Visit SaltoUruguay

Suggested itinerary · 3 nights

Salto for Backpackers

3 nights, hot springs, the boat to Argentina, and an asado you cook yourself

3nights
~US$160per person, priced items
US$53per day
Mon · Wed · Frilancha days

The cheapest good three days in Uruguay, built around what the town actually does well. Every line below is a separate item: you pay each one to whoever provides it, and only the experiences marked Book with us go through Visit Salto. No package, no deposit, no agency in the middle.

How to read the prices. Verified means the price the operator, the park or the bus company charges today. P50 estimate is our median estimate for 2026: half the time you will pay less, half the time more, depending on season and demand. To be confirmed means we quote it when you book, and it is not in the total. Dollar figures are a reference; locally you pay in Uruguayan pesos. Arrive on a Saturday, Monday or Wednesday so day 3 falls on a lancha day (Monday, Wednesday or Friday).

Where you sleep

🏠
Dorm bed in a hostel, 3 nightsSalto has a handful of hostels in the centre and at Termas del Daymán, not a strip. Book direct on Hostelworld or Booking; foreign passport = 0% VAT.
Hostelworld: Salto · Booking.com: Salto hostels
US$60 (US$20/night)P50 estimateDirect with the hostel

Day 1 · Arrive, soak, cook

→
Overnight bus from Buenos Aires (Retiro) or Montevideo (Tres Cruces), arriving in the morningBA direct 6–7 h from about US$30; Montevideo about US$40–46. Not counted in the total below. Getting There →
US$35P50 estimateOn your own
🏠
Check in at the hostel, drop the pack
→
City bus to Termas del Daymán (about 20 min)UYU 45 each way, Consorcio C.O.SA. A taxi is about US$15.
US$1.1verifiedOn your own
★
Full day at Termas del Daymán hot springs park, 11 pools, 8:00–22:00UYU 200 at the gate. Or US$7 booked with us if you want it arranged. Hot Springs Spa →
US$5verifiedAt the gate
🍴
Asado on the park parrilleros: supermarket meat, chorizo, firewoodPer person, sharing. Uruguayans cook it slowly over wood; give it the afternoon. How asado works here →
US$8P50 estimateOn your own
→
Bus back to town
US$1.1verifiedOn your own
○
Sunset on the costanera, facing ArgentinaWhere to watch it →
Free

Day 2 · Horses, the old port, tango

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Taxi or 40-minute walk to Costanera NorteTaxi estimate from the official 2026 tariff; walking is free and along the river.
US$6verifiedOn your own
★
Horse riding along the river, 1 hourUS$15 per person per hour, all year round. Book with us →
US$15verifiedBook with us, pay the operator on the day
🍴
Chivito lunch in the centreWhat a chivito is →
US$8P50 estimateOn your own
○
Old port: Plaza Roosevelt, Palacio Córdoba, the lancha coming in
Free
★
Tango class, 1 hour, no partner neededBook with us →
US$10verifiedBook with us, pay the operator on the day
🍴
Dinner: parrilla or supermarket and the hostel kitchen
US$12P50 estimateOn your own

Day 3 · Argentina for lunch

★
Passenger boat to Concordia, Argentina, 9:00 out, 16:30 backMondays, Wednesdays and Fridays only. Passport. Be at the port 30 minutes early. Bicycles allowed. Book with us →
US$10verifiedBook with us, pay the operator on the day
🍴
Lunch and a walk in ConcordiaArgentine pesos or a card; the town centre is a short walk from the port.
US$10P50 estimateOn your own
○
Back in Salto: mate on the riverfrontGourd, bombilla and yerba from any supermarket, about US$10 once, then free forever.
Free
🍴
Last asado, or a restaurant with a foreign card for the VAT discountTax discounts →
US$12P50 estimateOn your own

Day 4 · Move on

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Onward: overnight bus to Montevideo, or cross to Concordia and take the daily bus to Puerto Iguazú (about 13 h)Not counted in the total. Both save a hostel night. Routes and prices →

What it adds up to

Beds, 3 nightsUS$60
Experiences: hot springs, horses, tango, the boatUS$40
Food, cooking most of it yourselfUS$50
Local transportUS$8
Per person, 3 nights~US$160

Excludes the long-distance buses in and out. Beds and food are P50 estimates; the experiences and the local bus are verified prices. Nothing is paid in advance and nothing is paid to us: each item goes to whoever provides it.

Swaps

Not a lancha day?
Swap day 3 for a first scuba dive at Cantera El Terrible (US$60, verified) or a bus to Salto Grande and the lake.
Rainy day?
The Daymán pools are open regardless and some are covered. Rain days are quiet days.
Two of you?
Nothing here changes per person except the taxi, which you split.

Want us to line up the horses, the tango and the boat for your dates? One message does it.

Book the experiences →

Other suggested itineraries: Hot Springs Day at Daymán · Estancia & La Aurora, 2 Days