Filadelfia, Paraguay: travel guide
Mennonite colony town in the Paraguayan Chaco, with pioneer museums
Largest town of the Paraguayan Chaco and seat of the Fernheim Mennonite Cooperative, founded by German-speaking Mennonites in 1930 ~460 km NW of Asunción. A frontier colony town with pioneer museums and a base for Chaco wildlife and Chaco War battlefields.
About Filadelfia
Filadelfia is the main town of the Paraguayan Chaco, a flat, dry region of scrub and wetland far to the north-west of Asunción. It was founded by German-speaking Mennonite settlers in 1930, and is the centre of the Fernheim cooperative colony.
The town is the place to learn how the settlers turned a hard land into farms. The Museo Jakob Unger and the Museo Industrial y Knelsen-Haus tell the story of the colony through tools, photographs and household objects. Around the town, you can visit Fortín Boquerón and Fortín Toledo, which relate to the Chaco War of the 1930s, and the area is a base for wildlife watching in the Chaco.
Filadelfia suits curious travellers and nature enthusiasts happy with a long journey. The dry winter months from May to September are the more comfortable, as summers can be very hot.
- Country
- Paraguay
- Currency
- PYG
- Time zone
- America/Asuncion
Last updated
Top places to visit in Filadelfia
Museo Jakob Unger
Museum · 4.8 rating · about 1 h · check the fee at the gate
Natural-history museum (est. 1980) of Chaco birds and mammals plus Mennonite-pioneer and indigenous artifacts, on Av. Hindenburg.
Fortín Boquerón
Fort · about 1.5 h · check the fee at the gate
Best-known Chaco War battlefield (Battle of Boquerón, 1932) with preserved trenches, a mass grave and a museum, ~80 km SE of Filadelfia.
Fortín Toledo y Proyecto Taguá
Wildlife · about 2 h · check the fee at the gate
Chaco War site paired with a conservation centre breeding the endangered Chacoan peccary (taguá); good for Chaco wildlife.
Museo Industrial y Knelsen-Haus
Museum · about 0.8 h · check the fee at the gate
Fernheim heritage museums: original 1957 peanut-processing machinery and a 1948 pioneer home telling the Mennonite cooperative story.
Things to do
- Chaco Wildlife 4x4 Safari Nature · 4 h · from PYG 350,000 per person
- Chaco War Battlefield Tour Cultural · 5 h · from PYG 300,000 per person
Day trips and tours
- Chaco War & Wildlife Day Tour 8 h · from PYG 400,000
Where to stay in Filadelfia
Hotels
- Hotel Florida Chaco 3-star · PYG 300,000 to PYG 700,000 per night
- Hotel Touring Club Filadelfia 2-star · PYG 180,000 to PYG 350,000 per night
Where to eat
- Restaurant Girasol Paraguayan, German, Grill · about PYG 70,000 per person
- Parrilla Hindenburg Grill, Paraguayan · about PYG 45,000 per person
Getting to Filadelfia
Nearest airport: Bonito (Municipal) (BYO), about 383 km away in a straight line. The road or rail journey is longer.
Getting around
- Car Rental Self
- Taxi
- Walking