Punta Ballena, Casapueblo (Carlos Páez Vilaró) & Arboretum Lussich Guide

Fifteen kilometres west of the Peninsula, the granite spine of the Sierra de la Ballena plunges into the sea like the back of a surfacing whale, dividing the bay of Playa Mansa from the wide golden beach of Portezuelo and Solanas. Clinging to the western cliff of this rocky promontory stands Casapueblo, one of the most original works of habitable sculpture in Latin America.

1. Museo Taller Casapueblo & Carlos Páez Vilaró's "Sun Ceremony"

• A House Built Like an Hornero Bird's Nest (Begun 1958): In 1958, Uruguayan painter, muralist, ceramist, and Candombe composer Carlos Páez Vilaró (1923 to 2014) bought a barren rock ledge on Punta Ballena and built a small wooden tin shack called La Pionera. Over the next thirty-six years, working alongside local fishermen without architectural blueprints, plumb lines, or right angles, he hand-modelled a thirteen-level labyrinth of whitewashed cement domes, vaulted tunnels, and curved terraces directly down the cliff face. Páez Vilaró often explained that his guiding architect was the rufous hornero (Furnarius rufus), the native South American ovenbird that moulds rounded clay nests out of mud and straw.
• Touring the Museum & Experiencing the Daily Ceremonia del Sol: Today the heart of Casapueblo operates as the Museo Taller (alongside a cliffside hotel and restaurant). Inside the domed galleries you can see Páez Vilaró's expressive paintings of Afro-Uruguayan Candombe drummers, ceramic sculptures, and photographs of his lifelong friendships with Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, and Vinícius de Moraes. Arrive at least forty-five minutes before sunset to claim a spot on the outdoor terraces: every afternoon as the sun touches the horizon of the Río de la Plata, loudspeakers broadcast the artist's own voice reciting his moving prose poem to the setting sun (La Ceremonia del Sol); check the official Casapueblo website for current daily museum hours.

2. Panoramic Ridge of Punta Ballena & Paragliding

Before or after visiting Casapueblo, follow the scenic road out to the very tip of the Ruta Panorámica de Punta Ballena, where hang-gliders and paragliders launch off the cliff edge and coastal caves sit along the water below.

3. Arboretum Lussich (192 Hectares, Founded 1896)

Just two kilometres inland on the hillside of the Sierra de la Ballena lies one of the richest botanical forests in the Southern Hemisphere. Beginning in 1896, sea captain, ship-rescuer, and writer Antonio Lussich transformed wind-lashed sand dunes and bare rock into a 192-hectare forest housing over 400 species of exotic pines, cedars, cypresses, oaks, and eucalyptus trees from every continent.

4. Casa Grande Museum & Tile Collection

Free walking trails wind past viewpoints over Laguna del Sauce and Punta Ballena to Lussich's restored Casa Grande museum and historic tile gallery.