Punta del Este, Uruguay: attractions

One of the most popular resorts of Uruguay is Punta del Este. This is a very small town with white sandy beaches, luxurious villas and hotels, as well as an impressive nature. Despite the small size, the city has many memorable places. Here are the historical buildings of colonial times, a unique house-sculpture, the world-famous monument "Hand" and even an island with seals.

City between the river and the ocean

Punta del Este is located in the place where the La Plata River flows into the great waters of the Atlantic Ocean. It is located on a peninsula, part of which stretches forward in a long and narrow tongue. Its edge is the most southern point of Uruguay.

Punta del Este is located in the department of Maldonado. The city belongs to the homonymous municipality, which also includes several coastal islands. It is located just five kilometers from the center of the department, the city of Maldonado, and about 140 kilometers from the capital of Uruguay, Montevideo.

The foundation date of the city is 1907. However, the region was opened much earlier. The Spaniards first noticed it during the study of the Strait of La Plata. But the desert, virtually devoid of vegetation, their lands at first did not attract. Mastering the region began only in the XVIII century.

After armed clashes with the Portuguese, the Spaniards won this place. In the XIX century, Francisco Aguilar decided to equip the lifeless land. He built a ceramics factory here, and, having become governor of the region, initiated the construction of schools, religious and city institutions. Now all these buildings are considered to be the sights of Punta del Este. In the XX century the city turned into a luxury resort, which is still popular today.

Climate and nature

The city is in the subtropical zone. Because of the proximity of the Atlantic, the climate here is mild oceanic with hot summers and cool, but not frosty winters. The coldest time is in July, then the average temperature is 11-12 degrees. The hottest month is February, with an average temperature of 21 degrees.

The holiday season lasts from November to the end of March. At this time in Punta del Este a lot of sunny days, and the thermometer shows from 25 to 35 degrees. In April the rains come on the coast, but the ocean remains warm until June.

In the region grow eucalyptus, pine, acacia and other trees, which can be safely called exotic for these places. Until 1896, they were neither within the city, nor in Uruguay as a whole, until Antonio Lussich founded a botanical garden.

The city was a large port, and the sailors brought Lussich seeds of plants from various corners of our planet. Over time, the trees began to spread themselves and decorated themselves with former sand dunes.

Resort areas

The population of Punta del Este in Uruguay is 10 thousand inhabitants. Thanks to the flow of tourists in the summer, this number increases at least 50 times. The city has many hotels, first-class restaurants and nightclubs.

Local beaches are free and are divided into two types: river (Mansa) and oceanic (Brava). On the beaches near the river sand is large and golden, near the ocean beaches are more "high grade" with fine white sand. The most popular holiday destinations are El Tesoro, Bikini Beach, Montoya and Manantiales Beach.

The area of La Barra (La Barra) is great for sailing, yachting and fishing. From December to January, parties and festivals are often held on its beaches. On the coast, heavily windswept, surfers and windsurfers usually gather. Water sports are also practiced in the largest pond of the department - Laguna Yves, located 15 kilometers from the city.

Sculpture "Hand" in Punta del Este

Sculpture of Chilean Mario Irarárrabála appeared in 1982, during the first international meeting of sculptors. The rest of the monuments have long since been removed from their sites, but the work of Mario was so popular with the locals that for thirty years has adorned one of the beaches of Punta del Este in Uruguay.

Fingers from the ground rise three meters in height. They seem to break out of the sand. They are made of steel and cement, on top are covered with plastic. The sculpture is called in different ways: a monument drowning, Birth of a man, Fingers or Hand.

There are different interpretations of this work. According to one version, the sculpture is a warning for all bathers. The waters on this beach are very restless and have taken more than one life. According to another version, the monument symbolizes the presence of man in nature. Such a sculpture is located in the Atacama Desert called "The Hand of the Desert".

Architecture

Punta del Este has its own special atmosphere. There is no holistic old center, as, for example, in many European towns. Historical buildings are surrounded by modern buildings and private houses, not devoid of luxury and taste.

Within the city, the most famous sights are the lighthouse and the Candelaria church with an orange tiled roof and blue walls. The lighthouse reaches 45 meters in height, to climb it you need to overcome as many as 150 steps.

Thirteen kilometers from the city is Casabueblo - the house of the Uruguayan artist Carlos Vilaro, known for his unusual appearance. This white building of cement in style resembles the buildings on the Mediterranean island in Santorini.

The house was built without any plan. It originated from a small building, to which other parts were attached at different levels and from different sides. So for 36 years he "spread" on the slope in the form of a huge maze with a lot of windows, arches and terraces. Now it has a museum, an art gallery, a hotel and a restaurant.

Lobos Island

The name of the sights Isla de Lobos translates as "wolf island". Only they were never here. In fact, the so-called seals and sea lions, which are found on the island near Punta del Este, are very numerous.

Lobos is a unique monument of nature. Local animals, although they are in the center of attention of tourists, feel great. Once they were the object of fishing Uruguayans, but now they can not even be approached.

The size of the island covers only 0.4 square kilometers. There are no settlements on it, and all pleasure boats leave it in the evening. The only inhabitants of Lobos are seals, sea lions and birds, and near the coast you can often see killer whales and southern smooth whales.