Specialist tour operator Journey Latin America is excited to introduce its first holiday to focus on the highlights of Paraguay.

The 12-day Signature Paraguay: The Missions and the Chaco holiday takes guests beyond the usual South American tourist trail and into the remote plains and wetlands of Paraguay. The holiday begins with a city tour of the capital, Asunción, where guests will visit the city's highlights, including the Panteón and the Casa de la Independencia. The following day guests will travel to the sleepy town of Sapucai for a guided visit of the train graveyard and railway museum. Guests will then journey through the wilderness of the Chaco, a remote area of barely populated marshland, lagoons, cattle prairies and semi-arid plains. As they cross the Tropic of Capricorn, they will see the humid Chaco give way to the dusty savannah of the dry Chaco, before arriving in the town of Filadelfia in the afternoon.

Guests will enjoy a safari tour of the Chaco's salt lakes and cactus forests spotting exotic species such as roseate spoonbill, rhea and giant storks. Back in Filadelfia, guests will visit the Mennonite museum to learn about the fascinating story behind their arrival in the region. After another night in Asunción, guests will head south and east along the “Ruta Jesuita” to discover the marvellous ruins of the Jesuit Reductions whose intricate buildings are little-visited but nonetheless impressive. The UNESCO-listed Jesuit Missions ruins of Trinidad are the jewel of the Jesuit ruins: here guests can admire its stone carvings, delicate friezes and vast plaza. There is also a visit to the smaller ruins at Jesus de Tavarangue whose panoramic views and Moorish-influenced doorways are strikingly beautiful. In the evening, guests will return to Trinidad for a magical night walk accompanied by classical music and a sequence of carefully crafted visual effects.

Guests will then leave Paraguay and head to Iguazú Falls in Argentina. En route, guests will stop at the Jesuit ruins of San Ignacio Mini, one of the oldest of the Reductions. After a night in Iguazú Falls, guests will spend time at a rainforest eco-lodge close to Iguazú Falls where they will have the opportunity to explore the bird-filled tropical rainforest on a private reserve. The final two days of the holiday will be spent discovering the magnificent Iguazú Falls.

Journey Latin America's Product Manager for Paraguay, David Nichols, comments, “Paraguay is far from being a mainstream destination: Asunción is still brushing itself off after decades of neglect, food and accommodation is yet to catch up and journeys can be long - but that in itself is an attraction for those seeking to discover an authentic destination. How refreshing to be able to experience travel in a country as just about the only tourist – for now.”

The holiday costs £3,619 per person and includes good-quality accommodation, breakfast, excursions and transfers. International flights are extra.

About Journey Latin America   

Journey Latin America is an award-winning tour operator with over 36 years of experience creating tailor-made holidays and group tours to all of Central and South America as well as Antarctica, Cuba and Mexico. The holiday firm has over 60 members of staff who have all lived, worked and/or travelled extensively throughout the region and as such can offer first-hand knowledge based on personal experience. All holidays are ATOL protected.

For more information on Journey Latin America visit www.journeylatinamerica.co.uk or telephone: 020 8600 1881

Press contacts:

Jenny Powles, Head of Press

Laura Rendell-Dunn, Press Manager

press@journeylatinamerica.co.uk

020 8747 1881