The number one reason for staying in Ciudad del Este is to visit the Itaipú Hydroelectric Project. Though now relegated to the second largest dam in the world, it is still an extraordinary engineering feat. The Itaipú Dam company oversees the management of eight small nature reserves in the area immediately north of Ciudad del Este.
Representing the last refuges of the once extensive Alto Paraná Atlantic Forest, most of which was washed away by the dam-related flooding, these reserves harbour important populations of endangered wildlife including jaguar, bush dog and marsh deer.
None, though, are as famous as Mbaracayú Forest Reserve, listed by the WWF as one of the hundred most important natural areas on the planet, and home to hundreds of bird species. If Iguazú has given you a taste for waterfalls, meanwhile, Salto de Monday (pronounced Mon-da-oo) 10km south of the city is also well worth a visit. At 80m high, they are a stunning natural feature, though they suffer from being so close to their more famous and spectacular neighbours across the border. A return taxi ride from the centre costs 60,000G.
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