Vallemí: caves, fishing on the Apa River and where to stay

Vallemí is a port on the Paraguay River, in the San Lázaro district in the northeast of Concepción department, known for the Industria Nacional del Cemento (INC) plant. Further north lies San Lázaro, opposite the mouth of the Apa River, which runs along the border with Brazil. For an angler that puts three things in one trip: two rivers to fish, river beaches and, under the limestone hills, the caves, which you visit with a guide. The guide lists 7 places at Vallemí and San Lázaro; downstream lies Concepción, and upstream, Bahía Negra and the Pantanal.

What you catch at Vallemí: the Paraguay and the Apa

The guide lists three species for the area: surubí catfish, golden dorado and pacú. You fish both rivers: the Paraguay, in front of the town, and the Apa, which rises in the Amambay range, runs down along the border and meets the Paraguay opposite San Lázaro. Both have beaches, and you can fish from them too.

• Surubí catfish, year round (outside the closed season); from June to September it holds in the deep pools. Technique: live bait in deep pools, night drifting. Minimum size: 85 cm for the spotted and 80 cm for the tiger surubí.
• Golden dorado, year round outside the closed season; best from March to May and from August to October. Technique: spinning with lures, fly and trolling. Minimum size: 70 cm.
• Pacú, outside the closed season: on the Paraná, summer (December to March); in the Pantanal and on the upper Paraguay, low water from July to October. Technique: fruit baits, fly with fruit imitations. Minimum size: 45 cm.

What you will not read here is where the good hole is: the guide knows that. Before going out, check today's river levels: the Vallemí gauge, on the Paraguay River, is listed there.

The area does not yet have a fishing boat with a published price in the guide: the trip is arranged with local people, and the price is on request. These offer fishing as well as the caves:

• Guillermo Martínez - Guía: local guide for the caves and for fishing trips on the Apa River, adventure and nature tourism.
• Bania Cuevas - Guía: Senatur licensed tourism guide, for caves, river beaches and fishing.
• Circuito Cavernas de Vallemí: the caves and Kamba Hopo rock, which can be combined with fishing on the Apa.

The closed season on the Apa and the Paraguay

The MADES closed season starts in the first days of November across the country, but it does not end the same on every water: in the 2026-2027 season (Res. MADES 511/2026) it runs until 21 December on waters shared with Argentina and on inland waters, and until 31 January 2027 on waters shared with Brazil. At Vallemí the two meet, and the line is the mouth of the Apa. That is how the resolution draws it, with the same stretches as in 2025-2026: the Paraguay River from the Apa southwards, the stretch in front of Vallemí, with the first date; the Apa, from its mouth up to the Estrella stream, and the Paraguay from the Apa northwards, up to its confluence with the Negro River, with the Brazil one.

In practice, between one date and the other the Paraguay in front of Vallemí was already open and the Apa was not: before going out, ask the guide which water you will fish. The exact dates of each season are set by a new MADES resolution: before booking between November and January, check licence, closed season and sizes. The area-by-area comparison is in Paraguay River or Paraná River. Fishing requires the MADES licence, which you get online or at a ministry office (there is one in Concepción); visitors from abroad get the special licence for foreign visitors: the licence step by step.

The Vallemí caves: how many there are and which you can visit

The hills of San Lázaro are made of limestone, dolomite and marble, and drop by drop chambers opened up inside them. How many caves are there? About fifty known: ABC Color counted 54 in 2015, over 66 square kilometres, and in 2024 Infonegocios spoke of nearly 50 already explored. Five have been Natural Monuments since 2012 under Law 4577: Kamba Hopo; 14 de Julio and Santa Caverna, both in the Tres Cerros hill; and Ycua Pa'i, in the Morado hill, all on State land belonging to the INC; plus Santa Elena, on private land.

Four of the most visited, according to Infonegocios (2024):

• Santa Caverna, in Tres Cerros, a village on the Paraguay River. It is demanding. From the village a gravel track heads for the hill: a 4x4 gets you as far as the last farm, and from there it is a kilometre and a half on foot, climbing about 90 metres. You go in through a shaft, down about six metres on a ladder the guide provides, and there are stretches where you move on all fours or crawl. Inside there is a stalagmite that looks like the image of the Virgin. You spend between one and two hours inside, and in the rainy season part of the cave floods.
• Caverna 54: less than 200 metres from where the road ends. It has openings that let daylight in, roots coming down from the surface of the hill and an open-air section where people abseil, and it is cool inside. The walk through it takes about 40 minutes.
• 14 de Julio, also in Tres Cerros: its access is very easy, and a caver who guides in the area recommends it above all for children from four or five and for older people. About 40 minutes inside.
• Kamba Hopo, at the Vallemí hill, is not a karst cave like the others but a low, wide overhang the river carved at the foot of a limestone cliff, and people abseil from the rock. You can only get there by water, by boat on the Paraguay River, and the trip, there and back from the port, takes an hour. The cliff faces west, so the evening is the time to go, for the sunset; that is also when the mosquitoes come out, so bring repellent.

And for another free moment there is the Vallemí lookout, with the river, the vegetation and the cement plant in view.

How to visit the caves: guide, booking and what to bring

You enter the caves only with a guide, and you have to contact the guide beforehand: we found no published visiting hours, so the day and time are arranged when you book. Most of the caves visited are on INC land and are a protected area. In Santa Caverna you touch nothing and take nothing, and photos go without flash, to protect the bats, the tarantulas and the other species that live in the dark.

Guillermo Martínez and Bania Cuevas, the two guides in the list above, are the ones who took Última Hora to Santa Caverna, Caverna 54 and Kamba Hopo, according to the report the paper published in January 2024; Martínez has been a caver since 2004 and also guides abseiling, hiking and birdwatching. The Circuito Cavernas de Vallemí is run by Arvatur, with three circuits: Santa Caverna, Caverna 54 and the boat trip to Kamba Hopo, for up to five people. It is the only one on the list with a published price: from Gs. 120.000 per person, with each circuit's price in its listing.

The guide provides a helmet and a headlamp; confirm it when booking. For Santa Caverna, wear old long-sleeved clothes, rubber boots or trekking shoes, gloves and, if you have them, knee pads, and bring a change of clothes, a towel and a bag for the dirty ones. For the walk, water and sunscreen.

The Ruta del Gua'a: macaws on the Apa

For a day without the rod, the Ruta del Gua'a (Vallemí) offers macaw watching with the Guaná community of the Apa River. It has two circuits: Mbokaja, with six interpretive stops in San Lázaro, and Jacarandá, which adds the trip on the Paraguay River to the mouth of the Apa. Price on request.

When to go to Vallemí

June to September are the driest months in the area, and they are the same months in which, according to the guide, the surubí holds in the deep pools. November to January is the opposite: it is the season of heavy rain, part of Santa Caverna floods and the closed season is on (in 2025-2026, until 20 December in front of Vallemí and until 31 January on the Apa). In summer the heat also reaches 40 °C. For each species, see the month-by-month calendar.

How to get to Vallemí

From Asunción, according to Última Hora (2024), it is 590 kilometres by road. From Concepción you take route PY22, which links the city with Vallemí and San Lázaro: between 170 and 180 kilometres (Última Hora, February and April 2026), paved.

Mind the state of that road: in February 2026 Última Hora reported thousands of potholes and the stretch between San Alfredo and Vallemí in critical condition; in April 2026 the same paper reported several sections still in a worrying state, and in July 2026 that the MOPC had put out to tender the rehabilitation of 181.3 kilometres of the PY22 between Concepción, Vallemí and San Lázaro. Before setting off, ask your lodging how it is. There is also a bus between Concepción and Vallemí (Última Hora, February 2026).

From Brazil, by road, you cross from Ponta Porã into Pedro Juan Caballero, and from there route PY05 leads to Concepción. The step-by-step guide for Brazilian anglers, with the licence and the paperwork, is in the guide for Brazilians.

Where to stay in Vallemí and San Lázaro: hotel and guesthouses

• Hotel V, in Vallemí: air-conditioned rooms in several categories, internet, a gym, a jacuzzi, laundry and 24-hour reception; breakfast is included in some categories. It is accommodation only: the boat, the fishing trip and the cave guide are booked separately. From Gs. 165.000 for the economy room, without breakfast.
• Posada Karakara, in San Lázaro: a tourist guesthouse that works as a base for the caves and for fishing on the Paraguay and the Apa. Price on request.
• Posada Turística Isabel, on José Díaz and Juan Plate: 39 rooms for up to 70 guests, Senatur certified under the Posadas Turísticas programme. Gs. 100.000 per person per night, breakfast included.

The 7 places in the area, with their contacts, are at Vallemí and San Lázaro. If you stop overnight in Concepción, the city's hotels and hostels are at Concepción.

Frequently asked questions