Uruguay is a country in South America and located at the Pacific Ocean. The people were relaxed and it felt European.

Impressions from my Vlog

Montevideo

The capital Montevideo felt like a southern European city. The old town was small and only a few people were on the streets.

Cabo Polonio

Cabo Polonio is a village on the beach of Uruguay and away from civilization without electricity and water supply. It’s remote and you get there with off-road vehicles. It was a relaxed atmosphere, the sunrise was beautiful and at a lighthouse was a sea lion colony.

Colonia del Sacramento

Colonia del Sacramento was a Portuguese smuggling port and is now a popular tourist destination for a day trip from Buenos Aires by ferry. The old town consists of cobblestone streets and colonial-style houses.

Mate

On the streets you can see everywhere people with a cup and thermos. Whether in the countryside or in the city, teenagers or businessmen in a suit. They all drink Mate, a drink with Yerba that grows in Paraguay. A cup is filled with 2/3 of the herbs and infused with hot water. You drink with a Bombilla, a straw that has a filter at the end. I could not miss the opportunity and bought a Bombilla and tried it. For my taste, it was too bitter and I could only drink it with sugar.

Planning

  • I visited Uruguay on my world trip through Latin America. I crossed the border from Concordia (Argentina) to Salto (Uruguay) and took a bus to the capital Montevideo. Then I went by bus to Cabo Polonio and then via Montevideo to Colonia del Sacramento. The journey continued by ferry to Buenos Aires (Argentina).
  • The night in the hostel are not so expensive, but the food cost as much as in Germany.
  • I used for my planning and can recommend the Lonely Planet for South America and the Rough Guide for South America.

Transport

  • To travel between the cities, Uruguay has a well-developed bus network. Some routes are shown on Rome2Rio. It's best if you go to the bus station and look at the individual bus companies for the times and buy the ticket.
  • At the border crossing from Concordia (Argentina) to Salto (Uruguay) are only two buses per day, and they don't operate Sundays. I took the first bus at 11:15 am, that allowed me to take a bus from Salto to Montevideo on the same day.
  • Uruguay is connected by ferry to Buenos Aires (Argentina). 3 ferry companies offer the following routes:
    • Montevideo and Buenos Aires, costs about $ 90
    • Colonia del Sacramento (often referred to as Colonia) and Buenos Aires, costs about $ 50
  • With the ferry operator Colonia Express you can also buy a combined ticket to take the bus from Montevideo to Colonia and then by ferry to Buenos Aires. This is cheaper than the direct ferry from Montevideo.

Accommodation