Laguna Merin

Laguna Merín is a shallow freshwater lagoon of some three and a half thousand square kilometres straddling the border with Brazil, fed by the Cebollatí and Tacuarí and draining north through Brazilian channels. On the Uruguayan side the shore is a mix of sand beaches, wetland and the rice fields that dominate this region's farming. The surrounding marshes are part of the Bañados del Este biosphere reserve and hold very large numbers of waterbirds.

What you actually see

• The scale - a shallow lagoon of some three and a half thousand square kilometres.
• The wetlands - marshes on the Uruguayan shore within the biosphere reserve.
• The waterbirds - herons, storks, ducks and raptors in large numbers.
• The rice country - the paddies that shape the farming of the region.

When to go

October to April is best for the tracks and for birds. Winter brings high water and flooding. Mosquitoes in summer are severe.

Honest expectations

There is very little tourism infrastructure on the Uruguayan shore. Access tracks flood and are often impassable. Rice farming has altered much of the surrounding wetland.

Nearby

Rio Branco is on the border, and Treinta y Tres is west.