San Rafael National Park

San Rafael covers around seventy thousand hectares in Itapua and holds the largest remaining block of Atlantic Forest in Paraguay, a biome reduced across the country to a small fraction of its original extent. The bird list runs past four hundred species, the highest anywhere in Paraguay, including the black-fronted piping guan, helmeted woodpecker, vinaceous-breasted parrot and a long list of Atlantic Forest endemics, and it is the country's principal birding destination. Its status is complicated: declared a national park but never fully expropriated, with much of the land privately owned and under continuing pressure from soya and cattle. Private reserves such as Guyra Reta and Kanguery provide the access and accommodation.

What you actually see

• Atlantic Forest - the largest surviving block of the biome in Paraguay.
• The bird list - the four hundred species including the endemics.
• Grassland patches - the natural campos within the forest mosaic.
• The private reserves - the lodges and stations that give access.

When to go

April to October in the cooler dry months; birding is good year round with breeding activity from September. Roads become difficult after rain. Visits are arranged through the reserves in advance.

Honest expectations

Much of the park is private land and access runs through a few reserves that must be booked. Roads in are rough and long. Accommodation is basic field-station lodging. Forest clearance continues at the edges and is visible.

Nearby

Encarnacion lies south; the Jesuit missions are southwest.