Uruguay
Small, calm and quietly the most liberal country in Latin America
Population
3.4m people
Currency
Uruguayan Peso
Main Language
Spanish
best time to visit
December – March
Climate
Temperate, warm summers, mild winters, no extremes
Visa
Visa free for up to 90 days for UK, EU, US and most Western visitors
Country overview
Uruguay is the second smallest country in South America and one of the most stable and prosperous. It legalised cannabis nationally in 2013, the first country in the world to do so, has same-sex marriage, free healthcare, and generates the overwhelming majority of its electricity from renewables. It is a quietly remarkable place.
Montevideo is a low-key capital with a long waterfront rambla, a covered market full of parrilla grills, and none of the intensity of Buenos Aires across the river. Colonia del Sacramento is a small Portuguese colonial town of cobbled streets, a UNESCO site and an easy ferry hop from Argentina.
The coast is the summer draw. Punta del Este is the glossy resort where wealthy Argentines and Brazilians go in January. Further east, Jose Ignacio is more understated, Cabo Polonio has no roads or mains electricity and is reached by dune buggy, and Punta del Diablo is a fishing village turned surf town. Uruguayans consume more beef per head than almost anyone and drink mate constantly, thermos under the arm.
Annual events and festivals
- Carnaval (Jan-Mar) — the longest carnival in the world at around forty days, with murga choral satire and candombe drumming.
- Desfile de Llamadas (Feb) — candombe drum troupes parade through Montevideo Afro-Uruguayan neighbourhoods.
- Semana Criolla (Mar-Apr) — gaucho rodeo and folk music in Montevideo during Easter week.
- Dia del Patrimonio (Oct) — heritage weekend, with buildings normally closed opened to the public.
- Independence Day (25 Aug) — marks the 1825 declaration.
- Fiesta de la Patria Gaucha, Tacuarembo (Mar) — the largest gaucho gathering in the country.
- Noche de la Nostalgia (24 Aug) — a nationwide night of old music, and one of the biggest party nights of the year.
- Iemanja (2 Feb) — offerings floated into the sea on Ramirez beach for the Afro-Brazilian sea goddess.
- Punta del Este summer season (Jan) — not a festival, but the month the coast is at its busiest.
- Vendimia (Mar) — wine harvest festivals in the Canelones region, home of tannat.