The rock wall
A crown above the trees.
Gigoma — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bienflorencia — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Marcelo Campi from Costa de Oro, Uruguay — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Mateopirez5 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · lucas facini — CC BY-SA 4.0
Cerro Arequita is a rocky massif 305 m high with a flat top, 12 km north of the city of Minas in Lavalleja Department. Since 2024 it has been part of Arequita National Park. It rises above the Santa Lucía River and green plains, offering a striking view, a cave and a fairly short outing from Montevideo. Its name comes from a Guaraní word meaning «water of the high stones of the caves», after water dripping inside Colón Cave. One geologist puts the hill at about 120 million years old. Pedro Carvallido and Juan Beracochea found the cave in 1872, a narrow space between two rock walls coated in calcium carbonate, with a floor covered in guano. From afar the grey rock wall sits above a thick cover of trees like a flat crown. On the steep slope grows a stand of ombú trees with trunks up to a metre across, the second most important stand in the country. Cerro del Cuervo faces it across the Santa Lucía River, which forms a small lake there, with clouds mirrored in the water. It is 106 km in a straight line from Montevideo, with the access 500 m off Route 12. You can climb to the top without equipment, so wear suitable shoes and bring water. The cave needs a fee and a guide, and sources mention small groups at weekends, so check ahead. Do not disturb bats or touch the walls, and watch for slippery rock.
A crown above the trees.
Massive trunks on the slope.
Mirrored clouds.
12 km north of Minas, Lavalleja
Yes, without special equipment, but wear suitable shoes.
With a fee and a guide, so check the times.