Paraguay
THE CHACO
The area known as the Chaco lies to the West of the Paraguay River and comprises 61% of the country but with only 3% of its total population.
The Chaco is an inmense territory of 247 000 square kilometres and is still a relatively wild area with nature preserved areas rich in flora and a dense and varied fauna. It is, after the Amazone forest, the second largest forest belt of the South American continent.
With an average altitude of 130 meters, the Chaco rises little by little towards the north and the Bolivian border to eventually reach an altitude of 400 meters.
The Chaco is separated into three different parts:
- Lower Chaco, to the West ofAsuncion, is made up mainly of flooded forests of palm trees and a landscape supporting
the presence of marshes and ponds as well as broad fertile meadows.
This area consists of numerous ranches as it is most suited for cattle breeding. - Average Chaco, which has the city of Filadelfia as its capital, (470 km from Asuncion) presents a landscape mainly made up of savannas and undergrowth.
- The area in the extreme North-West of the Chaco, called Chaco Superior is arid and presents a very strong density of thorn-bush and forests of low, almost impenetrable undergrowth. The area is privelaged for its rich fauna that includes jaguars, pumas, tapirs and a large variety of snakes, some of which are highly venomous. In the extreme north, the vegetation rarefies and little by little the thorn-bushes make room for an abundance of cactus
The geographical and climatic properties of the Chaco supports an impressive diversity of fauna and flora creating a unique ecosystem.
With more than 600 species of indexed birds, the Chaco is certainly a privileged area with regard to Ecotourism and the observation of the aviary fauna.
The Chaco, till the early thirties of this century, was inhabited by small tribes of Indians who lived in complete isolation and existed thanks to the natural resources the Chaco area provided such as fishing. Today, there still exist some of the original tribes in the territory such as the Pampidos Indians whose principal communities are composed of the Nivacle, Lengua, Toba and Sanapana tribes.
As of 1930 new colonies developed in the area of the Chaco with the arrival of the Mennonites (baptists of German stock). They originated from Russia via Canada.
Today nearly 10 000 Mennonites live in the paraguayan Chaco and owe their livelihood to agriculture and the breeding of cattle. They have created their own banks, schools and hospitals and speak relatively little Spanish, using the " plattdeutsch " that originated in Germany with a strong influence of Dutch and Flemish.
Whether it be for a specific discovery of the Avifauna in company of ornithologists, or for a simple discovery of the landscapes, the Chaco offers many routes using as stop overs numerous lodges (in particular Chaco Lodge) or small hotels.
Walks in the paths of the forest (Picadas Chaqueñas) or navigating the Paraguay River in direction of the Pantanal..... are but two of the many other existing means of discovering a still wild nature.
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