Ñacunday National Park

About this place

Ñacunday National Park is a small protected area in Alto Paraná Department, eastern Paraguay, covering 2,000 hectares and created to protect the forest and the huge Ñacunday waterfall. The fall is among the widest in the country, 35 to 40 m high and 110 m wide, with brown water pouring over broad rock. The area was first declared a protected forest in 1975, covering 1,000 hectares including the waterfall. It became a national park by decree in 1993, doubling in size. A Mbyá Guaraní community lives inside it, gathering firewood, honey, wild fruit and medicinal plants, and using part of the land for traditional ceremonies. A red dirt road crosses broad farmland and then the Alto Paraná Atlantic forest, where trees rise 15 to 35 m, including cedars and palms. On arrival you hear the fall before you see it, and from viewpoints above the cliff the spray rises and covers the river. The water is stronger after rain, and rain falls through much of the year. It is about 60 km in a straight line from Ciudad del Este. UK travel advice asks for particular care in the departments bordering Brazil, including Alto Paraná, so read it before you go. The dirt road gets hard after rain, so ask about its state. Stay on the paths and away from the cliff edge, and respect the local community.