Parks and outdoor pacing in Asunción: Costanera, Botanical Garden and Ñu Guasu

Asunción has three clear outdoor options: the Costanera riverfront, the Jardín Botánico with its shade and zoo, and Parque Ñu Guasu in Luque, near the airport. In summer, go out before 10:00 or after 17:00, as the Health Ministry advises (MSPBS⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠), and bring water even for a short loop.

Which park for which plan?

• Walking or cycling by the river: the Costanera, best on a Sunday or holiday when the bay-side lane is car-free.
• Shade and kids: the Jardín Botánico, with century-old trees, capybaras and the zoo.
• Running or sport with facilities: Ñu Guasu, with a 5 km circuit, courts and toilets.
• Something near the south of the centre: Parque Carlos Antonio López in Sajonia.

Costanera: early or at sunset

The Costanera runs about 15 km along the Río Paraguay, and on Sundays and holidays the bay-side lane closes to traffic for walkers (Wikipedia⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠). Costanera Sur, towards Cerro Lambaré, has 8.1 km of pavements and bike lane plus a linear park with play areas and volleyball courts (Última Hora⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠). On Sundays you can rent bikes, skates and pedal cars, and families bring tereré to the beach (Última Hora, 2024⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠).

• No shade: there are hardly any trees along the river, so timing matters more here than anywhere.
• Do not swim: the river is not safe for swimming (The New York Times via Infobae, 2024⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠).
• By bike: in 2025 ABC Color counted around twenty potholes on Costanera Norte (ABC Color⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠).

More in things to do on the Costanera.

Jardín Botánico and zoo: the shady option

It sits at Avenida Primer Presidente and Artigas, with trees over 150 years old and Carlos Antonio López's former house now a museum (Wikipedia⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠). According to Última Hora (2025), the garden opens 07:00 to 18:00 and walking in is free; vehicles pay at the main gate (motorbike G. 6,000, pickup G. 7,000). The zoo opens Tuesday to Sunday, 09:00 to 16:00, and closes on Mondays; tickets are G. 11,000 for adults and G. 4,000 for children aged 6 to 12 (Última Hora, 2025⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠).

• Crowd favourite: capybara families roaming the grounds, plus jaguars, tigers and rheas.
• Tip: on a Monday the zoo is closed, so stick to the garden walk.

Parque Ñu Guasu: for running and sport

It is in Luque, near Silvio Pettirossi airport, run by the Public Works Ministry (MOPC), and free to enter. It has a 5,000 m circuit, a 1,200 m internal bike path, football, volleyball, basketball and tennis courts, playgrounds, outdoor gym equipment, toilets, food stalls and lakes, one with Plaza Taiwán on an island (Wikipedia⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠). Usual hours are 05:00 to 21:30, and holidays can change that: in Holy Week 2025 it closed on Good Friday (Última Hora, 2025⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠).

Getting there from the centre: take Avenida España, which becomes Aviadores del Chaco after San Martín; or Mariscal López to Madame Lynch, then turn towards Aviadores del Chaco (Wikipedia⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠).

Parque Carlos Antonio López, Sajonia

It lies on the avenue of the same name in barrio Sajonia, and locals use it daily to walk, cycle and chat (ABC Color⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠). In 2020 La Nación described it as overgrown and unguarded (La Nación, 2020⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠), so go in daylight when it is busy.

Heat and storms: keeping the outing on track

Asunción's summer is long and humid, with heat indices above 40 °C and short, heavy storms (Wikipedia⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠).

• Timing: hard exercise before 10:00 or after 17:00 (MSPBS⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠).
• Bring: water, a hat, sunscreen and light clothing.
• If clouds build fast: cut the walk short; storms arrive quickly and the Costanera has no shelter.

To add food and sights to the day, see things to do in Asunción.