Ybycui National Park

Ybycui protects one of the last accessible fragments of Atlantic forest in Paraguay, a green pocket of streams, waterfalls and swimming holes that fills with butterflies in the warm months - clouds of them on the paths after rain. Trails link a series of falls, with Salto Guarani and the pools below the picnic areas the most visited. At the park entrance stand the ruins of La Rosada, Paraguay's first iron foundry, destroyed in the War of the Triple Alliance and left as a small museum - an unexpected piece of industrial history in the forest.

What you actually see

• The waterfall chain - Salto Guarani and the linked falls and pools.
• Swimming holes - natural pools below the falls in the warm months.
• Butterfly clouds - massed butterflies on the trails in summer.
• La Rosada foundry ruins - the ironworks museum at the entrance.

When to go

Warm months from October to April give the best swimming and the butterfly spectacle, at the price of heat and weekend crowds from Asuncion. Winter is quieter with lower water. After heavy rain trails get muddy and streams rise fast.

Honest expectations

Facilities are basic - simple camping, picnic shelters and rangers at the gate. Weekends and holidays bring big local crowds to the main pools; weekdays are nearly empty. Paths are uneven and slippery near the water. Bring everything you need including cash for the entrance; the nearest town is small.

Nearby

The historic towns of the Paraguari circuit, Chololo's roadside falls and Asuncion.