Short distances, varied landscapes, and an easy sense of safety make Uruguay a dream country for the open road.
This sixteen-day route brings together the places that, for us, define Uruguay. Beginning on the Río de la Plata, travel from the cobbled streets of Colonia del Sacramento through the vineyards of Carmelo and into Uruguay’s rural interior. Continue south to Montevideo before turning east through the hills and wineries of Maldonado to the Atlantic coast, finishing among the beaches, galleries and restaurants of José Ignacio.
Along the way, meet winemakers, ranchers, artists and musicians; ride on a working estancia; taste Tannat with small family-run producers; and explore some of the quieter reaches of Uruguay’s Atlantic coast.
Every journey we create is entirely tailor-made; this itinerary is merely a starting point to inspire your own.
DAY 1
Colonia del Sacramento
Begin in Colonia del Sacramento, an old port on the Río de la Plata directly across the water from Buenos Aires. Founded by the Portuguese in 1680, the town passed repeatedly between Portuguese and Spanish control before becoming part of independent Uruguay, leaving an unusual mixture of architectural styles within its UNESCO-listed historic quarter.
Explore the old town on foot with a local guide, following cobbled streets between low Portuguese houses, shaded plazas and sections of the original fortifications. Climb the lighthouse beside the ruins of the seventeenth-century Convent of San Francisco for views across the tiled roofs and the Río de la Plata.
Along the way, learn how to prepare and drink yerba mate, carried by Uruguayans in the distinctive combination of gourd, bombilla and thermos that you will see throughout the country; you might also visit La Vigna, a small farm outside town producing artisanal cheeses. Spend the night at Charco Hotel, in the heart of the historic quarter.
DAYS 2 & 3
Carmelo
Leave Colonia and drive around 80 kilometres north through farmland and small settlements to Carmelo. Here, check into Narbona Wine Lodge, part of a historic winery and farm outside Carmelo, where wine production sits alongside cheeses, preserves and other produce made on the estate.
Many of Carmelo’s bodegas remain small and family-run. Visit Bodega El Legado and Bodega Cordano to walk through the vineyards, meet the producers and taste Tannat, the robust red grape brought to Uruguay from southwest France in the nineteenth century that’s now considered the country’s signature variety.
There is also time to explore the surrounding countryside and visit the Jesuit ruins before heading out onto the Río de la Plata by boat in the late afternoon, passing wooded riverbanks and small islands as the sun drops over the water.
DAYS 4-6
Durazno
Leave Carmelo and turn inland for the 3.5-hour drive towards Durazno. Vineyards gradually give way to vast open plains dotted with estancias as you ross into Uruguay’s rural interior. Your home for the next three days is Estancia La Bendición.
Spend your days on horseback with the estancia team, riding across the property and learning about their approach to sustainable cattle farming, and fishing on the river. Meals are centred around the asado – Uruguayan barbecue – where the owners share their stories and connection to the land over the grill.
DAYS 7 & 8
Montevideo
Next, head south to Montevideo and check into Hotel Montevideo, close to the city’s waterfront rambla.
Explore Ciudad Vieja on foot, where nineteenth- and early twentieth-century buildings stand alongside older townhouses, cafés, bookshops and bars. Continue to Mercado del Puerto around lunchtime – a former market hall filled with parrillas cooking steaks, chorizo, morcilla and sweetbreads over open grills.
Later, visit the workshop of Fernando ‘Lobo’ Núñez, a luthier and percussionist who’s considered a legend on the Uruguayan Candombe music scene – an Afro-Uruguayan style of music and dance that originated amongst enslaved people centuries ago.
The following day, head to Los Nadies, a small winery run by Manuel Filgueira, one of the winemakers behind Uruguay’s emerging boutique wine scene. Tour the winery and taste with Manuel before sitting down to dinner, learning about the small-scale producers working alongside Uruguay’s larger, more established bodegas.
DAYS 9 & 10
Pueblo Edén & Garzón
Leave Montevideo and drive two hours east into the hills of Maldonado, The final stretch winds through pasture, vineyards and olive groves around the small village of Pueblo Edén. Check into Sacromonte Landscape Hotel, where individual glass-fronted cabins are scattered among the vineyards.
Taste locally-produced olive oils at Olivos de las Animas then visit Alvaro and Paula Pivel at Alto de la Ballena, a tiny winery in the Sierra de la Ballena known for its unusual Tannat-Viognier blend. For those keen to explore on foot, the eight-kilometre trail from Pueblo Edén to Viña Edén winds gently through rolling hills and prairies, ending with a winery lunch and tasting.
The following day, head to nearby Garzón, often likened to Tuscany for its rolling landscapes and culinary reputation. Lunch is at Bodega Garzón, a family-owned boutique winery with open-fire cooking by Patagonian superstar chef Francis Mallmann.
DAYS 11-13
La Pedrera
Continue east into Rocha and towards the Atlantic coast, allowing around two hours for the drive to La Pedrera. Check into Las Brisas, a mid-century modern property a few steps from the beach.
Spend a day exploring Cabo Polonio National Park. Private vehicles stop at the park entrance, with the final stretch made in high-clearance 4×4 trucks across the dunes to the isolated fishing village.
Walk to the lighthouse, where sea lions gather on the rocks below, before lunch in the village. The following day, head farther north to Santa Teresa National Park and Cerro Verde, walking through coastal forest and wetlands to viewpoints over the Atlantic.
DAYS 14-16
Jose Ignacio
The final chapter of your Uruguay journey takes you to José Ignacio, a once-sleepy fishing village that’s now South America’s hippest beach destination, frequented by free spirits and the international jet-set alike.
Stay at Ayana, a contemporary hotel created by art collectors Robert and Edda Kofler, home to James Turrell’s white marble Skyspace. Nearby, visit MACA, the contemporary art museum founded by Uruguayan sculptor Pablo Atchugarry; we can arrange access to his private studio and time with the man himself.
Spend a morning cycling or kayaking around Anastasio Lagoon, or ride on horseback through the countryside and onto the beach. For your final evening, ride out at sunset to a nearby lake, where an asado is cooked over the fire before returning after dark.
Our Approach
Uruguay is straightforward to drive, but some of its best stops are small and easily missed. We know these routes first-hand: where it is worth breaking the journey, the lodges worth going off the main road for, the best wineries and restaurants along the way.
All of our trips are built from the ground up, designed around how you like to travel. We arrange the car, map out realistic driving days and take care of the guides, winery visits, meals and activities that need booking ahead. If you would rather leave the driving to someone else, one of our excellent local drivers can accompany you. Either way, our team looks after all of the logistics and is available around the clock throughout your journey.
CONTACT US
Bespoke journeys across Latin America and Antarctica, designed by specialists.
Conde Nast Traveler Specialists every year since 2017
Looking for more inspiration?
