The main attraction is the beach but there is also a popular waterpark in the area. Considering the number of bars and restaurants along the main road, the nightlife is probably quite good.

How to get there? By bus: Regular service from Montevideo and Punta del Diablo. By Car: Ruta 9
Why should you go? If you need a place to stay near Chuy or are looking for a beautiful, quiet beach to visit.
How long should you stay for? A few days if you just want a peaceful place to relax with a great beach.
Where to sleep? There are a few small hotels, a camping area and several places offering fully furnished cabins.
Where to eat?There are tons of small restaurants with outdoor seating on the main road.

• How to get there? By bus: Regular service from Montevideo and Punta del Diablo. By Car: Ruta 9
• Why should you go? If you just want to be able to say that you were on the Uruguayan-Brazilian border or if you want to hear people speaking portuñol (a Spanish-Portuguese hybrid). It is also on the way to the Fuerte San Miguel, which really is worth a visit.
• How long should you stay for? No more than a couple of hours.
• Where to sleep? There are several small hotels right off of the main avenue.
• Where to eat? Plenty of restaurants on the main avenue. Uruguayan restaurants on the Uruguayan side and Brazilian restaurants on the Brazilian side.

Tips:

a) If you plan to cross into Brazil, make sure to check if you need a visa to enter (US citizens must apply for tourist visas in advance).

b) If you are on a budget, eat and sleep on the Uruguayan side. Uruguay is considerably cheaper than Brazil.

Here’s a run-through of our itinerary (visit each link for details and photos): Hold tight! Currently adding destination pages!

• Chuy (Uruguayan-Brazilian border)
• Fuerte San Miguel (San Miguel Fort)
• Barra del Chuy
• La Coronilla
• Parque Nacional y Fortaleza de Santa Teresa (Santa Teresa Fortresss and National Park)
• Punta del Diablo
• La Esmeralda
• Aguas Dulces
• Valizas
• La Pedrera
• La Paloma

Our mini-road trip lasted just two days, which was certainly not enough time to explore each of these places. Aside from Chuy, each place is worthy of a lengthy, relaxing stay of no less than three or four days.

(Cabo Polonio wasn’t included in our itinerary due to the simple fact that we had spent a few days there the year before. Visit our Cabo Polonio page for more info).

What to Wear in Uruguay?

When deciding what to pack for your trip to Uruguay, you should generally plan on taking whatever clothing you would wear in your home country. Uruguayans use standard western clothing that you would find in the US, Europe, etc.

You do need to make sure that you are dressing properly for the climate. Summers can be hot and humid and winters are often cold and rainy.

Here are some packing tips to keep in mind:

General

• Look in your own closet. Uruguayans use western dress, so you can likely wear things that you already own.
• Keep it low key. Depending on where you’re traveling, consider dressing somewhat conservatively. This doesn’t mean you should dress like a nun, but super-tight and low-cut tops should probably be saved for the clubs.
• Avoid wearing flashy jewelry or other items that would draw too much attention to yourself.
• Wear simple colors and basic accessories.
• Uruguayans usually dress pretty casually. Jeans, shorts and t-shirts for men are acceptable as well as jeans, shorts and skirts for women.
• Wear comfortable shoes if you plan to do a lot of walking.
• Make sure to take a rain jacket and/or umbrella (a good quality one that won’t blow inside out easily).
• If you are planning to sample the Uruguayan nightlife, take a few fashionable items with you. This applies mostly to those visiting Punta del Este and Montevideo.

Summer

• If you travel in the summer months, you need to be mindful of the sun. The UV rays are particularly strong in this part of South America, so you should wear hats and plenty of sunscreen to protect yourself from sunburn and skin damage.
• Swimsuits: Women usually wear bikinis and men wear board shorts or swimming trunks.
• Tank-tops, sundresses, shorts, skirts, t-shirts and flip flops (or pick up a pair of Havaianas when you’re there).
• Take a light jacket or sweater – the temperature may drop at night.

Winter

• Winters are usually cold, humid and oftentimes rainy. Be sure to take wool sweaters, polar fleece pullovers, long-sleeve shirts, turtlenecks and warm pants.
• Bring your winter coat. Not necessarily a parka, but something that will block the wind and keep you warm.
• Take a hat, scarf and gloves to be on the safe side.

Uruguay: The Best Bird Hunting In South America

Contributor: Lori Snow

For years now, sportsmen from around the world have quietly converged on Uruguay to take advantage of excellent, but little known hunting opportunities. The country features an unbeatable mix of European hospitality, a temperate climate and excellent accommodations. Condor Outfitters has organized bird hunting tours to the country for years. The company has these insights to share about this exotic, but convenient South American bird hunting destination.

The available species make both ground and wing hunting exciting options for hunters. Hunters routinely report bagging hundreds of birds in a few hours, and often need help to load and bag fast enough to take advantage of the plentiful opportunities available to them.

Three bird species are commonly hunted in Uruguay. Each one presents a different challenge to hunters. They are:

Doves: Doves are plentiful in Uruguay. Huge flocks make regular trips to forage from sunflowers and other crops. Theyre the choice for high volume hunting. Hunters routinely bag several hundred in s two or three hour period. Hunting doves actually helps Uruguayan farmers, too because their huge numbers pose a threat to crops.

Pigeons: Spot-Winged and Picazuro Pigeons are challenging targets due to their erratic movements and speeds. They rarely fly in flocks like the doves do, and are not as plentiful as doves.

Perdiz: Perdiz are part of the Tinamou family of ground feeders. This is a great species which lends itself to be hunted over bird dogs. Perdiz have been compared to quail but does not convey the unique aspects of both the bird itself and the hunting experience. Perdiz are a distinctly South American bird, and nothing quite like them can be found anywhere else.

The hunt itself is just one part of the experience. Uruguay is known for its excellent food and fantastic hospitality. The Uruguayan barbeque, or Asado, is a mandatory experience for anyone who really wants to experience the best that the country has to offer. As skilled cook (or asador) grills a fantastic variety of meat cuts and sausages. Uruguayan cooking also features regional variations on classic Mediterranean cuisine, due to the role of that region in the countrys colonial history. This is apparent in Italian inspired dishes, particularly deserts.

Uruguays old world heritage also manifests in the incredible hospitality a visitor can find there. Condor Outfitters sends its groups to a working ranch, but the level of service easily meets (and often exceeds) that of dedicated hunting lodges. Spacious accommodations are the rule, and a skilled staff guides hunters through every aspect of the experience.

Taken together, these factors make Uruguay bird hunting an incredible opportunity for hunters from North America, especially when chillier seasons and make conservation-based restrictions make hunting at home a less attractive option. But even hunters with no complaints about the season at home flock to the South American country, with many making it an annual tradition. The mix of fair weather, fine hunting and excellent service make Uruguay too tempting to pass up.

Contributor: Robert Murgatroyd

So you finally got to go on that long awaited vacation to Punta del Este, Uruguay. Wonderful! Everything’s in check; sounds like it’s going to be a lot of fun. There seems to be a bit of confusion though. You can’t decide on where to go to relax and hang out. Let’s face it. Even if we consider ourselves seasoned travelers, we sometimes get tied up at deciding where to stay and where to go. Not to worry. Your problem’s solved.

One of the many travels I made took me to Punta del Este. I was pretty excited to see and experience this beautiful place. Punta del Este is an eastern spit of land in between the Atlantic Ocean and Rio del Plata. It was once called Cabo Santa Maria by the old sailors and fishermen.

Punta del Este as it is known today, is known worldwide for its luxury hotels, restaurants, miles and miles of beautiful scenic beaches, an active and glamorous nightlife and it’s huge summer population. It has been known as an exclusive resort for wealthy South Americans and it is still expensive

Where would you want to get your accommodations? Well, that really depends on you. There is never a shortage of luxury hotels and resorts to choose from in Punta del Este. You might want to get booked in one of the many Punta del Este beach resorts if you want to enjoy the relaxing atmosphere that its famous bikini beaches could offer. If you’d like to be close to where the action is, La Barra is where you should be at. I had a marvelous experience staying at one of the famous La Barra hotels.

There are a lot of restaurants in Punta del Este where you’d be able to get a taste of the local, fresh seafood that is sure to whet your appetite. They also offer menus and specialties from around the world. I would suggest checking out the restaurants in Jose Ignacio. What’s wonderful about these restaurants is that they’re situated close to the beach which adds to the relaxing atmosphere and romantic ambiance.

If basking under the sun is your idea of fun, you’d never be disappointed with whole array of daytime sports activities that Punta del Este has to offer. You could go swimming, sailing, play golf or tennis which is only a few of the many outdoor sports that is there for you to enjoy. I’m sure the ladies would enjoy going shopping in Punta del Este’s unique specialty shops as well.

Your Punta del Este travel would never be complete without checking out the local nightlife. La Barra is where the action is. Its streets are lined with great cafes, unique shops, restaurants and bars that would be sure to satisfy the party animal in you. This town is considered the center for all fun and excitement in Punta del Este. The streets are crowded even until the wee hours of the morning. There’s never a dull moment in this town.

It doesn’t matter whether you choose to hang out on the side of the roads, hang out in its rocking discotheques or even just be content having a grand time sipping wine in one of its local restaurants and cafes. The people are all beautiful and friendly. It’s a place where the rich elite and the surfing crowd meet which adds to the unique and sexy party atmosphere.

I would never have enough words to describe the fantastic experiences I had while in Punta del Este, Uruguay. It would be best to say that the best way to experience Punta del Este is to be adventurous in exploring the beauty that the place has to offer. Believe me; you’d never regret a single moment of it!

It is moments like these that make me so proud of being able to say that I have Uruguayan blood running through these veins.

Not a fair win, some may say. Not true. All is fair in love and war. You win some you lose some. Any player would have done the same thing.

To tribute the new mano de dios (hand of God), Luis Suárez, I leave you with a replay of the moment that ultimately advanced Uruguay into the World Cup semi-finals.

Although it was no easy win,  Uruguay pulled through with a  2-1 victory over South Korea yesterday and has finally advanced to the World Cup quarter finals after a 40 year absence. Uruguayans sure had a reason to celebrate, and celebrate is exactly what they did yesterday.

As can be imagined, virtually every plaza and street in Uruguay was filled with people dancing candombe, singing and proudly waving their flags. The celebrations extended far past national borders though. Considering that approximately 21% of Uruguayans live outside the country, there were plenty of yoruguas waving their blue and white flags in all corners of the globe.

To see photos of Uruguayans celebrating the big win all over the world, check out  the Selección Uruguaya de Fútbol Facebook page, where users have uploaded photos from their current places of residence. Also check out the video below of Uruguayans celebrating  in Toronto, Canada.

If all goes well, they will have a reason to keep celebrating on June 2nd, when Uruguay goes up against Ghana.

Uruguay, from one of the most difficult qualifying regions in the world, came up big in the first three games it played in this year’s World Cup and secured itself a spot in the next round  by grabbing 7 points. It pulled off a stunning tie with France in its first game and then went on to defeat host South Africa and Mexico in its following matches, which was no easy task.

Uruguay is a two-time winner of the World Cup, but those came in 1930 and 1950. It has not been a championship contender in recent tournaments and last advanced in 1990 in Italy.

But this squad could be different. It has scoring power in Suarez and Diego Forlán, and its defense was unbeatable in the opening round.

Tomorrow Uruguay faces off against South Korea – should be a great game!

Vamos Uruguay!