Roaming South America

The Quiet Middle of Uruguay

September 13, 2026

Tacuarembó, UY

Tacuarembó, Uruguay, sits in the center of the country. The town was founded with the name "San Fructuoso", after Saint Fructuosus of Tarragona, in 1832. The town has a population of 60,000+ people (as of 2023). The town changed its name to "Tacuarembó" in 1912 when its status was changed from "town" to "city". The Rio (River) Tacuarembó is about 36 kilometers east of town. Running directly alongside the northern side of town is the Arroyo Tacuarembó Chico, a small stream.
This was my second visit to the city; my first was in 2023.
I wrote a blog about it; you can read it here.

Tacuarembó has nothing to attract tourists, so the town is quite pleasant to visit. It's quiet and easily walkable; the people are friendly, and there are several good coffee shops/bakeries. One in particular, not yet located on Google Maps, is directly across from the Plaza 19 de Abril, on Calle 18 de Julio. I recommend you visit that one if you happen to be passing through town.

If you're crossing the country, Tacuarembó makes for a good overnight break because it sits close to the center of Uruguay.

Melo, UY

Melo, Uruguay, sits in the north-east part of the country. Melo is in north-east Uruguay with a population of about 57,000. The town was founded in 1795 as "Villa de Melo" and in 1895 was upgraded to city status and renamed "Melo."
I wrote a blog about Melo on May 30, 2023. You can read it here.

Treinta y Tres, UY

Treinta y Tres, Uruguay, has a population of about 26,000. It sits in eastern Uruguay. The city's name, which means 33 in English, refers to the 19th-century heroes, the 33 Orientales, who established the independence of Uruguay in 1825. And, surprisingly, the city is located near the 33°S line of latitude, giving the name a little extra significance.

In 1853, it was established as a "Pueblo," then in 1884 it was designated as the capital of the department (province) of the same name. In 1909, it was raised to the level of "Villa" or town, then in 1915 it was elevated to "ciudad" (city). The town got its first school in 1859. The town's main support comes from livestock and agriculture.

The climate - summers (Nov - Mar) daily highs are in the high teens to high 20°s C (70°s to 80°s F). Winters range between 6° to 18° C (low-40°s to mid-60°s F).

This was my first visit to Treinta y Tres. The town itself is okay, it's quiet, easily walkable, but has nothing to draw tourists, which is a good thing, in my book. But it does get cold and windy, just like Melo and Tacuarembó.

The Rocha Department (Province) sits on the coastal plain, the elevation drops off almost to nothing, and the drainage is poor enough that water sits rather than runs. So you get this pattern: standing water across the low ground, cattle pushed onto whatever rises stay dry. The view of the land between Treinta y Tres and Chuy (on the coast) is of wetland with bits of dry land with cattle. And there's a lot of wetland.

The Rice Industry Moves North

Uruguay has a long rice tradition, but labour and expertise has been flowing northward, to Paraguay, looks backwards until you look at the economics.

What's actually happened is that Uruguayan rice knowledge has been exported to Paraguay over the last fifteen or twenty years or so. Uruguayan growers and agronomists went north because land in Paraguay costs a fraction of what it does in Rocha or Treinta y Tres, water is abundant off the Paraná and the Tebicuary, and the tax and cost structure is lighter. Uruguayan rice is high-yield and high-quality but expensive to produce – labour costs, energy, and land prices all run well above the regional average. Paraguay went from a marginal producer to a significant exporter in that period, and Uruguayan capital and technical staff were part of how it got there.

Wrapping it All Up

So, are any of these towns worth going out of your way to visit? No. They're fine for a meal stop, and that's about the end of it.