For everyone visiting Buenos Aires a ferry trip across Rio de la Plata is a must. One hour on the boat and you can find yourself in a totally different world, much calmer one. Colonia del Sacramento, a small Uruguayan town, is a perfect getaway to escape the hustle and bustle of Buenos Aires and stock yourself with a hard currency to make your visit in Argentina more affordable. But besides visiting the nearest ATM it’s worth to spend at least few hours wandering the charming old town, the only place in Uruguay that made it to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

I was so unlucky in Colonia del Sacramento…

I’ve heard and read so many awesome things about Colonia that I was really excited to visit it! I even thought of it as a highlight of my trip to South America, a place similar to Paraty that I would fall in love with right away. And it all could have happened if not a terrible storm that interrupted my stay there. I had 5 or so hours to spend in Colonia but eventually had to limit myself to one hour… Too bad as what I’ve managed to see looked really pretty!

There were not too many people when I walked around Old Town (of course, everyone smart has already hidden somewhere as the sky was getting darker and darker with each minute). Many of the beautiful houses were empty and crumbling – together with the weather it gave kind of a spooky atmosphere. Cobbled streets were full of old cars that fit there perfectly. Exotic plants grow on the walls of the houses and gates. This place really was incredibly pretty and with big pleasure I could wonderfully get lost there, if only the circumstances were different…

As soon as I figured out how terrible my situation was (oh, did I mention I had no umbrella or waterproof jacket with me?) I almost ran around, challenging the weather and trying to see as much as possible in a very short time I had. The unavoidable happened when I was in probably the prettiest street of the Old Town, next to the lighthouse, the most famous landmark of Colonia. The thunders were heard for few minutes but suddenly it was like someone has opened the tap and the wall of water coming from the sky appeared. Together with very few people left I run to find some shelter. Eventually I hid next to the entrance to some small clinic and was stuck there for over half an hour until the rain calmed down a little bit. I run to the bus station to get my backpack and change my wet clothes and well, that was the end of my sightseeing in Colonia. The rain continued for few more hours but when my boat was ready to depart to Buenos Aires I could witness a really beautiful sunset over Rio de la Plata, of course…

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Colonia del Sacramento pictures

I still think Colonia is one of the prettiest small towns in this part of the world. Just take a look and judge yourself!

Would you like to visit Colonia del Sacramento? Has weather spoiled your plans somewhere? What did you do?

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If you think of visiting Uruguay or just want to read more about the country take a look what else I wrote about it! If you’re looking for articles about any place in particular this map with posts might be useful for you. Or just take a look at the “destinations” page.

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