Avoiding The Crowds On Uruguay’s Beaches

Uruguay is blessed with some of the nicest beaches in South America, but they often have a tendency to be quite overcrowded depending where you are and the time of the year. The summer months and autumn months in the northern hemisphere, including November, will generally allow you to visit without being overwhelmed by tourists and the double pricing that they inevitably bring with their visits.

If you’re trying to find rest and relaxation, you’re best completely avoiding Punta del Este, Uruguay’s most famous beach destination. The beach town is often referred to as the “Miami of South America” with its clubs, high-rise hotels and ridiculous prices.

But that doesn’t mean Uruguay’s pristine 660-kilometer coastline doesn’t have a few hidden gems and Cabo Polonio tops the list as you’ll need to hire someone to row you there or be prepared to hike about 7 kilometers of dunes to reach this secluded spot. There are not a lot of options for accommodations, but Cabo Polonia Hostel, while not originally named, is a great spot for hammock lazing and beer drinking in this town that has more sea lions chilling by the lighthouse than human habitants (80). As cannabis was legalized in 2014, it should be pointed out a couple of the town’s 80 residents have become quite good at gardening and that is essentially the vibe of Cabo Polonia.

If surfing is your cup of tea but you don’t love oceans teeming with others looking to catch a wave, your best bet is to head to Punta del Diablo and the main beach, Playa Pescadores. While Punta del Diablo has a population of around 1,500, this booms to nearly 20,000 when the summer months come around in December.