Anchorena National Park Voyage Tips and guide

Anchorena National Park is a protected natural area as well as a cultural and historical site in the Rio de la Plata region of southwestern Uruguay. It is used as an official presidential retreat residence and sometimes hosts international summits and other diplomatic meetings.

The park covers an area of 1,369 hectares.

The park was originally the property of Aarón de Anchorena, a Uruguayan aristocrat who first admired the beauty of the place while flying over it in a hot air balloon in 1907. He built the large English-style mansion in 1911. In 1927 he built a large, brick lighthouse tower called the Gaboto lighthouse tower (a popular park landmark). Anchorena's will stipulated that when he died, the property was to become the property of the state, to be used for conservation, public education, and a rest retreat for the country's president. Anchorena died in 1965, the property was accepted by the Uruguayan government in 1968 and began being used by the president during the 1970s. The park was incorporated in the Uruguayan national parks system and fully opened to public access in 1989.

The landscape is largely the work of a German landscaper named Hermann Bötrich. He was hired by Anchorena to create a visually appealing, natural area that mixed intact native forests with cleared savannah, artificial ponds and areas of exotic tropical vegetation where exotic animals could mix with native Uruguayan wildlife. The park property includes riverfront on the Rio de Plata.

The park includes 464 hectares of native forest with typical South American trees and plant life though another 245 hectares were planted with exotic (now referred to as invasive species) from all the continents of the world. More than 200 species of non-native plants were brought to the property, and include bald cypress, apricots, and more than 50 different species of eucalyptus.

Native South American wildlife in the park includes several kinds of monkey as well as coatis, white-tail deer, and peccaries. 70 species of non-native wildlife were introduced to the park including several kinds of colorful birds and a herd of chitin deer brought from India. Some of the non-native species that were once part of the property have died out and can no longer be seen there. These include kangaroos, buffalo and peacocks.

The nearest commercial airport is Aeropuerto Carrasco (MVD ^IATA) in Montevideo. From Montevideo, you can rent a car and drive to the park, or take a bus to Colonia del Sacramento, then take a taxi to the park Visitor Center.

Frequent buses go from Montevideo to the nearby town of Colonia del Sacramento. The bus takes about 2 hours and costs U$400. Bus companies operating on this route include COT and Turil.

From Montevideo, drive west on route 1 for about 2 hours to the town of Colonia del Sacramento, then turn north on route 21 to KM 197.5 where you will turn onto the park road. It is about 10 km further to reach the Visitor Center.

Park admission costs U$50 per person, cash only (children under 12 and retired Uruguayans can enter free).

Guided tours of the presidential retreat are offered Thursday through Sunday from 10:00 to 14:30. Tours take 2 hours and have a limit of 66 persons (due to the capacity of the tour bus used by the park). Advance reservations are required and can be made by email to [email protected] or by telephone +598 (2) 150 7905.

• Presidential Residence - English style manor house used as the official rest residence for the president of Uruguay. Hosts summit meetings with foreign heads of state and diplomats. Open for tours by reservation only.
• Gaboto Lighthouse Tower (Faro Torre Gaboto) - 75 meter high lighthouse built in 1927. It is the tallest lighthouse in Uruguay and one of the tallest in South America. The lighthouse is open to visitors and houses historical and archaeological exhibits.
• Muelle - the park was once reachable by boat, however the docks were closed to public boat access in 2006 due to security concerns

A good selection of hotels is in the town of Colonia. The park does not have campgrounds available.

• Conchillas
• Colonia
• Carmelo