Vallemi Caves

Vallemí sits on the Río Paraguay in the north where the country's principal limestone deposits are worked for cement, and the same rock holds a set of caves in the hills behind: Tres Cerros, San Lázaro, Santa Caverna and others, with chambers, stalactites, flowstone and, in some, underground pools of clear water. They are visited with local guides who bring lights, since none of them is developed with fixed lighting or walkways, and access involves scrambling and stooping. The area is remote, reached by rough road or by river, and the cement works dominates the local economy. The Apa river forms the frontier a short distance north.

What you actually see

• The cave chambers - the limestone rooms with their formations.
• Underground pools - the clear water in some of the systems.
• The limestone hills - the karst country behind the town.
• The cement works - the industry the town lives from.

When to go

May to September in the dry season, when the roads are passable and cave water levels lower; the wet season floods parts of the systems and makes access difficult. Guides are arranged in Vallemi.

Honest expectations

The caves are undeveloped with no lighting or walkways and visits mean scrambling with hand torches. Guides are arranged informally. Vallemi is remote and access is rough. There is little accommodation.

Nearby

Concepcion lies south down the river; the Apa frontier is north.