Paraguay - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 706

housed in the only surviving building
from the original pioneers. In the same
park is a tourist information office run by
very helpful Gati Harder, who speaks
perfect English (daily 7-11am; T 0491
417 380, E [e-mail])
and will happily give talks on Mennonite
history, and her other speciality, the trees
of the Chaco.

around and can feel inaccessible at times, but people tend
to be very helpful. There are ATMs which accept foreign
cards on the principal avenue in each town, and each has
a post o ce and a supermarket.
By bus There is a bus terminal in Filadelfia, of sorts, on Chaco
Boreal, one block west of Hindenburg. Most services from
Filadelfia pass through Loma Plata en route to the capital.
Destinations Asunción (5 daily; 8hr); Concepcion (daily;
8-10hr); Mariscal Estigarribia (2 daily); Neuland & Loma
Plata (2 daily to each; 30min); Parque Nacional Teniente
Enisco (3 weekly).
Taxi There is a taxi rank on Hindenburg in Filadelfia
of 4WDs who charge some Gs14,000 to Loma Plata,
Gs200,000 to Neuland, or Gs30,000 within town.
Tours The best local people to ask are Norbet Epp, who
runs Gran Chaco Turismo ( T 098 122 3974, W granchaco
turismo.net), and Walter Ratzlaff ( T 098 120 2200,
E [e-mail]); both take tourists around
when they can, but contact them in advance. Also worth
looking into is Paraguay Salvaje W paraguay-salvaje.com
.py, W chaco-wildlife.org.

Loma Plata and Neu Halbstadt
The largest of the Mennonite towns
is LOMA PLATA , home to the Menno
Colony, whose Chortitzer Cooperative
makes Paraguay's largest dairy brand,
Trébol, but other than the small
Museo de Historia Mennonita (next to
the cooperative on the main street;
daily 7am-noon & 2-6pm; free;
T 098 356 9922), it's the least interesting
of the colonies. The Neuland Colony's
main town, NEU HALBSTADT (also
referred to as Neuland), has more to offer
tourists thanks to its dynamic tourist
officer Heinz Weiber (information office
next to the coop; T 097 170 1634,
T

ACCOMMODATION
The Mennonites run mid-range, spotless, e cient hotels
in all three colonies. All are en-suite, have wi-fi, TV, a/c,
and offer very good buffet breakfasts, as well as having
dining options.
Boquerón Opposite the Coop on main street Av 1 de
Febrero, Neu Halbstadt T 049 324 0311, E hotel@neuland
.com.py. A very pleasant Mennonite hotel with lawns and
flower bed s flanking spacious rooms with pine beds.
Gs130,000
Estancia Iparoma T 098 194 0050, E estanciaiparoma
@gmail.com. Worth investigating if you want to stay out
in the Chaco without straying so far you could put yourself
in danger, this Mennonite-run working farm, 19km from
Filadelfia, provides accommodation, food, horseriding and
other activities. Best organized through G ati at the Filadelfia
tourist o ce (see above). B&B Gs50,000
Golondrina Hindenburg 365-Sur, at Palo Santo, Filadelfia
T 049 143 3111, W hotelgolondrina.com. Run by Para-
guayans, laid out in a motel style, with clean but soulless
rooms; it's the cheapest you can get for B&B with wi-fi in
Filadelfia. En-suite rooms Gs145,000

8

0493 240 201, E hwiebe@neuland
.com.py). Although he only speaks
Spanish, if you get in touch with him
before you go he can arrange a translator
for his tours of all three colonies.

ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
Although all three Mennonite cities are populous (and
growing rapidly), all maintain a very suburban feel with
wide streets and huge blocks. They are tiring to walk

CROSSING TO BOLIVIA
At the small town of La Patria , a fully
paved road (formerly Picada 108)
branches off the Trans-Chaco to the
border crossing of Fortín Infante
Rivarola . There is a small guard post here
that does not have exit stamps; you have
to stop in Mariscal Estigarribia en route to
do immigration formalities. This border
point is extremely isolated and a popular
smuggling route, so you are not advised
to attempt to cross the border here by
yourself. International buses (1-2 daily;
30hr) run between Asunción and Santa
Cruz in Bolivia via the bus companies
Yacyretá, Pycasu and Río Paraguay.

EATING AND DRINKING
Boquerón Boquerón, cnr Miller, Filadelfia. Big and bright
restaurant with good choice of food including everything
from Mexican to pizza, and from buffet (Gs60,000/kg) to
burgers (Gs18,000). Open daily from 7pm.
Girasol Unruh, at Hindenburg, Filadelfia. Regarded as the
best restaurant in the colonies, this place does a great
range of grills, as well as a buffet (Gs62,000/kg). It's open
for lunch and dinner, and its garden is nice for drinks, too.