Visiting Uruguay from Buenos Aires: Montevideo and Colonia de Sacramento
If you visit Buenos Aires, a good idea is to take some time to cross the Rio de la Plata and visit Uruguay, the small but intersting country located on the opposite shore. Uruguay is a country in South America known for its green interior and coastline lined with beaches. The capital, Montevideo, is located around Plaza Independencia, where there was once a Spanish citadel. This leads to the Old City, with art deco buildings, colonial houses and the Mercado del Puerto with many meat restaurants. And the other interesting place to be visited from Buenos Aires is Colonia de Sacramento, a Unesco World Heritage Side.
But let´s talk first about the Rio de la Plata, the famous river that it´s well known as the widest river in the world.
The Rio de la Plata: General information
The RÃo de la Plata is formed by the union of the Paraná and Uruguay rivers, in the Southern Cone of America. It can be divided into two sectors: the inner sector, made up of the upper and middle sections, which is shallow and devoid of saline intrusion, and the outer sector, comprised between Punta del Este in Uruguay and the bay of Samborombón in Argentina to the east, a section of greater depth, and with an important marine influence since it is already an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It has a shape that tends to be triangular, 325 km long, serving as a border all along its route between Argentina and Uruguay. It has a general northwest-southeast course, dumping the runoff from its hydrographic basin plus that of its tributaries into the Atlantic Ocean, totaling around 3,250,000 km².
Among geographers there is no absolute consensus on whether the broad definition of the RÃo de la Plata, in addition to an estuary, should also include the terms of river, gulf or marginal sea of ​​the Atlantic Ocean. It is commonly called “river” both on the Uruguayan side and on the Argentine side, while, outside of these countries, it is characterized only as an “estuary” and not a “river.”If considered also a river, it would be the widest river in the world, due to its maximum width of 221 km.
In 1527 during his expedition, Sebastián Caboto landed on the eastern side of the SolÃs river, in a port that he named San Lázaro. There he founded the first documented Spanish settlement in the region, where he deposited the crown property for months, in the care of his sailors.
On February 2, 1536, the Spanish Pedro de Mendoza founded the city of Santa MarÃa de Buenos Aires, located on the western coast of the RÃo de la Plata near the mouth of the Paraná and Uruguay Rivers. On August 15, 1537, Juan de Salazar founded the city of Asunción, near the Paraguay River.
The first documented non-American to navigate its waters was Juan DÃaz de SolÃs, in 1516, while trying to find a passage from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. SolÃs landed on the eastern shore of the river, today Colonia, with a group of his men and the 14-year-old cabin boy Francisco del Puerto, they were attacked and killed by the indigenous people. In 1527, during Sebastián Caboto’s expedition, upon landing in San Lázaro, they met the surviving Francisco del Puerto, educated as an indigenous warrior. He lived among indigenous people who wore silver ornaments, which he assumed came from Upper Peru, and when he made contact with the Portuguese, the legend of silver began.
Rio de la Plata: From Buenos Aires to Montevideo and Colonia
From Buenos Aires, there are ferry companies to cross to Colonia de Sacramento and Montevideo, the capital city:
How to visit Montevideo and Colonia de Sacramento, from Buenos Aires?
From Buenos Aires, you can take a ferryboat to arrive to Colonia de Sacramento and Montevideo, the capital city. Buquebus is the best known company and leaves from Puerto Madero, near Plaza San MartÃn in Buenos Aires city. You have different options with the ferryboat company: Direct ferryboats to Colonia and Montevideo; or ferryboat to Colonia and bus to Montevideo. If it is to spend the day, the latter is not convenient because it takes about 3 hours.
An alternative to Buquebus is Seacat, which is neither more nor less than the Buquebus sub-brand. Many times the boat they use is the same and the prices are cheaper. Another option is Colonia Express, a company that starts its service from La Boca. It is the cheapest company among the three, but it does not have a direct boat to Montevideo, since you have to go by bus from Colonia.
The trip from Buenos Aires to Colonia takes 1 hour with all companies. Buquebus offers the Buenos Aires-Montevideo service in 2:15 hours. In the case of taking the boat to Colonia and the bus to Montevideo, it takes about 4 hours between the trip and the passage through Customs. Companies have services every day with many frequencies. Check with us
Book a full day visit to Colonia de Sacramento from Buenos Aires
