Punta del Diablo: fishing village on the Uruguay coast

in Uruguay 1,046 Views

This post is also available in: Deutsch

Punta del Diablo is a small fishing village located along the Atlantic coast of Uruguay. The village is located about 300 km east of Montevideo, about 170 km east of Punta del Este and a few dozen km from the border with Brazil. The village normally has less than 1,000 inhabitants, but during the summer it becomes one of the most popular seaside resorts in Uruguay. In this period it can reach 25,000 residents thanks to the considerable influx of tourists from Argentina, Brazil, Europe and Uruguay itself.

The area where Punta del Diablo stands is dotted with palm groves and grazing areas where long-horned cattle graze. The village is still partly made up of old wooden houses, although in recent years it has developed considerably, it still remains a quiet place.

ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR SEASIDE RESORT IN URUGUAY

Punta del Diablo is characterized by some beautiful beaches. In front of the village is the characteristic Playa de los Pescadores. On this beach the fishermen park their fishing boats and sell the catch of the day. Just north of the village is the Playa del Rivero beyond which begins Playa Grande and the Santa Teresa National Park. South of Punta del Diablo lies the long and wild Playa de la Viuda.

Behind Punta del Diablo is the Laguna Negra a large mirror of fresh water. At the end of the inhabited center – towards the north and towards the border with Brazil – the Parque Nacional de Santa Teresa begins where it is worth visiting the Fortress of Santa Teresa. This fortress was built by the Portuguese in 1762 and changed hands several times. The Fortress of Santa Teresa is an irregular pentagonal building with large bastions on the five sides. In the park there is a very varied fauna and flora. Along the coast of the park there are five wild beaches: Playa Grande, Playa del Barco, Playa de Las Achiras, Playa de La Moza and Playa in Cerro Verde. Inside the park there is also the marine and coastal protected area of Cerro Verde and Islas de la Coronilla.

Among the other natural attractions to visit in the area, a few tens of kilometers south of Punta del Diablo, we find the Cabo Polonio National Park. While about 50 km north of Punta del Diablo. Just on the border with Brazil is the San Miguel National Park. Here too there is a fort built by the Portuguese in 1737, the Fuerte de San Miguel.