Blogs from Punta del Diablo, East, Uruguay, South America

Punta del Diablo is a small fishing/surfing village on the Atlantic coast of Uruguay just 40km from the Brazilian border. We spent much of our days chillin and surfin! Heavennnnnn Surfing was extremely fun, the kids were so pumped to do it no second thoughts just GO ......me not so much a little nervous of the big waves and well (my thoughts briefly wandered to Jaws/SoulSurfer :) ridiculous I know that's just my fear talkin. Sean was our videographer and caught us all in action.....while he rented a board later. Once I started I never looked back! The kids were naturals and good old mom did pretty good too. Driving into Punta del Diablo we didn't realize that there was a National Holiday (Carnival)......duuuuu as we are in holiday mode always:) We certainly learned our lesson..... ... read more

The bus pulled into Punta del Diablo just on dark. As we collected our luggage a lady asked us where we were going. When we told her, she chuckled and she said it was on her way so she would give us a lift. This turned out to be a blessing because the hostel was some distance from the bus stop over dirt roads with very few street signs. We had not made a booking so we sighed with relief when the young woman at reception confirmed she could offer us a room. The Hostel offered evening meals so we decided the “chicken wok” for NZ$12 each was a good option rather than wandering in the dark to find food. It was good value not only because of the price but also because watching the young ... read more

Chao Buenos Aires, bienvenido Uruguay! Checked out of our apartment in the early morning, and after a harrowing taxi run, caught our BusqueBus ferry to Colonia. Heard this place is pretty amazing, but we were already heading to Punta del Este by bus. Although pretty tired, we passed along some gorgeous countryside, with vast green fields, eucalyptus and pine trees, and quaint villages using horse and trailer carriage to get around. Dosing in and out, we made it to Punta del Este by early afternoon. As we approached the city, I noticed some of the pijo qualities we were bound to encounter. All the billboards had ads promoting beautiful people, high class accomodations, and other ritzy elements. Ballers on a budget, we knew we could make it work... On arrival, equipped with an address and minimal ... read more

After leaving our hostel in Buenos Aires we headed for the port to catch our ferry. Luckily we left plenty of time because we showed up to the wrong one to begin with. Some minor problems later and our voyage to Uruguay had begun. Our first stop was Colonia where, impressed by its laid back feel, we intended to rest and spend the following day enjoying the sights. However a shortage of beds and a glut of other tourists meant that we ended up traveling on to Montevideo a day earlier than expected. During our short stop in Montevideo we went to have a look at the plazas and buildings of the Ciudad Vieja (old city). Unfortunately we didn’t find all that much to hold our interest and soon travelled onwards to Punta del Diablo on ... read more

One of the things I am learning about travelling on your own (and there are many!) is that every risk is your own but on the other side of the coin every triumph is also your own. Every decision I make ultimately I have deal with the consequences entirely myself and to be honest this is quite a scary prospect for me. So the decision to head to this small fishing town of Punta Del Diablo came with slight apprehension. I had only read a small paragraph about it in the Lonely Planet, hadn´t met anyone who had been there and on the map it looked as though it was in rural Uruguay away from bright lights and big cities. After catching the ferry over to Uruguay from Buenos Aires a 3 hour ride in which ... read more