Trinidad, Paraguay: travel guide
Village beside the Jesuit-Guaraní ruins of Santísima Trinidad
Small Itapúa village ~28 km NE of Encarnación, home to the UNESCO-listed La Santísima Trinidad del Paraná — the largest of the 17th-century Guaraní-Jesuit reductions — and the nearby Jesús de Tavarangue ruins.
About Trinidad
Trinidad is a small village in Itapúa, around 28 kilometres from Encarnación, and the reason to come is the Jesuit mission of La Santísima Trinidad del Paraná. It was one of the Jesuit-Guaraní reductions of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and is regarded as among the best preserved.
The red sandstone ruins include a church, a bell tower, a plaza and the buildings that made up the mission town, set on a gentle hill. Carved stone details, including figures and floral patterns, survive on the walls. A few kilometres away, the smaller mission of Jesús de Tavarangue has a striking unfinished tower and church.
Trinidad suits history lovers and photographers, usually as a half-day or day trip from Encarnación. The ruins are open to the sky and the light is gentlest early or late in the day, with the cooler months from May to September the most comfortable.
- Country
- Paraguay
- Currency
- PYG
- Time zone
- America/Asuncion
- Nearest airport
- ENO
Last updated
Top places to visit in Trinidad
Ruinas de la Santísima Trinidad del Paraná
Heritage · 4.8 rating · about 1.5 h · check the fee at the gate
The largest and best-preserved Guaraní-Jesuit mission (UNESCO World Heritage), with a great stone temple, plaza and bell tower; evening light-and-sound show.
Jesús de Tavarangue
Heritage · 4.8 rating · about 1 h · check the fee at the gate
Unfinished Jesuit mission church (UNESCO), its vast planned nave and Moorish trefoil portals frozen at the 1768 Jesuit expulsion.
Things to do
- Trinidad Jesuit Mission Guided Tour Cultural · 3 h · from PYG 60,000 per person
Getting to Trinidad
Nearest airport: Encarnacion (ENO), about 17 km away in a straight line. The road or rail journey is longer.
Getting around
- Bus
- Car Rental Self
- Taxi
- Walking