Can you imagine traveling 180 km of oceanic coastline with white sand beaches, imposing sand dunes and rocky areas? Sounds great, doesn't it? Now imagine yourself surfing the choppy waves of La Pedrera and camping in Santa Teresa or better yet, taking a horseback ride and enjoying the nature of the Sierras de Rocha.  Rocha is located in the extreme southeast of Uruguay. It borders to the west with the departments of Maldonado and Lavalleja, to the north, with Treinta y Tres - from which it is separated by the Cebollatí River -, to the east, with the Brazilian state of Río Grande del Sur - with which it shares the water mirror of the Merín Lagoon, and to the south and southeast, its frame is the Atlantic Ocean, on which it has 180 kilometers of wide and privileged beaches, only interrupted by some rocky points. With the beaches less and less crowded, Rocha also allows its autumn charms, ideal to know the native flavors and walks and if we talk about Easter, Rocha has thousands of plans for these days. Yes! for all tastes and all ages.   
The department of Rocha is one of the 19 departments that make up Uruguay and where paradise is very close to everyone / Photo: Canva Pro
 

1- Native Fruit Week in Rocha

Rocha also plans to organize the Native Fruit Week in Aguas Dulces. Those who have ever visited this place know that there are many gardens and natural spaces that are filled with native fruits such as arazá, guayabo del país and butiá. "The local people, and neighbors of the area, have always collected these fruits, both to eat them as natural, freshly harvested, and to make jams, jellies, flours, juices, sweet and sour sauces and chutneys," says the website of the Municipality of Rocha. The idea is that this week you can also enjoy the town's accommodations, restaurants and bars. Travel tip: During your autumn vacations in Rocha make sure you have your camera or cell phone battery well charged because beautiful towns and villages full of charm are waiting to be discovered.   

2- Yoga + surfing in La Pedrera

These two disciplines have been growing hand in hand for a few years now. Throughout the year, the La Pedrera Surfing School team gives classes for beginners at La Aguada beach, which is ideal for learning. In addition, those who want a moment of stretching and relaxation after so much paddling can add yoga classes at Jade Shala, a room in the middle of the forest of Punta Rubia from where you can hear the sound of the sea. It's an incredible experience!

3- Shrimp Week 

The shrimp fishing season in Rocha is an activity that involves artisanal fishermen, hundreds of lights on the water and thousands of shrimp.  Shrimp Week invites visitors to a gastronomic festival where they can taste the most delicious shrimp-based dishes. A moment of encounter, to get closer to the production of this crustacean, in full harvest; to know its process, from fishing to the preparation of exquisite dishes. Not to be missed!   
The shrimps that appear in the areas of Rocha are exceptional and are considered to be among the best in the world / Source 
 

4- Visit the Monte de Ombúes

Ombú means shade. These plants, considered shrubs by some and trees by others, reach up to 15 meters. With landscapes that seem to be from another planet, it is located inside the Castillos Lagoon. Juan Carlos Gambarotta, Uruguay's first park ranger, is in charge of taking care of the area named Biosphere Reserve by Unesco since 1991. The boat stops at a small dock that connects to a trail and then to the forest. The best time is at sunset, when the last rays of sunlight give it an air of enchanted forest. Travel tip: Autumn is the ideal season to taste the most intense local flavors. The butiá, arazá, wild mushrooms or lagoon shrimp are the protagonists in the months from March to May.  

5- Drive-in movie theater in La Paloma

On April 1, the first national drive-in movie tour arrives at La Paloma. It is a film autobiography called "Sueños Grandes" (Big Dreams) that records seven years of the life of Juan Miguel Bonne, who tells how he became a big wave surfer. The date is at the port of the resort at 19:30 with free admission. When entering, the following sanitary protocol must be observed:  - Attend only in closed vehicles (motorcycles, bicycles and people on foot are not allowed). - Maximum of 4 people per vehicle. -It is not allowed to circulate on foot on the premises (except in emergencies).  
Rocha has many places where there are tourist establishments where you can go bird watching, horseback riding, fishing, boating, hiking and night sky watching / Photo: Canva Pro
 

6- Canoeing, horseback riding and trekking

Throughout the week there will be boat trips on the Valizas creek, horseback riding and hiking to Cerro de la Buena Vista; while at the end of March there will be a great canoeing encounter on the Valizas creek. There is also the option of visiting the San Miguel National Park or the Rice Route. Travel tip: If you are a lover of animals, vegetation and beautiful landscapes, you should include a visit to Santa Teresa National Park in your next fall vacation in Rocha. On route 9 km 302 you enter this immense park of 3000 hectares of extension. As you can see, Rocha is getting ready to welcome tourists during the famous Tourism Week with a variety of proposals ranging from walks through natural places, horseback riding, cultural visits to gastronomic activities with typical local products. In this way, the attractions of the beach are left behind to start enjoying the charms offered by the department in autumn.   

Important Fact: 

"Uruguay has a huge possibility of being one of the first countries to open borders safely," said President Luis Lacalle Pou in a television interview. Borders began to open to foreigners for Easter Week as of March 26.   

Enjoy all that Uruguay has to offer with Daytours4u!

 
  By: Nathaly Bosch, social communicator by profession and curious traveler by choice. Spanish editor for Daytours4u.