Minas

Minas sits in a bowl of hills that are, by Uruguayan standards, mountains, and it takes its name from the quarrying that has always gone on around it. Two things define the town: the Salus spring outside it, which has bottled mineral water since the 1890s and gives its name to the national brand, and the Virgen del Verdún on the hill above, where a pilgrimage each 19 April draws tens of thousands of people up the slope.

What you actually see

• The Virgen del Verdun - the hillside shrine and its April pilgrimage.
• The Salus spring - the mineral water source outside the town.
• The Lavalleja hills - the granite country the town sits among.
• The town square - the plaza and the cathedral at the centre.

When to go

March to November is most comfortable. The Verdún pilgrimage falls on 19 April and fills the town. Summer is hot in the valley.

Honest expectations

The town itself is modest and the interest is the surrounding country. The Salus plant runs visits only by arrangement. Accommodation fills completely around the pilgrimage.

Nearby

Villa Serrana is northeast, and Cerro Arequita is north.