Carrasco Airport Montevideo: Flying To & From Uruguay

If you are flying in or out of Uruguay you will almost definitely arrive via Carrasco International Airport. This is Uruguay's main airport and it is located in Montevideo's suburban neighbourhood of Carrasco, just 30-40 minutes drive from the city centre.

Carrasco Airport is a small airport by any standards - it is essentially just one long narrow terminal building, one end housing a few check-in desks and one end occupied by a door for arrivals. It is a very basic set-up with a fairly modern appearance but since the airport was privatized in 2003 to a company called "Puerta Del Sur" passengers now pay a hefty fee for this basic modernity!

Coming IN to Uruguay is free of charge, but if you wish to leave via Carrasco airport expect to pay US$31 for international passengers or US$17 if you wish to hop across the river to Buenos Aires. Its a bit strange that the one area they won't let you take pictures of in the airport is the desk where you pay this fee, they even have a 24hour guard to ensure nobody takes pictures! You can pay this "tasa de embarque" (boarding fee) in cash with US dollars or Uruguayan pesos , they say they accept visa, mastercard and amex but many people have they when they tried to pay with credit card they were refused so bring cash to be safe!



There's two small cafes either end of the terminal building and another snack stand inside at the gates. There is a "free shop" which obviously offers some sort of savings because the immigration officer very stealthily asked me to escort her to the duty free shop, buy her a few boxes of cigarettes and deposit them in an area where the security cameras couldn't see. It was very clandestine altogether, but entertaining nonetheless.


I have heard such a mixed bag of reports about going through customs when entering Uruguay - everything from the Spanish Inquisition over bringing in laptops to people who just walked on through with bags and bags of things. I find that it is very hard to provide accurate information or hard and fast rules about processes in Uruguay because it can honestly depend on who you encounter, what kind of day they're having and even what happened yesterday....I'm told that when customs officers are scolded for not catching something you can expect them to confiscate random things and ask pointless questions just for the sake of looking active and conscientious! Just make sure that if you're bringing anything new you make it look used (put pictures and personal things on laptops, don't bring anything in its original box etc).

Transport: Traffic in Montevideo is quite light and its a rather stress-free journey to and from the airport. You can take the DM1 bus from Tres Cruces bus station for 25pesos and it will leave you right outside the airport terminal building. Equally so the DM1 regularly stops outside the airport terminal and will bring you to Tres Cruces bus station which is in the centre of Montevideo. You will have to have small change to pay for the bus as they will not speak english and will NOT be happy if you attempt to hand them 500 or 1000 pesos to pay your 25peso fare!

You can also take a taxi to the airport but it is often better to book one through a remise (a taxi company) rather than hailing one on te street because it could be very expensive on the meter. There is a guy called Jaime that has been recommended by a few expats. He lived in the US for a few years and so speaks some english, his cell phone is 099-152-560. As I was leaving on a ridiculously early flight I used Remises La Española 02-622 2323, they collected me at 3.30am in Pocitos and the journey cost me 450pesos (no meter, pre-arranged fare).

Be warned that Carrasco airport is located in the municipal department on Canelones and so the taxis are governed by a different set of rules. They tend to be much larger nicer cars, but the price tags match that. This is all well and good if you have dollars to burn but if you're traveling on a budget or living a more Uruguayan lifestyle then call a Montevideo remise or take the DM1 bus to the centre. There's also a COPSA bus (I think its number 706), this also brings you to Tres Cruces but takes a much less scenic route...if your a tourist the DM1 goes by the coast and is a nice introduction to what Uruguay has to offer.

Carrasco International Airport Website: Everything is in Spanish but there is a good list of frequently asked questions and information about parking, car rental, duty free shopping, luggage etc.

Check here for arrival and departure times (this is also a good way to know what airlines fly in and out of Montevideo). At the moment the main routes seem to be with TAM, Pluna, American Airlines, Iberia, Aerolineas Argentinas, LAN and Gol.

Ice cream in Montevideo

Ok, so I may have mentioned Las Delicias as the best ice-cream place in Montevideo, and I still stand by that claim, but my favourite flavour is to be found at the Artigiano Heladeria on the corner of Juan Benito Blanco and Miguel Barreiro along the Rambla in Pocitos.


This heavenly little cup contains very creamy, slightly chewy "Mantecol" flavour...yes, for all you peanut-butter fans out there this is it in ice-cream form! And only 45 pesos! They even do delivery if you're feeling super lazy :)

Punta Del Diablo: Uruguay's Beautiful Beaches

How or why I never got around to writing a post about Punta Del Diablo after having lived there for over 2 months is a bit of a mystery. So now, during Uruguay's dreary months of winter (which happen to be the same climate as Ireland's fine summer!) I have decided to add a little sunshine....


Punta Del Diablo is a beautiful little fishing village in the very north-east corner of Uruguay near the border with Brazil. But don't be fooled by its little size - this place has a WHOLE lot to offer! Despite its permanent population being in the 400-500 mark, this little town swells to veritable hub of 20,000 sun seekers and surfers during the summer months.

Depending on your taste, you can choose a chilled out low season retreat or a fun-filled high season fling. Late December and January are definitely the busiest months (literally every hostel, hotel, cabaña and derelict building is rented out!). But February is also the month of Carnaval and Semana Santa in April sees another surge in visitors.

The gorgeous town is a very simple place - a couple a grocery stores, a bakery, artisan crafts and clothing stands, a few small surf shops and plenty of yummy fresh seafood. The best part of this place is the beaches - 3 amazing long sandy beaches to choose from (more if you're willing to walk a bit), and with every beach facing a slightly different direction it is a surfer's paradise for the choice of swell.

I worked at a fantastic hostel called El Diablo Tranquilo. I initially went there for a short 2 day visit in February and loved it so much I went back to live and work there for over 2 months! Almost all the guests stayed longer than they expected, there's just something there, a feeling, an atmosphere, it makes you never want to leave! They've got a fantastic bar and restaurant right on the main beach and what's even better is they're doing a big construction job now to build luxurious penthouse suites with ocean views...romantic escape anyone?

My favourite must see & do list:

• Alba's empanada stand on the wooden artesanal pier - her mejellones (mussels) empanadas are to die for, pair them with a cold bottle of Patrica beer and a view of the most beautiful sunsets you have ever seen.

• All the beaches! Playa Grande is quite simply spectacular...just a little walk over the rocks and you'll be amazed at this little piece of deserted heaven. If you REALLY want to spoil yourself head to El Diablo Tranquilo hostel and ask to take one of Fabian's horse tours that will take you along the winding paths in the forest and leave you galloping in the surf during the sunset!

• There's a great "taco" stand beside the police station in the town - yummy! If you're American (or Mexican) you won't consider these "tacos", they're soft tortilla wraps with a whole range of different fillings. They do wok dishes too, how very international! Its a great place to grab lunch.

• Any of the artesanal ice-cream shops - no explanation needed. Let me know your favourite flavour...I think I concluded with mascarpone and forest fruits.

• Santa Teresa National Park - you can spot anything from whales and sea turtles to eagles, hawks, condors and more! Take a stroll up through the forest, find your way back to the ocean and follow the many beautiful beaches all the way back to town.

• Go star gazing. If you've been living in the northern hemisphere you've never seen the constellations like this. The view of the night sky along the north east coast of Uruguay is truly incredible. Take a blanket and go look out for shooting stars, Orion's Belt, the Southern Cross, the pointer stars and more!

• Try out surfing! There are boards and wetsuits available at affordable prices, there are plenty of wave sizes and break points to choose from, give it a try! There is nothing better than coming back from a day in the water.

• Go to the highly recommended El Viejo y El Mar restaurant. My biggest regret is not getting to try this place during high season.
  

Getting to Punta Del Diablo from Montevideo is really easy, there's plenty of buses leaving Tres Cruces bus station and you can check the bus timetable here. Just be sure to check that the bus you take actually enters town and doesn't just leave you at the entrada because its quite a walk...especially with a backpack! For more information on Punta del Diablo check out their town portal page.

Futbol: The Football Culture In Uruguay

The first thing that almost everyone said to me when I told them I was moving to Uruguay was: "The only thing I know about Uruguay is that they hosted the first World Cup and won". Ok, so maybe that was just from the guys that I told - but still, it was an overwhelmingly common reaction!

Uruguay is BIG on their football culture. The first World Cup was held here in Montevideo in 1930 and they built their Estadio Centenario (Centennial Stadium) to hold nearly 100,000 people! I'm writing about this because I went there last night to watch the semi-final match of the Copa Libertadores (Liberator's Cup).



My friend's favourite team - "Nacional" - were up against Argentina's "Estudiantes" and despite having won this much-sought-after cup 3 times, this was the first time Nacional had reached the semi's in 21 years - it was BIG! The weirdest thing about this match? There wasn't a single Estudiantes fan in the whole stadium...and the stadium had almost 60,000 people there!! The whole place was full to support Nacional! The energy was incredible.




There is an infamous rivalry between Montevideo's teams, especially between Nacional and Peñarol. The rivalry between these 2 clubs is deep, partly political (though not SO much anymore) and stretches back over 100 years! I joked that I would turn up wearing a Peñarol shirt (obviously only joking) and he told me I would simply be killed. He wasn't lying - even though they were playing a different team most of the chants mentioned Peñarol in some way...my favourite of which translates in to "suck my balls Peñarol" - it has a great rhyming rhythm in Spanish ;)

I had been looking forward to seeing one of these games - and what a way to see it, Nacional's first semi-final in 21years! However even with only Nacional fans there I could still feel this tingling worry in the back of my head - I mean, there were riot police all over even though there weren't any fans from the opposing team to fight with! I can imagine that a Nacional v Peñarol match may be a bit too much for some.