This 1,750-hectare (6¾-acre) freshwater lagoon is sheltered from the Atlantic by a thin strip of beach near right at Rocha department's southwestern corner at the border with next-door Maldonado department. Reachable in about 45 minutes from Rocha town and an hour and a half from Cabo Polonio up the coast, in addition to plenty of birds - such as Oirog's gull, the buff-breasted sandpiper, blackthroated swans, and southern flamingos - the lagoon's a great place to witness amazing sunsets and is also popular with kiteboarders.

Part of the Laguna Garzón has been crossed for the past several years by a cool new bridge (pcitured here) designed by the New York City-based Uruguayan starchitect Rafael Viñoly, the Garzón Bridge links the two neighbouring departments and is the only one in the world which is shaped like a circle designed to calm traffic and built high enough above the water to minimise its environmental impact. There's also an observation deck and fishing pier up here.

Read more in our post The Exceptional Ecotourism of Uruguay´s La Rocha Province.

Diego Zalduondo