Tours and Activities:

Together, at Last

There are places that have always been there but are never visited because they are on the way to some other place. Half way between the Districts of Piriápolis and Minas, there stands one of these places: the Sugar Loaf Mountain.

Whoever heads for the eastern beaches can always spot it on the way, but very few people resolve to take a detour from the main road and get close to its base. The Sugar Loaf Mountain is approximately four hundred meters high and its summit displays a unique panoramic view of the City of Piriápolis and the immense and bluish sea, which is breathed in the air when the North wind blows.

On the way out of the City of Piriápolis and following Route 37, the main access to the mountain stands only 6 kilometers away. Besides a road leading to the top, there lies a Local Fauna Breeding Station, undoubtedly the most important in the country due to its diversity and its educational role.

At this venue, animals run practically free, as if they were in their natural habitats. There are cougars, Geoffroy’s cats, hares and capybara and significant birds such as black-necked swans, partridges, lapwings and other species typical from these latitudes.

This place is a must visit when, during the summer season, the weather is not sunny or hot enough to enjoy the beach. “Let’s go to the zoo”, is the favorite phrase pronounced by children and thus hundreds of families come along to the Sugar Loaf Mountain.

Towards the Great Cross

The great cross, one of the most representative icons in this region, was built in 1933 by avant-garde architects and blessed in 1938 during the 3rd National Eucharistic Congress.

Its presence makes the location of the Sugar Loaf Mountain quite clear in the surrounding mountain range. The cross was built with concrete and features a height of 35 meters. Each of its arms is 12 meters long.

The arms may be reached by climbing almost 100 steps and after less than one hour of intense hiking. Small windows have been opened in the arms for visitors to observe this 360-degree enviable and beautiful scenery where sometimes they can spot some paragliding adventurers searching for the thermal currents hidden in the mountain, which will let them fly just like some of the birds that hover around.

See also: Hotels in Minas and other accommodation venues