Punta del Este

Llegando a Punta

After five days in the capital we were eager to begin our tour of Uruguay´s Atlantic coast. Our first stops were the small city of Maldonado and the nearby tourist mecca of Punta del Este. Rugged coastline, rocky points and numerous huge sandy beaches make Punta Uruguay´s biggest international tourist destination.    

Monumento al Ahogado

The most famous landmark in Punta del Este is the sculpture of the giant hand located on Brava Beach. It is a monument to the drowned and a warning to swimmers. Although we arrived in time to beat the high season, it was still impossible to have a moment to ourselves for a clear shot.

Catwalk to Playa Brava

We were fortunate to land in Punta just prior to the peak season. We enjoyed the prime summer weather and sparsely populated sandy beaches. After walking for miles along the beach we abandoned the original, ridiculous plan of exploring the entire shoreline on foot and returned to the city centre for lunch. Cindy ended up with a suspicious milanesa due to the debatable nature of the meat source and I had a hamburger which arrived with an egg instead of a bun. I didn´t complain because I hadn´t seen an egg since our arrival. A typical Uruguayan breakfast is a piece of bread and a cup of yerba maté and quite commonly only the latter.  

   

El faro de Punta

After a full day of walking and several detours we finally arrived at the lighthouse of Punta del Este. Finding and visiting the lighthouse at each of our coastal stops has became a tradition of ours. This magnificent structure stands 45 meters tall.