Horseback Riding in Punta Del Diablo, Uruguay

Caballos! I went horseback riding for the first time while we were staying in Punta Del Diablo, Uruguay. We booked it through our hostel, El Diablo Tranquilo (eldiablotranquilo.com), for $40 US each. It was a 3.5 hour sunset ride that started at our hostel. We rode down to the beach and entered a national park where we passed through uninterrupted fields and forests of green. We even paused halfway through the ride to dismount and drink a couple bottles of delicious Uruguayan wine provided by the tour. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and low cost of Uruguayan wine. After our break I was a little more daring with my horse, Diablito (Little Devil), and our pace.

The Riders

Diablito!

Happiness

We exited the park along a seemingly endless stretch of beach adjacent to the park. This empty, open white sand beach was simply named Playa Grande (Big Beach). We entered the beach as the full moon rose over the ocean, shining red from the tail end of the sunset. It was an absolute fantasy world. Once on the beach we paused for pictures with the beautiful moon before we all broke into a trot down the stretch of the beach. Giddy-up! 

Our master of horses with the red full moon behind him

Surfing in Punta Del Diablo, Uruguay

The conditions are ideal at Rivero Beach in Punta Del Diablo. The sand is pure with no seashells or rocks to cut you up and the waves are great for beginners with about a 150 ft (45m) ride in between the points of the devil. It was December 27th and my instructor noted that the waves were the biggest he had seen so far that summer. I took a 2 hour surf lesson for $20, which was the 2nd lesson in my life. In 2009, I took a lesson in LA on Venice beach for something crazy like $160 for the same amount of time.

Chris showing Jon and I how to "pop up"

The lesson was through the hostel where we stayed, El Diablo Tranquilo, with an employee, Chris, our Australian instructor. It was an excellent experience. Chris took me and a fellow traveler at the hostel, Jon, out for a two hour lesson. We spent a few minutes on the beach where he showed us the form and then we headed into the waves. At first Chris said we may only work in the white water, but after just a few minutes, we pushed beyond to where the big waves were cresting. Chris helped us with our timing and gave us a push into the wave. On one occasion, I paddled into my own wave, caught it, and stood up. Gnarly!

refusing to admit the ride is over

On many other occasions, when I was too far front on my board, the wave swallowed my face and sent me tumbling under water, and slammed me into the soft sand below. After the original tumble, the board (attached to my ankle) would catch the wave and give me a "thrilling" underwater ride with both arms stretched above my head. The waves, and wipe outs, escalated as the tide rolled in. However, despite the epic tumbles, I managed to ride quite a few waves before the day was done and I'm dying for another chance to ride. All in all, this was a perfect (and cheap) place to learn. If you find yourself in Uruguay, get to Rivero Beach in Punta Del Diablo and stay at El Diablo Tranquilo! eldiablotranquilo.com

Punta Del Diablo, Uruguay

I could live here. Seldom have I thought this with any level of seriousness on vacation, but this was one of those times. Punta Del Diablo (Devil's Point) is my paradise. There are endless beaches of white sand (the largest of which literally called Playa Grande) a national park, great surfing and an incredibly chill environment. There is also a beautiful lack of any hotels or any chain stores or restaurants. There are no high rises, there were no Starbucks.

This was off the path, with no ATMs or paved roads. "The path" in this situation is the incredibly popular vacaion spot, Punta Del Este 1-2 hours south. Because of this, I hear Punta Del Diablo is less expensive, and more relaxing with more space and nature to enjoy. We stayed at one of the very few hostels here called El Diablo Tranquilo (eldiablotranquilo.com) that was rustic yet new and a party yet chill. Yes, there were hammocks.

Enough talk. Pictures:

Rivero Beach in the background. Great surf!

Our Hostel: El Diablo Tranquilo (The Chill Devil)

View from the deck at our hostel

Santa Teresa box-o-wine!

Approaching El Punta Del Diablo

Alex and Sarah getting some ice-cream on the main drag

We ran into our Chilean friends, Jean Pierre and Max!

Deep fried empanadas made to order! That seems expensive, but the exchange rate was 20-1

The hostal had puppies! This guy just realized he was in a photo shoot.

Chomp!