Getting around in Santa Rita: car, bus, taxi and Route PY06

Getting around Santa Rita starts with Route PY06: it runs north to south through the centre (Wikipedia PT⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠), and along it you find the banks, the shops and the roads out to Ciudad del Este and Encarnación. Day-to-day errands in the centre are walkable if you go early; for outlying barrios, rural colonies or trips, a car or motorbike is the practical choice, and for longer journeys there are the buses that run along the PY06.

How the town is laid out

• The PY06 is the spine (officially Dr. Juan León Mallorquín). Santa Rita sits at km 206 of the route, which starts in Encarnación (km 0) and ends in Minga Guazú at km 247 (Wikipedia⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠).
• Barrios and colonies. The district has 42: 22 urban and 20 rural (Wikipedia⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠). Centro, Esquina Gaúcha, Sinuelo, Campiña Verde and 14 de Mayo are urban; Cerro Largo, Santa Lucía and Fulgencio R. Moreno are rural (Wikipedia PT⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠). When someone gives you an address, ask for the barrio and a landmark, or just a location pin by message.
• To neighbouring districts there are paved roads to Santa Rosa del Monday, Iruña and San Cristóbal (Wikipedia PT⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠).

On foot in the centre

The central blocks are easy to walk, but heat rules: summer highs are around 31 to 33 °C and can hit 38 °C (Wikipedia PT⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠). The Health Ministry advises against physical effort between 10:00 and 17:00 on those days (MSPBS⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠).

• Group the bank, pharmacy and supermarket into one early outing.
• Carry water and an umbrella: it rains in every month (Wikipedia PT⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠).
• Crossing the PY06 is the trickiest part; do it at corners with good visibility.

By car or motorbike

This is how most people get around, especially if you live or work in a colony.

• Distances: Ciudad del Este is about 70 km away, up the PY06 to km 30 of the PY02 and then east; Asunción is about 340 km (Wikipedia⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠). Encarnación is about 206 km down the PY06 (Wikipedia⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠).
• The Túnel Verde (Green Tunnel) is on the PY06, about 2 km from the centre heading towards Naranjal (Última Hora⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠). Lovely by day, but drive it carefully at night: in April 2025 three people died there in a crash between two cars and a motorbike (Última Hora⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠).
• Alcohol: the Highway Patrol enforces zero tolerance and breath-tests on the road (Última Hora⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠); from 0.400 mg/l it is a criminal offence (ABC Color⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠). On a night out, let someone sober drive.
• During the Expo, in late April and early May, the CTG Indio José grounds draw thousands of visitors (Última Hora⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠; Infonegocios⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠). Leave early and expect queues to park.

Buses out of town

Buses between Encarnación and Ciudad del Este stop at every town on the way and take about 6 hours end to end (Wikivoyage⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠); since they use the PY06, they pass through Santa Rita. For Asunción, ask at the Asunción or Ciudad del Este bus terminal which company reaches Santa Rita directly or with a change.

• Buses do not always leave on time (Wikivoyage⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠), so arrive early and leave slack for connections.
• Carry cash in guaraníes for the fare.

Taxis and apps

Outside Asunción taxis have no meter, so agree the fare before you get in (Wikivoyage⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠). Uber and Bolt operated in Ciudad del Este according to ABC Color in 2021 (ABC Color⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠), but do not count on finding app cars in Santa Rita; save the number of a trusted driver recommended by your hotel or a neighbour.

If you are settling in, pair this with our living basics for newcomers in Santa Rita; if you are visiting, see the Santa Rita travel guide.