EcoPark Uruguay Promotes Sustainable Travel

 

EcoPark 10

EcoPark Uruguay is a nature preserve dedicated to sustainable travel and respect for the land. Located alongside the Santa Lucia River near the small town of Cantelones, the park was once a botanical reserve and a tourist destination. Starting three years ago, the property was developed in two distinct but complimentary ways:

Ecoparque Uruguay, a not-for-profit ecological park designed to demonstrate and experiment with organic gardening techniques, sustainable building techniques and renewable energy systems. A separate hospitality business called Atalaya rents the houses on the property during the tourist season and manages the Clubhouse, a facility for eco-friendly conferences and parties.

The property has five houses, a swimming pool, a stream, a small lake, bamboo forests, and eucalyptus groves. The preserve teems with armadillos, rabbits, iguanas, birds, and fish. It also features a large variety of mushrooms, butterflies, tangerines, and wild berries. Within the park, many boating, biking and fishing adventures await.

The communal garden is the at the center of the EcoPark. It provides most of the food for the staff and guests and is an excellent way to teach adults and children about gardening and self sufficiency. A solar heated swimming pool is located within the park, or guests can choose to visit the sandy beach that lies beside the waters of the river.

Outside the park, visitors can go shopping in Aguas Correintes, a small town with a farmers market on Wednesday and Saturday mornings. Or a short bus ride away is the town of Santa Lucia, with larger stores and its own farmers market on Saturdays. Montevideo is a large, modern city about an hour’s ride away by bus.

If you want a relaxed, low key vacation that helps restore you soul while you help preserve the land, contact the EcoPark Uruguay for current information about availability and rates. Keep in mind that Uruguay is part of South America and that means its seasons are opposite to those in the US. But the average temperature is in the 80’s year round. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Source: Inhabitat : Photos via EcoPark Uruguay

 

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