São Paulo – Meek but fierce. Dark but fair. Seen from afar, from its red earth banks, it resembles a thick brown stripe, majestic and silent, winding through the green of the Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina states. But the Uruguay River, which bathes part of these two Brazilian states, is a place of rapid waters and bumpy ground, one of the preferred dwellings of the Golden Dorado, a brave fish, and home to many a fisherman story.
The Uruguay River is born in a mountain range named Serra Geral in Rio Grande do Sul, past the place where the Canoas and Pelotas rivers join together, and follows the state’s border with Santa Catarina, and then with Argentina. It then continues along the border between Uruguay and Argentina until it reaches the Atlantic Ocean. The river is nearly 1,800 kilometres long and were it possible to drive along it, the trip would last almost a whole day.
However, just like the Golden Dorado, the Uruguay River is hard to tame. And its banks do not run along a single, easy-driving road like some in the Ocean coast. The Brazilian portion of the river is sided by crops of maize, soy, wheat, animal herds, dense thickets, other not-so-dense ones, small dirt roads and myriad small cities filled with easy-talking people who mostly lead very simple lives.
And aside from inspiring poetry on those who were born or live there, the river is also a tourist site. Swimming, jet skiing, boat riding and fishing are activities that the Uruguay and its surroundings have to offer. The river is permeated by small resorts, some of which feature rental houses or lodges. There are also small islands near the banks, such as Ilhas do Chafariz (Fountain Islands), by a namesake resort, in the municipality of Doutor Maurício Cardoso, where visitors go to for sunbathing.
In this region, by the way, the Northwest of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, there is a large effort underway to make the river and its vicinities into more established tourist attractions, so to speak. The effort is promoted by city halls and Associação dos Municípios da Grande Santa Rosa (Association of Municipalities of the Greater Santa Rosa Region), which congregates 20 cities collectively known as the Uruguay River Route. Everything is coordinated by the Secretariat for Tourism of the State.
According to the regional Tourism coordinator of the Route, Roseli Rost, a highlight of the Uruguay River is sport fishing. The Route hosts championships between February and September. In sport fishing, once caught, the fish is returned to the water. Fishing in the Uruguay River, according to Roseli, usually attracts tourists from Southeast Brazil. However, a series of rules must be followed, such as observing the fish breeding season, the minimum size of each species, and sparing those threatened with extinction.
Despite being the main object of fishermen’s desire, Golden Dorado fishing is now prohibited in the Uruguay River. According to Roseli, the fish is highly coveted because it is hard to catch. The Dorado struggles when it gets hooked, and is among those that break the like most often. “That is why they say he who never caught a Dorado is no fisherman,” quips Roseli.
Even though the Uruguay River has various leisure spots in the Northwest of Rio Grande do Sul, some municipalities boast larger tourist structures than others, according to the coordinator. One such location is Alecrim, which features fishing boat rides at a place called Balneário de Porto Biguá (Biguá Port Resort). The municipality of Porto de Vera Cruz offers Salto do Roncador, a set of waterfalls near a resort of the same name, and huts for tourists to rent. According to Roseli, the Uruguay River reaches depths of over 100 metres in the Route region, due to a fissure in the ground. But there are other places near then banks which are shallow and good for bathing. The width varies, but may reach one kilometre in some stretches.
One of the river’s main attractions outside the Uruguay Route cities is Salto do Yucumã, a set of waterfalls known as one of the premier tourist spots in Rio Grande do Sul. The waterfalls are on the Argentinean side, but can be seen from Brazil at Parque Estadual do Turvo (Turvo State Park), in the city of Derrubadas. The fall is 1,800 metres long and the park that harbours it is one of the dwellings of the jaguar in the state. Because of the red earth typical of the region, the Uruguay River has dark waters.
Information:
Uruguay River Route
Telephone: (+55 55) 3512 5774
Site: www.rotadoriouruguai.com.br
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
