Uruguay: Colonia Del Sacramento and Punta Del Este

On Monday, we boarded a ferry in Buenos Aires and crossed the Rio de la Plata to Uruguay, a laid-back gem of a country nestled between neighboring giants Brazil and Argentina. After peacefully replacing the military rule with democratic leadership at the turn of this century, Uruguay has been significantly impacted by the economic instability of Argentina and by a rash of agricultural foot-and-mouth disease. Despite all this, Uruguay is a safe and cheerful country boasting a nice coastline and an interior rolling with green hills and small towns.

We arrived at our first stop in Uruguay, Colonia Del Sacramento, just an hour or so after leaving Buenos Aires. Originally a seventeenth-century Portuguese smuggling port intended to disrupt trade to the Spanish trading base in Buenos Aires, Colonia is now a picturesque and charming town with an old quarter called Barrio Historico. This old quarter is like a glimpse of the past, with cobblestone streets, an old lighthouse, tiny museums and a host of outdoor cafes and restaurants. Barrio Historico is a UNESCO World Heritage site and it‘s pretty awesome for an late-afternoon stroll. After exploring this area, we waited out a rainstorm by sipping on Uruguayan wine and sampling some apps. Later, we took in a late dinner overlooking the ocean. The following day, we set out to explore the nearby beaches north of the peninsula along a long, coastal walkway, stopping for rests on the sand and also for cold beverages at a couple of sunny bars overlooking the water.

The following morning, we caught an early bus to Eastern Uruguay and the beachside, resort town of Punta Del Este, some 140 km north of Montevideo, Uruguay’s capital city. Situated on a narrow peninsula, Punta Del Este is full of high rise hotels, shops and expensive restaurants dishing out seafood and steak. The peninsula is surrounded by some of Uruguay’s most famous beaches, which allow this beach town to serve as a premier South American getaway spot during the summer. It’s apparently a ghost town in winter. We spent our days in Punta Del Este relaxing on the various beaches, walking around the peninsula for exercise and drinking tasty wine on the sand before hitting the down for dinner.