RIVERA

About Rivera

The landscape of Rivera can be recognized by the redness of its soil. Its 9370 km2 of land are good for cattle breeding, and the growing of crops such as peanuts, corn and tobacco.

It's in the very north of Uruguay. Santa Ana do Livramento is its neighboring city, an avenue, Sarandi Avenue, separates them.

An intense commercial and cultural activity takes place in that area. This blending of cultures creates a unique atmosphere, which attracts national tourists as well as international ones. This city is always crowded, always full of cars, and buses that go from Santa Ana to Rivera and vice versa. At night, this activity does no cease, clubs、restaurants, and casinos are always full of people.

In carnival or during "Semana de Rivera" between November and December, lots of stands and stalls are displayed all around the international square. Rivera offers the traveler a fantastic view at night, especially from the top of "Cerro del Marco". You can also visit Parque Gran Bretana, with its waterfalls, the zoo, and if you plan to stay and be in contact with nature, there is a camping site.

In the outskirts of this province, nature offers the visitors places like "Bajada de Pena", on Cuchilla Negra, or the valley "Lunarejo", this is between "Tranqueras" and "Masoler", where there is a thick forest and a clear waterfall on the stream "Gajo del Lunarejo", all this is part of an unexplored paradise.

Masoller is a sleepy village, where Aparicio Saravia, the White Party leader, was defeated and killed.

The Rotary Club of Tranqueras celebrates the festival of the watermelon and forestation; this usually takes place in February.

Rivera has 33.000 hectareas of forests which represent 13.2% of the 250.000 hectares that are destinated to forestation.

The company COFUSA has planted more than 15.000 hectares of trees, especially eucalyptus, and URUFOR exports this wood to the European market. FYMNSA, another company, plants pine trees in the place called Paraje La Aurora, 18 km from route 5. This area preserves the natural equilibrium with 2500 hectares of natural forests.

The production of wood of this company for 1996 will reach 23.000m3

Corrales grew when "Compania Francesa de Minas de Oro del Uruguay" settled down in that village and mined this precious metal. This firm built a dam using hydroelectric power, one of the first ones in South America.

Some of the remains of the original construction have been declared historical monument and of touristic interest.

An American company is now extracting gold, but using modern technology, more than 50 million dollars have been invested in this project.

As the poet Olinto Maria Simoes said, "Rivera is a world apart"; its touristy potential will grow when people discover its natural attractions.