Cabo Polonio, Uruguay

Cabo Polonio, a fishing village with few inhabitants, and an ancient island linked to the mainland by gigantic dune systems, is a truly wild place! In Polonio, there is no electricity (only the candlelight and the lighthouse), there are no roads, there are no streets, no running water or sewerage and the only access is on foot or by special transport. Few places convey the feeling of freedom, without fences or limits! It is a National Park that includes the largest marine protected area in the coastal zone. Archaeological sites of indigenous people of approximately 11,000 years old and shipwrecks colour this magic place with mystique. The largest continental sea lion colony sits among the stones and the species of cetaceans that are seen include bottlenose dolphin, southern right whale, and La Plata dolphin.

The Cabo Polonio National Park is an area of suggestive scenic beauty, which still retains typical characteristics of the landscape of the Uruguayan Atlantic coast, prior to the transformation process that began in the mid-20th century due to the expansion of the traditional urban-tourist model. Its inhabitants live in deep communion with nature. A group of local people are trained in responsible tourism, hiking and whale watching. They were the ones who gave rise to the project that celebrates 20 years of the Org. Conservation of Cetaceans, participating in research on the southern right whale.