SAN CLEMENTE DEL TUYÚ announces its presence with the sudden and somewhat incongruous appearance of tower blocks on the otherwise bare horizon of the pampa. Argentina's first beach resort is located just south of the point at which the River Plate officially ends and the Atlantic Ocean begins. Salt and fresh water mingle off the shore of San Clemente's wide, sandy beaches, turning the sea slightly brown but pleasantly warm. This is a family-oriented resort and, although it's a pleasant and friendly town, San Clemente is hardly Argentina's most exciting destination; it stands out mainly because of its proximity to one of Argentina's most visited tourist attractions, the
Mundo Marino Oceanarium , and to the important natural reserves of the
Bahía Samborombón .
The Resort
Although San Clemente's layout loosely adheres to the familiar Latin American grid system, it is made a little confusing by the semicircles formed by calles 2, 3 and 4 which loop off the beachfront Avenida Costanera. The main street, calle 1, is pedestrianized during the evening and, with its numerous cheap restaurants and street theatre, becomes the focus of entertainment for families with young children, who zap away in the amusement arcades until the early hours. Close to the town, the beach is pretty drab: suitable for a spot of swimming and sunbathing, but not sufficiently enticing to keep you there for long. To the north and south there are some low dunes and at low tide the beach extends as far as Punta Rasa, around 15km north of town. When you've had enough of the beach, head for the pine-scented sandy walkways and dunes of the Vivero Cosme Argerich , Av. 111, a nursery and reserve at the southern end of the town. You can hire horses at the nursery entrance in the afternoon and, during the tourist season, the excellent Teatro de la Mochila puts on free plays at night - with neon scenery and puppets - for details, check with the tourist office.
Like many of the resorts along this stretch of the coast, San Clemente has an annual fishing competition: the Fiesta de la Corvina Negra (Festival of the Black Sea Bass - a local delicacy), held in early October: as well the competition itself there are a handful of related events ranging from the crowning of Miss Corvinita to an asado of the fish themselves. San Clemente's other major event is the Encuentro Santosvegano de Payadores , a celebration of local folklore held on the second weekend in February; the main attraction here is the payada , an improvised form of musical dialogue in which the participants often exchange good-humoured insults designed to demonstrate their superiority.
