Uruguay

Uruguay is home to numerous scenic shores, fishing and hunting areas, hot springs, horse and cattle ranches open for visitors, small towns rich in colonial and early national architectural heritage,and an extensive metropolitan area.
Uruguay's Atlantic coast remains a relatively untapped and unspoiled tourist resource. Its most remote beaches can generally be found in the country's RochaDepartment, which includes Uruguay's eastern-most Atlantic approaches. Notable tourist destinations in the area include the oceanfront communities of CaboPolonio, La Paloma and Punta del Diablo - all ofwhich have attracted growing interest and investment since around 1990.
Uruguay's Maldonado Department is home to numerous well-known beachfront tourist destinations, including Piriápolis, PuntaColorada, the Isla de Lobos, and the most popular and developed of Uruguay's beach towns, Punta del Este. Growing steadily from the 1896 opening of Antonio Lussich's botanical garden, Punta del Este todayhosts around one million visitors during the summertime high season (December through February).
Among the surrounding area's chief points of interest, perhaps the best-known is Casapueblo, sculptorCarlos PáezVilaró's residence, hotel and atelier. PáezVilaró began his "livable sculpture" in 1958, sometimes adding a new room to host a particular friend. Its Punta Ballena setting is also a popularhang gliding spot.
A number of beach towns in Canelones Department are collectively known as Uruguay's Gold Coast. Known for their sand dunes and the rows of maritime pines planted after 1908 to helpprevent beach erosion, these communities have benefited from both their tranquility and proximity to the nation's capital, Montevideo.
Montevideo is home to a rich and diverse architectural andcultural heritage. Its Old City and remains of the colonial-era citadel are within steps of Plaza Independencia, the President's offices at the Estévez Palace, Solís Theatre and the opulent, Italian...