Uruguay

Do

thumbnail|Beach in Punta del Este One of the best experiences to have during your stay in Uruguay is to watch a football game between Nacional and Peñarol, the two most followed football teams in the nation, but be careful with the radical fans of both teams, since they can engage in fights and violence. Sunbathing, surfing and swimming at the beaches of the Atlantic coast. The most important beaches are in Punta del Este, Piriapolis, La Paloma, La Pedrera, Cabo Polonio, Punta del Diablo and Santa Teresa (national park and campground). Stargazing at places mentioned by the project Mirá las Estrellas by Fefo Bouvier Birdwatching at Rocha's tourist "estancias".

Eat

thumbnail|Asado, traditional barbecue Uruguayan cuisine is typical for temperate countries, high on butter, fat, and grains, low on spice. It has an important Italian influence due to the strong Italian immigration. If you are from the Mediterranean or Mexico, you will find it bland, but if you come from the Northern Europe, Russia or the US, you won't have trouble getting used to it.

Drink

thumbnail|Thermos bottle, gourd with mate and bombilla Mate (MAH-teh) – Mate is derived from the yerba mate plant that was originally used by the indigenous Guarani living near the Rio de la Plata. This traditional drink is ubiquitous—you will see more people carrying a mate gourd and thermos bottle on the streets of Montevideo than people with take-away coffee in New York. However, it can hardly be ordered in restaurants; as young and old go around with their own cup and thermos bottle on the street, there would likely be no-one ordering it in a café or restaurant if they offered it. You may have to buy a package at a supermarket and make your own. The drinking gourds are widely available and range from economical to super-deluxe silver and horn. Most Uruguayans prefer to drink their mate without sugar, called a Mate amargo. Gourds and horns are constantly being refilled with the brew from sun-up to sun-down. But as everyone prepares their own mate, cafés and restaurants seldom serve it. Mate is a social drink. If you are with a group of Uruguayans they will probably offer you some, do be mindful, it will be hot and may taste somewhat bitter. If you try some it will make everybody happy. Salus – A mineral water bottled in Uruguay. If you're a little apprehensive about drinking tap water, this is a great way to go! Tutti Frutti — A mix of delicious freshly squeezed fruit juice with ice. Beer – Alcohol is relatively inexpensive. Beer is often sold…

Sleep

thumbnail|Landscape in San José department in the southern part of the country For nature lovers, birdwatchers, and those seeking a respite from the fast-paced world, there are many "estancias" in serene and peaceful environments, surrounded by many species of native and migrating birds, which offer a unique opportunity to reconnect with nature.

There are many more beach houses to rent along the coast than actual hotel rooms. They are plentiful, and outside the high season affordable. During the first two weeks of January it's impossible to find anything, every cottage and hotel room is booked months in advance.

In addition, camping is possible in many places (free or including amenities), especially near the beach. However, consider that many grounds are private property, so you should not camp here. Consult OpenStreetMap, which many mobile Apps like OsmAnd or Mapy.cz use, to find places which have been tagged by other people as possible camping sites.

Stay safe

thumbnail|Night view of Plaza Constitución in Montevideo's old town

Historically, Uruguay used to enjoy a low rate of violent crime compared to some of its neighbors.

However, this does not mean that Uruguay is crime free. The major differences are that most Uruguayan crimes are either nonconfrontational or do not involve the gratuitous use of firearms. Montevideo in particular has seen its crime rate gradually rise since the severe 2001-2002 financial crisis, and now has moderately high levels of theft, burglary, and robbery similar to those found in major U.S. cities. Fortunately, Punta del Este and most rural areas continue to enjoy relatively low crime levels. In Montevideo, take precautions: use a money belt and/or hotel safe for valuables, look alert, keep out of obvious slums, and avoid wandering around unfamiliar or iffy neighborhoods at night.

In a security emergency, call 911 or 999. For firefighters, call, 104. For ambulance, call 105.

Cannabis is one of the most widely used drugs in the country and legal as well. Uruguay is the first country in the world where the sale, growth and distribution of cannabis is legal. Regarding the legality of marijuana, possession for personal use is not penalized if it concerns minor quantities (a few grams), either Uruguayan or foreign. Possession of major quantities (for example, one kilogram) is illegal and punishable by law. The 2013 legalization of this drug for personal use (medicinal or recreational), sale or storage of …

Stay healthy

Uruguay has one of the best healthcare systems in South America; most medical facilities are comparable to US standards and the country has one of the highest life expectancies on the continent.

Tap water is safe to drink in all major cities, though most locals prefer to drink bottled water. That said, if your hotel or host tells you to drink bottled water, you should follow their instructions—some houses have water storage tanks that may not be completely clean.

The Hospital Britanico (British Hospital), SUMMUM and BlueCross & BlueShield Uruguay have European-quality service and they are clean and efficient. Asociación Española, Medica Uruguaya and CASMU are the largest healthcare companies in Uruguay and they have European-quality level. Just don't make any unwise alcohol drinking decisions.

Tropical diseases are not a major concern in Uruguay; the malaria and dengue present in parts of nearby countries are absent here. Vaccines are generally recommended for Hepatitis A and typhoid, though.

In the Southern Hemisphere winter you won't encounter many insects in Uruguay, but in the summer there are some mosquitoes, especially after big rainstorms.

Respect

thumbnail|Supporters of the samba school Los Academicos in Artigas Uruguay is a socially progressive country. Women got the vote in Uruguay 12 years before France. Uruguay is a secular state unlike Argentina, Chile or Paraguay; the Uruguayan state has not supported any religion since 1917. Even national holidays are officially referred to with secular names—the week before Easter is officially "Tourism Week" and December 25th is "Family Day"! The population is mainly Catholic, but not very practicing.

Uruguay is considered to be safe and welcoming to gay and lesbian visitors: it is ranked 12th in the world in the Spartacus Gay Travel Index. It was the first Latin American country to pass a civil union law, and same-sex marriage was legalized in mid-2013. Even in rural areas, gay travelers experience little overt discrimination. There are a few gay and lesbian bars in Montevideo and in Punta del Este. The only public monument to sexual diversity is in Ciudad Vieja (the old city) in Montevideo. On the last Friday of September, Montevideo celebrates "Diversity Month" with a parade on 18 of July in the center of the city.

Like in other Latin American countries, it's common to greet people with a kiss on the cheek. But unlike most other countries, where this is only done between two women or between a woman and a man, in Uruguay it's not uncommon for men to greet each other this way too! (Those men who prefer not to kiss another man on the cheek will shake hands instead.) As in …