If you鈥檙e looking for white-knuckle South American adventure, stop reading now. Uruguay isn鈥檛 Peru or Chile, and it isn鈥檛 trying to be. But if you want to lounge on an empty beach for hours, have the best sandwich on the continent, or surf little-known breaks, consider one of these off-the-beaten-path trips.
Play Gaucho
A good Uruguayan itinerary includes asados, plenty of wine, and wide-open country. El Galope, a 12-acre ranch near the town of Colonia del Sacramento, has all three鈥攁nd you won鈥檛 have to battle throngs of tourists to enjoy them. Just hop a from Buenos Aires (from $60) or a two-hour bus from Montevideo ($9 from the Tres Cruces terminal; El Galope will pick you up in Colonia del Sacramento). The ranch 颅offers five rustic guest rooms and hardy criollo horses that you can take galloping across the rolling hills. Save a day to ride the ranch鈥檚 beat-up (but safe) mountain bikes three miles to Colonia Suiza. The town is home to Carro Damole, a food truck that serves up a perfect $5 chivito, Uruguay鈥檚 national sandwich of ham, beef, fried eggs, olives, and pickled vegetables.
Ride Away
La Pedrera is a sleepy fishing village most of the year, but each winter its main street鈥攁 dirt road called Avenida Principal鈥攂ecomes a Coachella-like mecca for Uruguay鈥檚 hipsters. Stay in town at (doubles from $190), or bunk down in nearby Punta Rubia at the funky Parque Reserva, (doubles from $130). Rent a board from Punto Limite Surf Shop and hit El 颅Barco, a right break with waves typically over six feet, or grab a lesson with La Pedrera Surfing School ($30 per day; 011-598-9978-0887). Then take a siesta and head to the oceanside patio at farm-to-table Olinda for a big South American steak.
听
Go Dark
Cabo Polonio is about as lo-fi as they come: there鈥檚 no cell service, and it鈥檚 entirely off the grid. The village (pop. 95) lies on Uruguay鈥檚 southeastern coast in a national park with no roads, piped water, or wired electricity. You have to take a 4×4 to get there ($8 round-trip from the edge of the preserve), but the hassle is worth it for the sweeping ocean vistas dotted with kaleido颅scopic wood, stucco, and glass beach shacks, which are occupied by the town鈥檚 hippie residents. Stay at 颅Hostel Rosa, a that also serves as the 颅local 颅library (doubles from $50). By day the town is idyllic: you can roam the coast in search of sea lions and penguins. At night it reverts to another century as candles and oil lamps 颅illuminate the buildings. Order the ultrafresh ceviche at Lo de Dani, then head to Joselo鈥檚, an open-air bar where you鈥檒l listen to acoustic sets and learn to drink like a local. Bring a headlamp: navigating the pitch-black dunes en route to your bed could get hairy.