Overview
Little Uruguay is a friendly, peaceful country bordering its much larger and more strident neighbours, Argentina and Brazil. The landscape is mostly rolling plains and low hills - lush pasture for the beef cattle for which the country is famed, and dotted with sprawling estancias.
Uruguayans are justly proud of their glorious 660km of coastline of white sand beaches. Best-known is the sophisticated resort of Punta del Este - renowned for its ostentatious wealth and celebrity visitors.
In the lively waterfront capital of Montevideo, modern skyscrapers jostle with art deco and colonial buildings. The city has a thriving cultural and entertainment scene. Uruguay also shelters one of Latin America’s best preserved colonial towns, the port of Colonia del Sacramento – an easy day excursion across the River Plate from Buenos Aires.
Our top holiday styles to Uruguay
Holidays Uruguay
From expertly designed Private Journeys to trail-blazing Group Tours, browse our range of carefully crafted holidays.
Places To Visit In Uruguay
Discover our guide to the most exciting, memorable and inspiring places to visit.
Colonia and Carmelo
The little port of Colonia is the oldest town in the country and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, while sleepy Carmelo is popular for golf and fine wines.
Montevideo
The cultural melting pot of Montevideo is home to monumental public buildings, a historic core and lively port area.
Punta del Este beaches and coastline
The coastline east of Montevideo has huge dunes, rocky capes and yawning stretches of soft sand.
Things to do
We proudly offer the widest range of activities, excursions and one-of-a-kind experiences across all our destinations, tried and tested personally by our travel experts.
Accommodation
Browse our unrivalled portfolio of accommodation . Every option has been carefully chosen by our team of travel experts, so you can rest assured that you’ll relax in utter comfort.
Where to go when - our guide to Uruguay
The weather in Uruguay is wide and varied
This friendly and easy-to-explore country is made up of rolling plains and hills, 660km of glorious white sand beaches, a lively, cultured and polished waterfront capital and a beautifully preserved colonial town meaning there’s plenty to discover. The weather is mild year round and rainfall is moderate throughout the year. The wettest months are July and August and if you’re heading to the beaches they are best visited from December to March, but plan in advance as this is a popular time to visit. Around February / March Uruguayans celebrate carnival with 5 days of live music, parades and general frivolity, although some festivities go on for an entire month. From June to November it’s possible to spot southern right whales off the coast where they migrate annually to breed.
View our Uruguay weather guidePapagaio
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Charlotte Daubeney - Travel Expert
Charlotte's fascination with Latin America began with a family holiday to Belize. She went on to study Spanish in school and at university before spending a year living in Santiago, Chile.
Carrie Gallagher - Travel Expert
A former JLA tour leader, Carrie brings a wealth of on-the-ground experience to our London-based Tailor-made and Group Tours department.
Mary Anne Nelson - Travel Expert
Born in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, Mary’s insider knowledge and dry sense of humour make her a highly valued member of the Tailor-made Holidays and Group Tour sales team.
Paul Winrow-Giffin - Travel Expert
After graduating in Computer Science, Paul spent seven months travelling from Colombia to Argentina and came home hooked on Latin America.
Hannah Waterhouse - Travel Expert
Hannah had an early introduction to Latin America when her family moved to Ecuador and she returned to study in Buenos Aires for a year before backpacking across the continent.
Chris Rendell-Dunn - Travel Expert
Anglo-Peruvian Chris grew up in Lima and spent much of his adult life in between London and Cusco as a tour leader, before settling permanently in our London-based Tailor-made and Group Tours sales team.
