check)
- Filadelfia → Mariscal Estigarribia, bus
- about ₲30,000, about 2 h (check)
Get around
No public transport. The town sprawls a few kilometres but is flat and most sights line Avenida Hindenburg, so walking works. A few taxis wait near the bus terminal; agree the fare first. For the peccary reserve and Fortín Toledo you need a car or a tour arranged through the tourist office.
See and do
Known for
- Mennonite colony heritage
- Jakob Unger Museum
- Fernheim Cooperative
- Chaco wildlife reserves
- Peccary conservation at Fortín Toledo
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Loma Plata | Bus or car, 21 km westBus or car, 13 mi west | About 45 min by bus |
| Mariscal Estigarribia | Bus, 75 km northwestBus, 47 mi northwest | About 2 h |
| Fortín Toledo and the peccary reserve | Car or arranged tour, 30 km westCar or arranged tour, 19 mi west | About 1 h each way |
| Neuland | Car on cooperative roads | About 1 h |
Sleep
- Avenida Hindenburg
- Main street north–south; hotels, restaurants and most museums sit on or just off it. Best for a car-free stay.
- Avenida Trébol area
- Crosses Hindenburg at the Second Monument; hospital, Parque Eirene and the cooperative supermarket nearby.
- Barrio Amistad
- Non-Mennonite neighbourhood; cheaper rooms, a walk or short taxi from the centre.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | HolaOH-lah |
| Thank you | GraciasGRAH-syahs |
| How much is it? | ¿Cuánto cuesta?KWAN-toh KWES-tah |
| Where is the bus terminal? | ¿Dónde está la terminal de buses?DON-deh es-TAH la ter-mee-NAL deh BOO-ses |
| I don't understand | No entiendonoh en-TYEN-doh |
| Can I pay by card? | ¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta?PWEH-doh pah-GAR kon tar-HEH-tah |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake, or a cheek kiss among women and friends; avoid: Skipping 'buenos días'
- Tereré circle: Say thank you when you want to stop; avoid: Wiping the straw
- Language: Try a Guaraní word (aguyje = thanks); avoid: Calling Guaraní a dialect
- Time: Expect relaxed punctuality (hora paraguaya); avoid: Getting visibly impatient
Scams and watch-outs
- Summer heat Nov–Mar is severe; carry water and plan indoor time midday.
- Winter nights can drop near freezing — bring a warm layer even in the dry season.
- Only the Jakob Unger Museum is permanently open; the other museums need a visit arranged through the tourist office.
- Cash is king outside Asunción; carry guaraníes, as card acceptance is limited.
- The town is 15 km off the Transchaco Highway; the last stretch is unpaved but maintained.
Filadelfia is calm and low-crime for a Chaco town. The real risks are heat and dehydration in summer, winter cold snaps, unpaved roads after rain, and long distances with no services between towns.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Filadelfia yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Mennonite colony heritage
- Jakob Unger Museum
- Fernheim Cooperative
- Chaco wildlife reserves
- Peccary conservation at Fortín Toledo
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikivoyage: Filadelfia, revision 5247466 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5247466
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/filadelfia). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.