Why Ciudad del Este:
Paraguay’s second largest city, Ciudad del Este, lies on the triple border with Brazil and Argentina near Iguazu Falls. It is best known for being the shopping capital of Latin America where Brazilians and Argentinians can buy electronics for 40-60% cheaper than in their countries. Ciudad del Este is also a center for shady dealings and trafficking of all types (money, drugs, humans) across the unguarded borders. Mafias, cartels, and unsavory character from every corner of the earth converge here in the jungle just a stone’s throw from one of the continent’s most popular tourist attractions.
Going from Asuncion to Iguazu requires transiting through here. That said, the city and region seem genuinely interesting. Since a major point of the trip was to see Paraguay, so I decided to spend a night rather than just hop over to Brazil/Argentina.
November 12, 2025: Lluvia
After three days in Asuncion, it was time to move on. My business school friend Chris and I headed to the bus terminal to catch our six-hour bus ride to Ciudad Del Este.
The ride was comfortable and the bus had a bathroom. It rained nearly the entire ride. The driver made a brief stop for chipas (Paraguayan food that is basically a combination of a bagel and pao de queijo) at the famous Chiperia Maria Ana.
By the time we reached Ciudad Del Este, the rain was pouring. It was so bad we could not walk the 10 minutes to the hostel. Because of the rain, all the Ubers were taken and there were no taxis nearby, so we decided to stay in the bus terminal until the rain subsided. Luckily, the bus terminal had conveniently placed chargers and Chris was able to work remotely!
The rain did not subside, but after 90 minutes, I was able to get an Uber and we checked into the hostel. Funnily enough the only other guest staying was my roommate from the Asuncion hostel.
The rain was still very heavy so I ate a late lunch at the milensa fast food restaurant next door.
By 15:30, the rain was finally starting to let up. Even though it was still gross outside, this was my one chance to do some sightseeing today. So, I took an Uber 20 minutes south to Monday Falls (pronounced moon-dah, the etymology is Guarani).
If Monday Falls were anywhere else on earth, they would be considered a major tourist attraction. However, since Iguazu is just across the border, this unbelievable waterfall is completely forgotten. I was the only tourist there.
From the main observation deck, I took an elevator to the bottom of the falls.
Getting an Uber back to town was quite difficult, but I found one after 30 minutes. Given the proximity to Argentina and Brazil, I asked the cab driver which country has the baddest women (cab drivers LOVE talking about girls). He said undoubtedly the Paraguayan women. You’re welcome, readers.
I arrived in town center – full of 6-20 story buildings – a bit too late in the day and a bit too rainy to see the shopping in action. So, I headed back to the hostel which is a 20-minute walk from the center.
Based on the recommendation of a friend, we walked over to a nearby brewery.
On the way, we passed by some INSANE houses that could rival the nicer homes in the Hollywood Hills. I took a photo of one, only to find a private armed guard on the street telling me to go away. Because the border with Brazil is unchecked, unsavory people are able to exist in Paraguay without the government knowing. What shady kingpin lives here?!?!
We made it to the brewery which was…. shockingly nice. Possibly the most beautiful brewery I have ever seen. I ordered a flight and then we walked over through the rain (which picked up again) to dinner.
Ciudad Del Este has a sizable Lebanese population so we went for Arabic food at a place near the hostel. The restaurant had (this must be the only place on earth to offer this) an all-you-can-eat Arabic mezze rodizio.
Stuffed, we went to bed early.
November 13, 2025: If Amazon Was a Place
We woke up early and caught an Uber north of the city to Itaipu Dam, one of the largest dams in the world (now it’s the 3rd largest).
Itaipu is set on the Parana River, the world’s seventh largest river. The dam spans the international border with Brazil and is jointly owned by both countries. Built in the 1970’s and 80’s, the dam provides the 90% of Paraguay’s power needs and 15% of Brazil’s. Just from this one dam. In the 1990’s, Itaipu was declared one of the Seven Engineering Wonders of the World.
Building the dam caused an incredible impact to the ecology. The construction flooded the nearby jungle and created a massive lake. This caused the one of the world’s largest and most powerful waterfalls, Guaira Falls, to disappear. It also forced 10,000 people to relocate.
Tours of the dam are conducted from both Brazil and Paraguay. The Paraguay tours are free while the Brazil tours cost about $10 USD.
For the tour, we started by watching a movie about the dam.
Then we boarded buses to reach a panoramic viewpoint. Due to the heavy rains, the spillway was partially open for the first time in 3 years. The workers all commented that this was a very special experience.
With all three spillways open, the dam funnels water equivalent to 40x the flow of Iguazu Falls!
We then drove in a van along the bottom of the dam over the border with Brazil and back into Paraguay along the top of the dam.
The entire tour took about 75 minutes. We then caught a public bus back into the city center.
This time around it was sunny and in the middle of the day, so we now got to see Ciudad Del Este in full force. In Asuncion, someone described Ciudad Del Este as “If Amazon was a place” and I couldn’t agree more. Every building was full of shops of…literally everything: clothing, Arabic perfumes, guns and tactical clothing, furniture, and electronics. But…why?
Well, both Brazil and Argentina have a 70% import tax on all electronics. Paraguay does not (although they do have a 10% sales tax). As a result, electronics here are about 70% less than in either Brazil or Argentina. A fully loaded top of the line iPhone in Ciudad Del Este costs $1667. The same item in the US would cost about $1400, but would be about $2400 in Brazil or Argentina. For buying big ticket items or wholesale, the trip pays for itself.
85% of Paraguay’s visitors and officially 10% of Paraguay’s GDP stems from this trade (in reality, it’s apparently closer to 40% when you factor in the black market).
Many of the people on the street spoke to us in Portuguese, assuming we were Brazilians coming across the border.
After about an hour of shopping in the madness, it was time to head to Iguazu Falls. We followed the traffic jam to the border bridge, visited the office to get stamped out and began our trek across the Parana River.
Final Thoughts:
What a place! The central shopping district in Ciudad Del Este is unlike anything else in Latin America. It is more similar to the big shopping district of Asia.
Beyond the shopping district, there is actually a lot to see: the beautiful neighborhoods with the fancy homes, the falls and the dam. There are also nature reserves where you can try to spot jaguars.
In short, while Ciudad Del Este gets a bad rap and is seen as a stopover, it can be a destination if you want it to be.
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