The “Riberas del Río Yi” Eco Sendero is 3,500 meters long and runs through natural areas along the riverside forest on the Río Yi. The trail was officially inaugurated in 2024. It provides access to Durazno’s river landscape, where the route itself is as much a focus as its surroundings.

Riverbanks, sandstone, and wildlife

The Sendero connects the beach in the Puerto de los Barriles neighborhood with the Paraje Rebollo area. There is also a beach and sandy areas there. The route thus links natural areas along the riverside forest with a destination characterized by both its beach and its sand. If you would like to explore different landscape features, the riverbank and the sandy areas of Paraje Rebollo can be found side by side here.

Another facet of nature is the Gruta de La Llorona in La Paloma. The sandstone formation, more than 20 meters high, formed in a marine environment during the Lower Devonian, about 380 million years ago. This geological timescale offers a different perspective from the trail along the Río Yi: here, the focus is on the formation of the rock. The surrounding area is also noteworthy. The pronounced slope and humidity create a distinctive microclimate in which native trees, ferns, and culandrillos grow. Geology and plant life thus come together in the natural landscape of the grotto.

At the BioParque de Durazno, the focus is on animals. Spacious open-air enclosures provide room for more than 80 native and exotic animal species. This is a different focus from the geological formation and its microclimate: instead of rock and plants, the emphasis here is on the various animal species and the open-air enclosures.

Archives and collections

The Museo Histórico Casa de Rivera is located in the former residence of General Fructuoso Rivera; since 1992, the building has served as a museum. It houses the Durazno Department Archive, which includes an archive of documents, an archive of voices and music, and a photographic archive. The latter comprises several thousand items of cultural heritage from the department and the country. The collections bring together different forms of preservation: documents, voices, and music sit alongside an extensive collection of visual material.

A collection of military history is a focus of the Museo Militar Tte. Gral. Pablo Galarza. Exhibits include historical paintings, old uniforms, military equipment, furniture, and documents from that period. The museum is administered by the Ministry of National Defense. The collection at the Museo Batalla del Río de la Plata (Cuartel Paso del Rey) is devoted to the history of the Cuartel de Sarandí del Yi and includes weapons, uniforms, and documentary photographs. The museum also commemorates the stay at the site of crew members from the German battleship Graf Spee; objects and photographs from that period are also part of the collection.

Architecture and cultural sites

Buildings and art collections also give Durazno’s cultural landscape its distinct character. The Museo Palacio del Dr. Emilio Penza Berlingieri is a spacious residence in the Belle Époque style. In October 1996, the building was declared a National Historic Monument. Around one hundred works are displayed at the Museo Claudio Silveira Silva. In La Paloma, the Iglesia Sagrado Corazón de Jesús is an architecturally noteworthy building. Together, these sites take you from a historic residence to works of art and a striking church building.

For your explorations, you can therefore focus on different interests: the Río Yi and its riverside landscape, the sandstone formation and its plant life, or the archives, collections, and buildings. The natural sites differ in what they feature—riverbanks, sandstone, and animal enclosures—while the museums tell stories of history through documents, visual material, objects, and works of art.

Discover more destinations: La Paloma, Durazno, Santa Bernardina, Rocha, Salto, Tacuarembó, Maldonado, Cerro Largo.

For the overarching travel overview: Uruguay.