Travel guides
Is Paraguay safe for travellers?
Paraguay is one of only two countries in South America at Level 1 on the US travel advisory. Five departments on the Brazilian border are the exception, and that is where the honest answer gets interesting.
The short answer
On 19 August 2026 the US Department of State kept Paraguay at Level 1, Exercise Normal Precautions, its lowest rating, while singling out five departments at Level 2. The UK FCDO describes ordinary urban crime rather than danger to tourists. Neither of them tells you what to do at midnight with a suitcase, so the rest of this post does.
| Overall rating | Level 1, Exercise Normal Precautions. US Department of State, 19 August 2026 |
| The exception | Level 2 in Alto Parana, Amambay, Canindeyu, Concepcion and San Pedro, because of crime |
| Asuncion | Not on the Level 2 list. The real risk is bag-snatching and pickpocketing on public transport |
| Ciudad del Este | In Alto Parana, so Level 2. Busy, commercial and heavily policed by day |
| At night | The FCDO advice is to stay out of isolated or poorly lit areas, including in city centres |
| Buses | US government employees are banned from using municipal buses anywhere in Paraguay |
| Emergencies | Police 911 · ambulance 141 · fire 132 |
| Tourist police, Asuncion | (595 21) 446 608 or (595 21) 449 020 |
What the advisories actually say
The easiest way to read a rating is against its neighbours. These are the current levels from the same source, the US Department of State travel advisory feed, with the date each one was last issued. We checked them on 8 September 2026.
| Country | Level | Last issued |
|---|---|---|
| Paraguay | Level 1 · Exercise Normal Precautions | 19 August 2026 |
| Argentina | Level 1 · Exercise Normal Precautions | 10 July 2026 |
| Uruguay | Level 2 · Exercise Increased Caution | 28 July 2026 |
| Chile | Level 2 · Exercise Increased Caution | 20 May 2026 |
| Brazil | Level 2 · Exercise Increased Caution | 29 May 2025 |
Ratings change. Before you travel, read the advisory your own government publishes for its own citizens, not a blog. This one is the US list because it is the most widely quoted, not because it is the only one.
The August 2026 update changed no levels and no risk indicators: only the wording of the summary. In other words, nothing happened that year that moved the needle.
What actually happens to travellers
The UK FCDO advice for Paraguay is unusually specific, and it describes petty crime, not danger. This is what it lists, condensed.
- Bag-snatching and pickpocketing on public transport. This is the one that actually happens, and it is why many foreigners skip the buses.
- Muggings that are occasionally violent and can be armed. Carrying a lot of cash or wearing obvious jewellery makes you a target.
- Cash points. Use ATMs inside buildings rather than on the street.
- Taxis. Call a licensed taxi from a landline or your hotel rather than hailing one on the street.
- Organised crime in the border regions: drug trafficking and arms smuggling, with occasional violent incidents in Asuncion and elsewhere. The FCDO is explicit that these target the security forces and rival gangs, and that tourists have not been the target, though bystanders can be affected.
- Kidnapping. A small number of high-profile cases in recent years. Foreigners are not routinely targeted.
- ID. You must carry photo identification at all times. A printout of your passport photo page and your entry stamp is the usual solution.
- Markets. Fire risk is real: food stalls burning fuel, poor wiring and narrow crowded streets.
- The river. The Paraguay river around Asuncion is polluted and not suitable for swimming, and many rivers have strong currents.
None of that is a reason to cancel a trip. It is the same list you would get for most South American capitals, and shorter than several of them.
Area by area
This is the part the single national rating hides. The five Level 2 departments run down the north-eastern border with Brazil, and one of them contains the country’s second city.
| Where | Rating | What it means in practice |
|---|---|---|
| Asuncion and Central | Level 1 | Normal city precautions. Watch your bag on public transport |
| Luque and the airport | Level 1 | 15 km from central Asuncion, 25 to 40 minutes depending on traffic |
| Alto Parana · Ciudad del Este | Level 2 | Level 2 because of crime. Commercial, crowded and heavily policed by day |
| Amambay · Pedro Juan Caballero | Level 2 | A dry border with Brazil. The most sensitive of the five |
| Canindeyu · Salto del Guaira | Level 2 | Border department, low police presence in places |
| Concepcion and San Pedro | Level 2 | Rural north. The EPP guerrilla group operates here |
| Itapua · Encarnacion | Not on the Level 2 list | The southern border with Argentina, and the quietest part of the trip |
| The Chaco | Not on the Level 2 list | Empty rather than dangerous. The risk is the road, not people |
Ciudad del Este being Level 2 surprises people, so it is worth saying plainly: the rating covers a whole department, most of the trouble is smuggling along the border, and the shopping district is one of the most policed places in the country during business hours. Our Ciudad del Este guide covers how the city works.
When you are fine and when to pay attention
Said the way we say it to passengers who ask in the car.
Genuinely unremarkable
- Asuncion by day, on foot, in the centre, Villa Morra or the Costanera
- Ciudad del Este during shopping hours, with your purchases in the boot rather than in your hands
- Encarnacion and the Jesuit ruins, which are the calmest part of any Paraguay itinerary
- The paved routes east and south, which are the ones the whole country drives
- Arriving at Silvio Pettirossi at any hour, provided somebody is expecting you
Worth thinking about first
- Isolated or poorly lit areas after dark, including downtown, which is FCDO advice, not ours
- Municipal buses: US government staff are banned from using them anywhere in Paraguay because of robbery and assault risk
- Driving at night between the five Level 2 departments, which US government staff are also banned from doing
- Street-hailed taxis, when calling one from the hotel costs the same
- Pedro Juan Caballero and the dry border, which is a different kind of trip and not one we would sell as sightseeing
Getting around without thinking about it
Most of what people call a safety problem in Paraguay is really a logistics problem: a late flight, an unfamiliar address and no plan.
- 1
Landing at Asuncion
Silvio Pettirossi is in Luque, about 15 km from the centre, 25 to 40 minutes depending on traffic. Our airport transfer starts at USD 49 per vehicle for up to three passengers, USD 69 in the Hyundai H1 minivan for up to seven and USD 189 in the Mercedes Sprinter for groups of 8 to 14. Price is per vehicle, not per person.
- 2
Arriving at 3 a.m.
We track the flight number you give us when booking, so a delayed landing does not cost you the car, and there are 30 minutes of free waiting from touchdown. We operate 24 hours a day, every day of the year. This is the single hour where a booked car is worth more than the money it saves.
- 3
Moving around the city
By day, apps and licensed taxis work. The FCDO suggests calling a taxi rather than hailing one, which apps do by definition. We wrote the full comparison in getting around Asuncion.
- 4
Going to Ciudad del Este
327 km, 4 h 30 min to 5 h on routes PY02 and PY07. USD 347 in the sedan and USD 397 in the minivan, one way, per vehicle. Distances and options are in our long-distance transfers.
- 5
Crossing to Brazil
Foz do Iguacu is 340 km and 5 to 6 hours including the border, USD 417 in the sedan and USD 497 in the minivan. The border itself is the slow part: see crossing the Friendship Bridge.
- 6
If something goes wrong
Police 911, ambulance 141, fire 132. The tourist police answer on (595 21) 446 608 and (595 21) 449 020 in Asuncion, (595 61) 502 715 in Ciudad del Este, (595 71) 204 102 in Encarnacion and (595 46) 243 575 in Salto del Guaira. Report a theft even if nothing comes of it: your insurer will ask for the report.
When not to book us
A private transfer is not a safety product and we will not sell it as one. For a short daytime hop across Asuncion, travelling light, an app is cheaper and perfectly fine, and we would rather you spent the money on dinner.
What we are actually for is the hours where the alternatives get thin: a 3 a.m. landing, a group with luggage, children, a route of 300 km or more, a border crossing with a timetable, or any moment where not knowing the city would cost you more than the fare.
We also do not do everything. We do not run trips into the dry border at Pedro Juan Caballero as sightseeing, and we do not drive the Level 2 departments at night. That is the same line US government staff are told to hold, and we see no reason to hold a looser one.
We drive these routes every day. That does not make us the authority on national crime statistics, and this post deliberately quotes governments rather than inventing numbers of its own.
Frequently asked questions
The questions people actually send us on WhatsApp before booking.
Is Paraguay safe for tourists in 2026?
On the US Department of State advisory it is Level 1, Exercise Normal Precautions, the lowest of the four levels, last issued on 19 August 2026. Five departments on the Brazilian border are rated Level 2 within that. For comparison, on the same list Brazil, Uruguay and Chile are all Level 2.
Is Asuncion safe to walk around?
Asuncion is not one of the five Level 2 departments. The crime the UK FCDO describes is bag-snatching and pickpocketing, mostly on public transport, and occasional muggings that can be armed. Its advice is to keep phones and wallets out of sight, use ATMs inside buildings and avoid isolated or poorly lit areas after dark.
Is Ciudad del Este dangerous?
Ciudad del Este is in Alto Parana, one of the five departments rated Level 2 because of crime. That rating covers the whole department, and the smuggling it refers to happens along the border rather than in the shopping district, which is busy and heavily policed during business hours. It is a city to be sensible in, not one to avoid.
Which parts of Paraguay should I be careful in?
The US advisory names Alto Parana, Amambay, Canindeyu, Concepcion and San Pedro, all on or near the north-eastern border with Brazil. Criminal groups smuggle weapons and drugs along that border and police presence in some areas is low. US government employees need special authorisation to travel there and are banned from driving between those departments at night.
Is it safe to go out at night in Paraguay?
The FCDO advice is to keep away from isolated or poorly lit areas at night, including in the downtown areas of major cities. In practice that means going out is normal, and how you get home is the part worth arranging. Nightlife areas of Asuncion are busy and well lit; the walk between them is not always.
Are taxis and ride apps safe in Asuncion?
The FCDO suggests calling a licensed taxi from a landline or your hotel rather than hailing one in the street, which is exactly what a ride app does. Apps work well in central areas by day. Where they thin out is late at night, in outlying neighbourhoods and at peak times, when there may simply be no car available.
Are the buses safe?
US government employees are prohibited from using municipal buses anywhere in Paraguay because of the risk of robbery and assault, and the FCDO notes bag-snatching and pickpocketing on public transport. Buses are how most of the country gets around and most journeys pass without incident, but with luggage or at night they are not what we would choose.
Is it safe to drive between cities?
The paved routes east and south are the ones the whole country uses and are fine by day. The specific restriction worth knowing is that US government staff are banned from driving at night between the five Level 2 departments. We apply the same rule to our own vehicles: long border legs are daytime work.
Do I need to carry my passport?
You must carry photo identification at all times in Paraguay. Most travellers carry a printout or copy of the passport photo page along with the entry stamp, and leave the passport itself in the hotel safe. You may also be asked for photo ID when paying by card.
What are the emergency numbers in Paraguay?
Police 911, ambulance 141 and fire 132. There is also a tourist police line: (595 21) 446 608 or (595 21) 449 020 in Asuncion, (595 61) 502 715 in Ciudad del Este, (595 71) 204 102 in Encarnacion and (595 46) 243 575 in Salto del Guaira.
Is it safe to arrive at Asuncion airport late at night?
Silvio Pettirossi operates around the clock and so do we. The part worth arranging is the 15 km into the city, which takes 25 to 40 minutes depending on traffic. An arranged transfer starts at USD 49 per vehicle for up to three passengers, tracks your flight number and includes 30 minutes of free waiting from touchdown.
Is Paraguay safe for solo female travellers?
The advisories do not single out women as a group in Paraguay, and the crimes they describe are opportunistic rather than targeted. The same practical advice applies as anywhere: arrange your ride home in advance rather than improvising it, keep valuables out of sight, and avoid unlit stretches at night.
Can I drink the water and swim in the rivers?
On the water specifically, the FCDO says the Paraguay river around Asuncion is polluted and not suitable for swimming, and that many rivers have strong currents. For Lake Ypacarai, close to Asuncion, it says to check the latest official advice before swimming, because water quality there varies.
Should I worry about kidnapping?
The FCDO records a small number of high-profile kidnappings in recent years and states that foreigners are not routinely targeted. The EPP group, which is behind attacks and ransom kidnappings on rural properties, operates in northern San Pedro and southern Concepcion, both far from the usual tourist route.
When is a private transfer not worth it?
For a short daytime trip across Asuncion with light luggage, an app is cheaper and perfectly safe. Book a car for the airport, for late arrivals, for groups with luggage, for children, for routes over 300 km and for border crossings with a fixed timetable. Those are the situations where it buys you something real.
Book the part that matters
Tell us the date, the flight and how many of you there are. We come back with a fixed price per vehicle, tracked to your flight, and a driver who knows the address.
Price per vehicle · paid in advance · 30 minutes of free waiting from touchdown.