During your stay with Kulturstudier you’ll have a reading week or vacation where you can choose to study wherever you’d like. Many students travel during this week as it’s an opportunity to see new places in Argentina or neighbouring countries.

I went to Uruguay as it’s close to Buenos Aires with many beautiful places along the coast. It’s possible to take the ferry to Colonia del Sacramento or Montevideo from Puero Madero in Buenos Aires. The ferry ride is about 1,5hs depending on where you’re going. There are two bigger companies that you can choose from: Bubuquebus or Colonia express. Uruguay is a country with much nature and beautiful beaches. It’s possible to take a bus up from Montevideo, the capital, to popular places like Punta del Este, Cabo Polonio and Punta del Diablo. These excursions are often quite crowded during the summer from December to January. However, they’re still worth a visit.

I spent a week in Punta del Diablo a small village on the border of Uruguay and Brazil. This town has many beaches where you can choose to bathe, surf or do horseback riding. There’s also a nature reserve with turtles and flamingos called the Santa Teresa national park. There are small restaurants along the main beach which is Playa del Pescadores. There’s also a small vegetarian restaurant called La Raiz with many options for vegans. The owners are very nice and open to share all their different products. They also sell vegan beauty products for a reasonable price. However, Uruguay is not a country with many vegetarian and vegan options. The time is changing, but most people do consume meat and dairy.

Punta del Diablo is a town of many hipsters and you’ll probably see many Rastafarian’s. It’s quite a small town with an average of about 400 inhabitants. This number increases during the summer due to tourism. This village is a dog lovers’ paradise with almost as many dogs as humans. There are many stray dogs, but they are quite calm and it’s safe to cuddle them. They often hang out on the beaches and you’ll probably see some of them many times. The only thing to be aware of is mosquitoes as these are everywhere in this beautiful town.

If you’re craving fresh drinking water, the beach and a calm getaway from crowded Buenos Aires. Uruguay is a nice option with a more casual ambiance. It’s also quite cheap to travel here as bus and ferry tickets aren’t all that expensive.

-Elisabeth-