Maldonado
<map lat='-34.9104701037445' lng='-54.9433833853511' zoom="11" /> | |
Information | |
Country: | Uruguay |
Population: | 65,000 |
Licence plate: | B |
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<map lat="-34.9104701037445" lng="-54.9433833853511" zoom="12" view="0" float="right" /> Maldonado is a city in Uruguay.
It's probably most famous for it's bordering town Punta del Este, which is a crowded tourist resort in summer. For hitchhiking purposes, these two town have been combined in one article, as they form one united municipal area. It's possible to hitchhike inside the city, as well, e.g. along Blv. Artigas from/to Punta del Este to/from Maldonado. Be aware of the many motorbike drivers, who often do not take care of the ongoing traffic. Especially when stopping a car, be sure there's sufficient space and visibility for motorbikes to pass and not crash into the stopping vehicle.
Hitching out
West towards Piriapolis, Atlántida, Montevideo (IB)
Option 1: There's a not very safe hitchhiking spot at the corner of Ruta 10 (Mansa) and Avenida España (see Hitchwiki Map), locally referred to as Parada 25. Traffic is slow due to the traffic light, and there's a bus stop behind. Nevertheless, there's no space for cars to pull over, so they have to stop on the side of the road while traffic rushes on from behind. During summer, traffic is heavy, outside of the season, this spot is pretty neat. Also, it has a beautiful beach (and view) right next to it. If this spot is not good enough, take at least a ride 3-4km up the road until you find yourself at Option 3.
Option 2: Anywhere along the Rambla (Mansa), it is possible to hitchhike and hike while walking out of town. There might be a lot of local traffic, though out of half a dozen times, average waiting time for was about 10 minutes near Parada 7 to get a vehicle out of town at least until Parada 25 (Option 1) or Punta Ballena (Option 3).
Option 3: Take a local bus (or hitch) along the Ruta 10 to Punta Ballena and get out just behind Punta Ballena at the roundabout at Solanas (Portezuelo). There's a ANCAP service station located, which has a great spot for hitchhiking. It's recommend to neglect local traffic and wait for a straight ride to Montevideo, if this is your destination. There'll be plenty of it.
East towards La Barra, Jose Ignacio (Ruta 10)
It's pretty easy to hitchhike along the Ruta 10 (Brava). Best is to walk from peninsula until about Parada 5 or Parada 6 close to the crossing with Av. Roosevelt where there's more space to stop cars and no more traffic towards Maldonado.
North towards San Carlos
Depending on where you start, there's two options: Option 1: From Punta del Este, get yourself to the Devoto supermarket at Av. Roosevelt. Behind, you'll find the Blv. Artigas road. Just behind the Devoto, there's a tiny roundabout and a road entry where it's possible to stand safely and stop cars. Rides might only be local, though try to hitch at least the 3-4km until the end of town to Ruta 39 (Option 2)
Option 2: At the beginning of Ruta 39 in the north of Maldonado, there's a traffic bridge connecting traffic from Punta del Este coming as well as from Maldonado Center for going north to San Carlos. Best spot is probably about 500m behind the bridge at the next bus stop, though slightly uphill, there's traffic from Av. L.A. de Herrera is joining in. That road might be also useful for hitching a shortcut to the Ruta 10 at Punta Ballena.
> 100.000: Montevideo • Salto
50.000-100.000: Ciudad de la Costa • Paysandú • Las Piedras • Rivera • Maldonado • Tacuarembó • Melo
20.000–50.000: Mercedes • Artigas • Minas • San José de Mayo • Durazno • Florida • Barros Blancos • Ciudad del Plata • San Carlos • Colonia del Sacramento • Pando • Treinta y Tres • Rocha • Fray Bentos • Trinidad • La Paz
Other < 20.000: La Barra • Canelones • Paso de los Toros • Chuy • Punta del Este • Piriápolis • La Paloma