There are really so many places to travel to in Uruguay.  Being a small country, it is quite easy to get around.  Throughout this website, there will be a lot of information on the different destinations throughout Uruguay.  Here is a break down of the departments of Uruguay, with a bit more description of the more popular areas.  Each area will be covered throughout the blog in more description, so consider this a starting point.

MONTEVIDEO

Montevideo - The Capital of Uruguay.  This is where around half the population of Uruguay live.  It is a well set out city that embraces its river position.  The Rambla is a pedestrian walkway (plus one of the main roads follows the same track) that weaves its way along the river starting from the City heart, all the way out to Carrasco and beyond.  Some of the more popular suburbs to stay in Montevideo are Pocitos and Punta Carretas.  These leafy suburbs are home to many of the foreigners that live in Montevideo probably due to the fact that there is a variety of restaurants and boutiques, plus Punta Carretas Shopping Centre is located here.  Built in an old jail, Punta Carretas Shopping is one of the premiere destinations for shopping in Montevideo.  Other must see destinations in Montevideo are;

-         El Mercado Puerto (the Port Market), which is perfect for lunch

-         La Ciudad Vieja (The Old City), which is the older part of town, set on cobblestone roads and houses cute boutiques, popular bars, restaurants, galleries and museums

-         El Estadio Centenario – The original football stadium which hosted the very first World Cup in 1930

And you really shouldn’t go without doing a city tour of the monuments and buildings.  You can see in the architecture and monuments throughout Montevideo the wealth that used to be in Uruguay.

MALDONADO

Is only a bit over an hours drive from Montevideo and boasts Punta del Este, Uruguay’s glamourous beach resort.  Maldonado is one of the smallest departments in Uruguay, but most important in terms of an economic viewpoint.  There is livestock and agriculture, but tourism is the predominant industry throughout the Department.

Punta del Este

Punta del Este is located in the department of Maldonado and is Uruguay’s premiere tourist destination.  Home to the rich and famous throughout summer, Punta del Este is a world apart.  High rise apartments dominate the road in to Punta del Este.  The main street, Gorlero is lined with boutiques from some of the top name designers throughout the world.  The beaches are clean, and where some offer waves, offer offer tranquility.

La Barra

La Barra is located around a ten minute drive from the heart of Punta del Este.  It is a little bit more laid back, but still has a trendy vibe.  Here, you will find some of the best surf beaches in the area, a range of great little restaurants and boutiques.  La Barra is also well known for having a great nightlife.

Jose Ignacio

Jose Ignacio has been described as being trendy, rustic and chic.  Until not long ago, Jose Ignacio was quite hard to get to.  It is around 40 kilometres from Punta del Este, and an elite group of the rich and famous started coming here to get away from the crowds of Punta del Este.  The dirt roads make it charming; the houses are large and stunning, the beaches are clean, and here lies one of the best known restaurants in Uruguay – La Huella.

Piriapolis

Piriapolis is the original resort town of Uruguay.  The waters here are quite tranquil, as it is still part of the river plate.  The town has been set up nicely with a rambla similar to that of Montevideo.  You can’t help but enjoy a walk or a drive along the Rambla with the shops and restaurants on one side, and the ocean on the other.  The port here is also quite popular, and if you get to Piriapolis, be sure to go down and visit the resident seal – he is massive!

ROCHA

There are over 200 kilometres of coast line in the Department of Rocha with a string of seaside towns which lie along it.  Rocha is home to some unique settings including Cabo Polonia, Monte de Ombues and the palmas which are an unusual sight, densely scattered throughout the countryside.

La Paloma

La Paloma is another of the big destinations throughout summer.  Every January and February the town swells out from around 3500 people to 20 000.  La Paloma houses some of the best beaches in Uruguay, including Anaconda, Serena and La Balconada.  The Laguna Rocha is nearby and is home to over 200 different varieties of birds plus some native animals of Uruguay.  There are some cute little boutiques and restaurants, and a big nightlife.  It is a little “easier” on your pocket in terms of price, than the likes of Jose Ignacio, Punta del Este and La Barra.  Throughout the year you have the chance of seeing seals, dolphins, turtles and whales, depending on the weather and time of year.

La Pedrera

Only a few kilometers down the road from La Paloma, you find La Pedrera.  It is a lot smaller in size, but no less spectacular.  It has one main street which is lined with small restaurants and shops.  The beaches are beautiful, and the lookout over the cliff at the end of the main street is just amazing.

Cabo Polonio

Cabo Polonio is hard to describe because it is really unlike anywhere else in the World.  A small fishing village of little shacks has been constructed on the sand dune at the point of Cabo Polonio.  There are no roads to lead you to Cabo Polonio.  It is around 7kms from the Ruta, and is best reached by 4X4 (there are many tour companies that run tours in and out of Cabo Polonio – it is like a bus sytem, but without set times), Horse (again, it is a tour in by horse, and you can take one of the 4X4 back out), or if you really want to, you can walk.  There is no electricity or running water to the houses for the few hundred houses that are there (there are a few generators that run the general store and a couple of other businesses).  People collect rain water, or there is a well in the town which serves as the water supply.  Some of the main attractions include the lighthouse (which runs off electricity from the national grid), which you can climb to the top and enjoy the view, there is also a large seal colony (which is said to be one of the largest in the world).  The Uruguayan Government has included Cabo Polonio in the National System of Protected Areas.

Punta del Diablo

Punta del Diablo is a very rustic but charming beach town.  Dirt (and in some places sand) roads meander their way through Punta del Diablo.  It has the appearance of an old fishing village, that seems to have been discovered by tourists, whom now flood every summer to enjoy the great beaches and laid back atmosphere of Punta del Diablo.  It is nicely positioned on a point, and a lot of the houses sit high above that and over look the ocean.  A great place to chill out and wander around in a pair of sandals, swimmers and a sarong!

Chuy

Chuy is the town which is on the border of Brazil and Uruguay.  There are two main streets which run parallel through Chuy where on one side you will find the duty free shops of Uruguay, and on the other side you will find the bazaars of the Brazilians.

CANELONES -The Department of Canelones borders Montevideo to the east and north.  The most popular tourist destination here is Atlantida, plus there are also some beautiful still waters like the Arroyo Solis Chico which is nice for sailing and windsurfing.  There are also some vineyards and tourists farms in this area.

COLONIA

Colonia has a strong European influence throughout the department.  Here you will find traditional cheese production, wineries, fruit and honey.  It is situated on the River Plate, and the capital, Colonia del Sacramento is directly across the river from Buenos Aires, and around 170 kilometres west of Montevideo.

Colonia del Sacramento

The jewel in the Department of Colonia is Colonia del Sacramento.  This gorgeous little town is a must for any trip to Uruguay.  Enjoy walking along the cobblestone streets of the old town while taking in the charm of the restaurants, boutiques, galleries and antiques.  Colonia is situated on the river just across from the bustling Buenos Aires.

SALTO – Salto is located some 500 kilometres to the north of Montevideo, and is most famous for the thermal springs, Las Termas.  Said to have great health benefits, not only for the body, but for the mind aswell, Las Termas draws visitors all throughout the year to enjoy the warm pools.

ARTIGAS – Located in the very north of Uruguay.  It is a large farming area, and is also known for the fields of agates and amethysts and other semiprecious stones that are being mined in the area.

CERRO LARGO – Located to the north east of Uruguay and with around 150 kilometres bordering Brazil, the department of Cerro Largo is best known for the strong gaucho tradition that is displayed around these parts.

TACUAREMBÓ – Tacuarembó is the largest department in size, and is in the centre of the North region of Uruguay.  It is a large agricultural department, but it is probably best known as being the birthplace of Carlos Gardel, the famous tango singer.  Uruguayan Researchers claim that he was born here, and spent his first years, however this will be forever disputed by the Argentineans who also claim Carlos Gardel as one of their own.

RÍO NEGRO – Río Negro is an important agricultural area with highly fertile soils which is situated on the River separating Uruguay and Argentina.

DURAZNO – Situated in the heart of Uruguay, Durazno, which is the word for peach in English, is well known for its festivals which are held here every year.  Thousands of people gather here for days every year during the different festivals (which include folklore and rock).  No, it is not named Durazno because there are a lot of peaches here.  It is actually named after an old peach wood that still exists there in the capital.  Another highlight is the caviar factory which is produced from sturgeons that were brought in from Russia.

FLORIDA – Located north of Montevideo, Florida is another important agricultural area.  There are some great tourist estancias here that you are able to stay at and “live” the life on the farm for a few days.

TREINTA Y TRES – Located to the east of the centre of Uruguay, Trenta y Tres (which means thirty three) is best known for the deep gorge which is around 44 kilometres from the capital.  Here there are a number of lookouts especially built as observation points for spotting wild native fauna and flora.

LAVALLEJA – Located just north of the departments of Maldondo and Rocha, Lavalleja offers picturesque landscapes which are an alternative to the beach tourist destinations which dominate Uruguay.

SAN JOSÉ – Bordering Montevideo to the west, San José is one of the most important dairy producing departments in Uruguay.  It is also renowned for its quality vineyards, citrus, potatoes and Pure Blood race horsing studs.

RIVERA – Located in the north of Uruguay, and bordering the Brailian state of Rio Grande do Sul, Rivera enjoys a mixed identity of Brazilian and Uruguayan.  Home to over 50 Duty Free Shops, don’t get concerned if you can’t understand their Spanish.  The people here speak a special blend of Spanish and Portuguese which produces an interesting accent.

PAYSANDÚ - While it is an important agricultural area in Uruguay, there is also a long tradition in the production of leather products, textiles, malt, sugar, citrus and oil.  Another department situated on the River, Paysandú is closer in distance to Buenos Aires (335 kilometres) than Montevideo (380 kilometres).

SORIANO – Here you will find most of the dry farming productions of wheat, sunflower and soy.  The people here embrace their river position and enjoy the river beaches and water sports.  There are a number of tourist farms, camping grounds and reserves where you will find many bird and native fauna species.

FLORES - Other than agriculture, here you will find the Yí River which is popular for Camping, Fishing, Canoeing and other water sports.

Well, congratulations if you made it through to the end.  I wasn’t planning on making this so long, but with 19 departments each offering a distinct experience, it was hard to keep it short!  You will find a lot more information throughout this blog.  Please, feel free to subscribe to the RSS feed, so you are always kept up to date and don’t miss the new entries

Hasta pronto!