Laguna Garzón remains a protected sanctuary—part of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, where sea and countryside, sky and silence, coexist in perfect balance.

Here, nature moves at its own pace.
It doesn’t rush. It endures.
And at Las Cárcavas, we are simply its grateful guests.

Then Came the Bridge

There was only la balsa—a wooden ferry that swayed with the tide and carried no more than two cars at a time. You could only cross by daylight, waiting for the weather to settle, and patience was part of the journey.

Those who made the crossing left behind the hum of Punta del Este for something quieter, older—the countryside that would one day become Las Cárcavas. Horses grazed near the carcavas, picnics unfolded beneath the pines, and every visit ended before dusk, when the ferry stopped its gentle rhythm.

Before the Bridge…

It wasn’t a journey, it was a grand adventure. 

You’d stand by your car, watching ripples of sunlight dance on the water, the air soft with reeds and wild grass). To reach the other side was to find yourself surrounded by nothing but stillness—an untamed kind of beauty that felt almost secret.

The Crossing

In 2015, architect Rafael Viñoly’s circular bridge stretched across the lagoon, turning that hidden shore into a promise—still remote, still wild, but suddenly reachable.

Yet the soul of Laguna Garzón never changed. The wind still hums through the reeds. The kitesurfers still glide across its glassy surface. And the birds, they return every year, as if called home by the light.

Then Came the Bridge