An unknown lagoon

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In southern Brazil, on the border with Uruguay, there is the largest lagoon in the country. A water mirror of over 2.000 km2, surrounded by wetlands and reeds, designated a world freshwater reservoir by Unesco; a place for those who like peace and quiet, fresh air, nature and sports.

Mirim Lagoon has several beaches, but the one with better infrastructure is in Uruguay, called Merín Lake. It is 20 km from Rio Branco, on the border with Jaguarão. All year long people from the south visit Rio Branco to go shopping in the duty-free shops, and many do not even know there is such a place. It can be pretty stressful sometimes; crowded shops and chaotic traffic are common on holidays or around Christmas.

There are leisure facilities facing the lake, restaurants, casino, hotel, camp sites, houses and bungalows. On the dirt streets, lots of bicycles and three-wheeled bikes.

In this plain region, the wind blows constantly from September to July, to the joy of kite and windsurfers. Watch the vídeo I found about a surf trip there. Hikers, jeepers, bikers and horsemen are habitués, and even organize crossings as you can see in this other vídeo.

On the east side, near Santa Vitória do Palmar, there is The Ecological Reserve of Taim, a pit stop for migratory birds and home to a variety of fauna and flora. It is declared a Biosphere Reserve by Unesco. This lagoon is part of my childhood; when we spent the weekend in the country and it was hot, all children from Taim got together in the shallow and sandy waters of Capilha. Same name of the church, the only building in the beach. You can walk for kilometers with water by the shin, bathe in warm waters, besides the fun of playing quicksand where you can sink to the waist in the sand.

Take Note

Where to eat: I had lunch at Lo De Ernesto on the main street. Simple, cheap and with parrilla. How to get there: located among Rio Grande, Arroio Grande, Jaguarão (RS 116) and Santa Vitória do Palmar (RS 471), in Rio Grande do Sul. Coming from Uruguay, the nearest city is Melo (ruta 26).

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Translated by Lúcia Maciel
English teacher