It all begins with Eliana Rodríguez Alcalá and her husband’s romantic side …
"The land was a surprise gift from my husband," Eliana smiles, remembering the moment that would unknowingly change her life. In 2014, her husband Juan surprised her with the title to a small piece of land in San Bernardino in Paraguay, “their place in the world,” surrounded by Lake Ypacaraí.
They both loved to travel, to sleep close to nature, to wake up with birds instead of alarms. But they also loved comfort, beauty, warmth, and design. So a question naturally formed, quiet at first, then louder: What if we created a place that offered both? They wanted to create a space that would allow other people to disconnect, relax, and experience something different.
That question became Tava. A word meaning village in Guaraní, grounding the project deeply in Paraguayan identity and soul.
With limited savings and a small piece of land, they built only three cabins. From the very beginning, design and sustainability were their priorities. It was never meant to be massive, just special.
At first, Tava was their side project. Eliana worked as a food technologist, and Juan led his architecture studio. For the first three years, the glamping site remained a gentle passion, a soft extra income, a beautiful experiment.
But life had other plans …
“In 2018, with three kids at home, God placed an opportunity to grow in front of us. A close family investor offered us a property in a high location with fascinating views, where we could build new cabins.”
They created six new cabins, a small house, a common area, and the iconic infinity pool that soon became the landmark of the property. At that point, the first property was named Tava Glamping Lago and the new one Tava Glamping Cerro.
After two years of complete success, a new investor contacted them. After long negotiations, they reached the same type of contract as before and duplicated the size of Tava Cerro, adding six more cabins, a new pool, and their very own wellness center.
It was a risk, all their savings went into it. The low season felt terrifying. The first year brought very few guests in low season, and they knew they wouldn’t have survived if it had continued like that. But guest by guest, sunset by sunset, Tava grew.
Building a dream as a couple isn’t always cinematic. Eliana poured herself fully into Tava Cerro while Juan supported from the side, still focused on his architecture firm. The line between business and family blurred. Late-night discussions, sleepless nights, and anxiety became part of the journey.
Until, eight years in, they finally sat down for a dedicated two-hour meeting. When their third child was born, maternity emotions inspired Eliana to fully commit to the business, as she wanted more time at home.
"God has a perfect plan," Eliana says calmly. "We just need to listen."
“Every mountain and every mistake was there to teach me, so I don’t have big regrets. Since I didn’t study hospitality, everything came from listening to clients and learning through trial and error.” She listened to every guest, every suggestion, every silence. Each mistake became wisdom. Each challenge, a lesson.
.jpg)
While tourism in Paraguay grows, Tava chooses a different path. No mass tourism, no overcrowded perfection. Only authenticity, intimacy, and respectful coexistence with nature.
The vision for the future is simple and powerful: keep elevating the glamping experience without losing its soul.
From a simple gift of land to a sanctuary of peace, Tava Glamping is proof that the most beautiful places are born when passion meets patience, and fear meets faith.
