Flanked by its larger neighbours Argentina and Brazil, Uruguay is at last enjoying some ‘time in the sun’. There is much to savour in Montevideo – from discos and tango bars to old theatres and foreign cultural centres that give the capital its cosmopolitan sophistication.

Picturesque Colonia del Sacramento, famed as a smugglers’ nest during the country’s colonial era, is worth a visit for its Barrio Histórico, which lies on a small peninsula jutting into the Río de la Plata.

Hot springs and aquatic parks abound on the Río Uruguay (fed by the large groundwater reservoir, the Guarani Aquifer); while wildlife tours on the Atlantic coast or exploration of the vast plains of the interior await the intrepid adventurer.