I needed a vacation and was thinking for the place to rejoice. I asked my question to Google baba and He suggested me plenty of places near to Buenos Aires (where I am living currently) like Tigre, Salta, Jujuy, Mar del Plata, Puerto Madryn, El Calafate, Uruguay…etc etc. I had already visited few places out of these and so next challenge was to sort the place on climatic conditions. Which places is best option to visit for now. I prepared a chart for my sorted options and found Uruguay the best option. But the only problem was to wait for at least 15 days in this case because of Visa processing.
VISA processing -
Here, you can find the list of countries who need VISA for Uruguay – http://www.dnm.minterior.gub.
Documents I needed for Visa –
1. Passport
2. Hotel/Hostel reservation (with confirmed dates) – Embassy calls your hotel/hostel to confirm your reservation to process your visa application.
3. One photograph (passport size) - optional
I visited Uruguay embassy in Buenos Aires (Location – Las Heras 1907) to get my Visa. Mostly people speak Spanish here but for my good, the person knew English too. It took hardly half an hour to submit my Visa application. The embassy person told me that they will call me once my application gets approve which takes 2 weeks in general. And around 2 weeks later, I got a call and they asked me to come to embassy to get the VISA. You need to go with your passport and one photograph. Just as an additional information, Visa is free (for 60-90 days) for Indian passport holders.
Planning of trip –
It’s my habit to read and search about place I am going to visit. And this time I had plenty of time for research. During those 2 weeks of Visa processing I could do nothing except the planning. I prepared small notes on the famous places which I will have to visit. I visited Hostelling International office here in Florida street for more information about Colonia and they helped me a lot to plan my trip. I also booked my hostels through them in Uruguay.
Places to Visit -
There are numerous of places to visit in Uruguay but I didn’t had that much time. My trip was of very short time, just 3 days. So, I chose 3 most famous places – Colonia, Montevideo and Punta Del Este.
I planned like this –
Day 1 -
- To reach Colonia in morning (by 10-11am), roam around till 7 to 8pm (as there is not much night life in Colonia).
- Take Bus to Montevideo (around 2 hours from Colonia)
- Night stay in Montevideo and can go out anywhere in night if wanted.
Day 2 -
- Roam around in Montevideo till 1-2pm
- Take bus to Punta Del Este (around 2 hours from Montevideo)
- Roam around on beach in Punta Del este in evening
- Night stay in Punta Del Este
Day 3 –
- Roam around in Punta Del Este till 12noon-1pm
- Go to Casa Pueblo in Punta Ballena (around 20 mins drive from Punta Del Este)
- Spend 2-3 hours in Punta Ballena
- Come back to Montevideo and then to Colonia (2+2hrs)
- Journey back to Buenos Aires
Please check for the Next post for details on day wise activities.
