Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Parque Nacional Santa Teresa
This
national park
( 4477-2101; sepae.webnode.es; 8am-8pm Dec-Mar, to 6pm Apr-Nov)
,
35km south of the Brazilian border, is administered by the army and attracts many
Uruguayan and Brazilian visitors to its relatively uncrowded beaches. It offers 2000 dis-
persed campsites (per person UR$100 to UR$150) in eucalyptus and pine groves, a very
small zoo and a plant conservatory. There's also a variety of four- to 10-person
cabañas
for rent; in January, prices range from UR$1500 for a basic A-frame to UR$4000 for a
fancier oceanfront unit; between March and December these rates get slashed in half.
Buses from Punta del Diablo (UR$43, 15 minutes) will drop you off at Km302 on
Hwy 9; from here, walk or take a shuttle 1km to the Capatacía (park headquarters),
where there's a phone, post office, market, bakery and
restaurant
(dishes UR$105-260;
noon-4pm & 7:30-9pm)
. Alternatively, walk north along the beach a couple of kilometers
from Punta del Diablo to reach the park's southern edge at Playa Grande.
The park's star attraction, 4km north of park headquarters on Ruta 9, is the impressive
hilltop fortress,
Fortaleza de Santa Teresa
(admission UR$20; 10am-7pm daily Dec-Mar,
1-7pm Wed-Sun Apr-Nov)
, begun by the Portuguese in 1762 and finished by the Spaniards
after its capture in 1793. At the park's northeastern corner is
Cerro Verde
, a coastal bluff
protected under Uruguay's SNAP program.
Directly opposite the park entrance, on the west side of Ruta 9, a 5km dead-end dirt
road leads to
Laguna Negra
, a vast lagoon where flamingos, capybaras and other wild-
life can be spotted.
UNDERSTAND URUGUAY
TOP OF CHAPTER
Uruguay Today
The past decade has seen remarkable developments in Uruguayan culture and politics.
After nearly two centuries of back-and-forth rule between the two traditional parties,
Blancos and Colorados, Uruguayans elected the leftist Frente Amplio (Broad Front) to
power in 2004 and again in 2009. Over that span, the Frente Amplio government has
presided over numerous social changes, including the legalization of marijuana, abortion
and same-sex marriage, and an ambitious program called Plan Ceibal that has distributed
internet-ready laptops to every student in the country.
