MUST SEE Cabo Polonio and Punta del Diablo

My easternmost and final stops in Uruguay were Punta del Diablo and my absolute highlight Cabo Polonio.

Before my arrival, I had heard from many other backpackers that Cabo Polonio has no electricity, there are no ATMs, and there is no mobile network. For this reason, I made the big mistake of booking only one night in a hostel in Cabo Polonio and the two nights after for a hostel in Punta del Diablo. However, during my stay in Cabo, I realized that this place is unique and that I am happy there, so I quickly decided to return after my overnight stay in Punta del Diablo. So I reserved a bed in Cabo again, this time for two nights.

About Cabo Polonio:

You can tell that this place is special as soon as you arrive. The bus drops you off at a bus terminal - completely normal. Since I assumed that it had dropped me off directly in Cabo Polonio, I immediately checked Maps to see the way to my hostel. In the first moment, I was a bit overwhelmed with the directions and saw that it was still 6km away. So I asked how to get there and learned that special 'safari trucks' can take you to the houses. Since Cabo Polonio is a national park, the buses are not allowed to go any further. The ride in my truck was also an experience. It was pouring rain, our backpacks were simply thrown into a net attached to the back of the truck, and the rain was lashing against our faces. We were shaken for about 20 minutes in the truck, going over rocks and stones, through deep puddles of water, past a kind of forest, and right along the sea. Normally, you would expect that in such a situation, every passenger would complain because the backpacks get wet and the clothes get soaked through to the underwear, but in reality, everyone was laughing and happy because it was simply adventurous and unique. We were finally dropped off at a wooden hut in complete darkness and walked in all directions to our hostels. When I arrived, I realized that the entire contents of my backpack were soaked through, so I spread my clothes throughout the room to dry. As almost always, I had drawn the short straw and had to share a room with seven guys as the only girl. However, I was able to meet two girls later in the 'living room', Line from Norway and Giulianna from Brazil, with whom I spent the entire next day. My hostel was very well-equipped for Cabo Polonio, as we could charge our phones with solar energy until 8 pm every day and had Wi-Fi from 7 pm to 7 am. Fortunately, we also had hot water for showering and could even drink the tap water. Nevertheless, it was very good to switch off during the day and spend it without WhatsApp, Instagram, etc. Many say that Cabo Polonio is a kind of hippie village, which may be due to the fact that every other person seems to have dreadlocks, you can buy 'magic brownies' in one of the village shops, and in my case, when I arrived at the hostel, they showed me the in-house marijuana garden as a matter of course. It is also normal in Cabo to see the neighbors fetching water from a well during the day, there is only one paved road, you never know exactly where a property ends or begins, and in the evenings, everyone sits together in a circle, playing instruments like guitars, ukuleles, bongos, or trumpets and singing along because there is simply nothing else to do. These were invaluable moments for me because no one was glued to their phone (although they had no choice), because everyone seemed incredibly familiar, and because we had a lot of fun together.

During the day, I climbed the lighthouse, from which you have a beautiful view of the houses, the sea, and the sea lions sunbathing on the rocks. I also walked along the beach for 6km on my last day until I reached a rocky point. On this path, I didn't see any other people for an hour and a half and occasionally stumbled over a few animal bones and carcasses that had been washed ashore. The rest of the time, however, I spent in Cabo lying in the hammock and reading Spanish books that you could borrow from the hostel. If you spend your time in Cabo Polonio, it's not about seeing or doing incredibly much, but simply enjoying a unique atmosphere and communal living that you won't find anywhere else. On my first day there, I lay in my bed in the evening, listened to my favorite song, and just kept smiling because I was incredibly happy in this peaceful place.

I was somewhat disappointed with my stay in Punta del Diablo because it was no longer anything special for me after having been to Cabo Polonio. There were also only sandy streets there, and most roofs were made of thatch, but I couldn't find many more special features. With a friend who I had already met in La Paloma, I went to all three beaches of Punta del Diablo, went into the sea in Uruguay for the first time, and got a nice sunburn. I can imagine that it is much better there during the high season, as most restaurants, bars, and ice cream parlors were closed while I was there and apparently only opened on weekends.