The Underrated Uruguay: Why It’s Worth a Visit

If you are reading this, most likely you are planning a trip to South America and will be spending a considerable amount of time in Argentina. And for good reasons as well. Argentina is beautiful, but enough about Argentina, lets talk about Uruguay.

Store Your Luggage at Buquebus

Located less than an hour away from Buenos Aires is the amazing country of Uruguay. We used the Buquebus Ferry to get there. We also stored our bags at the terminal for a small fee. This was very helpful since we had to check out of our Airbnb at noon and had a departure time of 6pm.

Quick tip: Don’t change your money on the ferry. The rates are terrible, wait until you get into town!

One River Separates Two Countries

Rio del la Plata separates Argentina and Uruguay. Uruguay is amazing. Most people, if they come, will spend a day in Montevideo and head back to Buenos Aires. Some may even just go to the town of Colonia del Sacramento, which is a quaint historical town. In the historical district, the cobblestone dates back to 1851. 

Going Green, Gay Rights and Other Leading Social Issues

Let’s start with the basics. Marijuana is legal here. You can’t buy it as a foreigner but you it can be gifted to you. Let’s say you go to a shop and purchase paper, a pipe, a souvenir or even a coffee, they can gift you some marijuana and you can smoke it up. Be sure not to do it on any federal properties. If you go to any park, you will definitely get a whiff of that beautiful aroma in the air.

Small souvenir shop with their maximum number of marijuana plants.

Uruguay is one of the most progressive countries in South America and is a leader for many humanitarian issues including supporting the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community, female empowerment, providing employment opportunities and housing across different races and genders, respecting and supporting political and civil rights, according to Americas Quarterly.

We spent about a week here and boy we should have spent at least three weeks. It’s a chill country. People value their carefree life and it is amazing. 

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Travel Back in Time

We wandered around Colonia del Sacramento for four days and it was cool discovering the different historical sites on our own time. This was such a beautiful walking city (not stroller friendly because of the cobblestones). Parents, be sure to bring you baby carrier and leave that stroller at your hotel or Airbnb. We ate at a parilla restaurant where the head chef took a photo with Samindra next to the fire pit. 

Parrillada / parilla, or barbecue, is very popular in Uruguay. Samindra made friends with the chef!

Montevideo Vibes

Montevideo reminds me of Miami before all of the high prices and over-priced views. This place is a bargain. Tons of people from Argentina, Spain, Italy, France, Germany and even a few Americans live here. We walked along the water on the bike path where almost everyone is exercising. 

We had an amazing meal at a restaurant that was featured in the New York Times, La Otra. The food here is the best. Go and see for yourself if you are here. 

We visited the tango museum inside the tallest building once in South America. It was an incredible tour to learn more about the history and to capture an amazing 360 degree view of the city. I also visited a casino and won some money. I wish I could have gone to more of them to check it all out.

I wish we had more time to go out to the countryside to explore even more.

I didn’t know Uruguay had wine as well until we were at our gate at the airport. Our flight was delayed for about an hour and I wandered into a wine shop and was educated by one the the ladies who was working there. Uruguay is known for Tannat wine. She offered samples of different types of wine. Since I am a light drinker, I was buzzed. The selection was amazing.

See Uruguay for Yourself

Don’t listen to other people who tell you to bypass Uruguay. They don’t know what they are talking about. It’s a place where people are proud of their country and the dulce de leche is the best. They love tourists and again we had an amazing time traveling with our baby here.

I only wish we had more time here. Something tells me that we will be back to this amazing country, which is so underrated. Subscribe to our newsletter to get more travel guides to other underrated countries. 

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