La Pedrera
La Pedrera, Rocha, Uruguay
La Pedrera sits on a low cliff above the Atlantic in Uruguay's Rocha department, a small surf town built around one of the country's best right hand point breaks. El Desplayado, the wide beach below town, suits beginners and has a surf school right on the sand, while Playa del Barco further along holds deeper, stronger water for divers and experienced surfers.
The point break and the whale watching give it two real reasons to visit beyond just the beach, though Playa del Barco's stronger water means it's not the spot for casual swimmers.
How we score beachesWalk the clifftop promenade in the evening between July and October, right whales pass close enough to shore here that you can often spot them without a boat.
La Pedrera sits directly on Ruta 10, about eight kilometers from La Paloma, with a direct bus from Montevideo's Tres Cruces terminal several times a day, roughly a four hour ride. Street parking in town is generally easy outside peak summer.
The town sits on a cliff above the water, with a promenade leading down to the beaches below. El Desplayado has a gentler, more open approach than Playa del Barco, which involves deeper water close to shore.
Uruguay runs a normal four season year rather than a wet or dry split. December through February brings the warmest water and busiest town, while the right whale season from July through October is a distinct draw of its own during the cold months.
More South America beaches
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BaĆa do Sancho
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BaĆa do Sancho is the beach most people picture when they imagine Fernando de Noronha, a cove cut into cliffs off the Brazilian coast, part of Pernambuco's marine national park. You reach it either by boat or by climbing down a metal stairway wedged into a crack in the rock, and either way the water below is clear enough to see the reef fish from the ledge above.
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