“IT´S CARNIVAL ALL YEAR ROUND”

This is what Uruguayans say as a way of criticism to the local society & culture. Though this may not actually be true, it is certain that this country holds the LONGEST CARNIVAL IN THE WORLD.

Highlights

The first signs of Carnival can be tracked back to 1760, when this celebration was somehow regulated and only in some certain special dates were the slaves allowed to leave their tasks and celebrate with their songs and dances… this is how Carnival was born.

Nowadays, in Montevideo and other cities round the country, the Carnival generally lasts for approximately 45 days. Carnival in Uruguay does not have the majesty and color of the show performed in Rio de Janeiro’s Sambodromo for it is something else. More modest, less pretentious, the Uruguayan Carnival Season starts with the Carnival Parade held along 18 de Julio Main Avenue during the first days of the month of February.

The second and more popular parade is held by the end of the month, through the narrow streets of Palermo and Sur Neighborhoods. This is the “Llamadas Parade” (Calling out Parade) and it still maintains much of its past splendor.

Both parades attract tourists worldwide and are the high points of the Uruguayan Carnival, a Carnival expressed through the black and lubolo (white people painted of black) bands that dance and march to the rhythm of Candombe music pounded by hundreds of drummers and complemented with the cultural contribution Spanish colonizers made to the celebration with the “Murga”, a humorous sketch and parody group of performers. These groups compete night after night on different stages of the city particularly at the summer Theatre to obtain the top prize in their category. This competition lasts throughout the month of February (tickets need to be book several days in advance) and the jury’s decision comes at the beginning of March.

Tour Outline

In this tour guests will enjoy the colors, flavors and rhythms of carnival first hand. Our proposal is to participate in the Carnival not as a spectator but as a participant. Guests will learn the history, traditions and also how to play the drums, get dressed in the colorful typical customs and be part of the parade as one more.

At all times, guests will be assisted by a local English guide that will lead the way into this world of music, rhythms and customs. The suggested time period to stay is a minimum of 1 week in order to receive the necessary training.

This tour is tailored to every client, so please do not hesitate to contact us and request a special detailed itinerary designed according to your own needs!

This particular seaside resort is the oldest in Maldonado and the start point of our hilly trip. We will go up the San Antonio Hill from where we will enjoy a panoramic view of one of the most beautiful scenes on the entire Uruguayan Coastline; the Rambla, the River Plate, the easygoing string of beach resorts of Playa San Francisco, Punta Colorada, Punta Negra and the Pan de Azucar Hill, one of the highest in Uruguay (493 m). We continue our trip along route 60 onto the city of Minas located in the Province of Lavalleja, the “Province of the hills” where one of the most beautiful and panoramic routes start. We will follow this road while enjoying the landscape until we arrive to the Province of Rocha where the hills turn into wetlands, palm groves and grasslands until we reach the hilly area of Estancia El Charabon, our next stop and charming refuge for the night! The following next days will be followed by horse riding, delicious typical meals, native forests located next to lagoons, national parks and protected areas. Still, the most incredible spot still awaits us… our return route will drive us along new hills and winding roads along route12 whose sign posts give is directions to Las Cumbres.

This is the sign given to Sierra de la Ballena, a rock formation that stretches from the lake to the sea. From the highest point on the northern part of the hills, it offers a unique, not-to-be-missed panoramic view of the woods, hills lakes, cities, beaches and islands that are packed into this area of Maldonado.