Salto Pirareta

Salto Piraretá drops around twenty-five metres over a rock face into a pool in the Cordillera hills near Piribebuy, with a series of smaller pools and rock slides on the stream above and below it, all set in subtropical forest. It is close enough to Asuncion for a day trip and busy at weekends with families swimming and picnicking, quiet during the week. Paths and steps run down from the parking area to the pools, steep in places and slippery in the spray. Facilities are basic, with a charge at the gate and food stalls in the season. The Piribebuy stream feeds a chain of falls in this area, of which Chololo is the other well-known one.

What you actually see

• The main fall - the twenty-five metre drop into its pool.
• The upper pools - the smaller basins and rock slides on the stream.
• The forest - the subtropical vegetation around the falls.
• The descent path - the steps down from the parking area.

When to go

October to April in the wet season for flow and warm swimming; the dry season reduces the fall. Weekdays are far quieter than weekends. Mornings are best.

Honest expectations

Weekend crowding is heavy and litter is a problem. The paths are steep and slippery. Flow drops in the dry season. Facilities are basic with informal charges.

Nearby

Chololo falls lie nearby; Piribebuy is southwest.