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Ready to dive into Uruguay’s unique culture? Join the culture vultures at Tekoa tours. Uruguay and Montevideo tours that show you the best (and most unusual) things to do. Like experiencing carnival with a Uruguayan, an authentic tango joint frequented by locals only or a football game.
Tekoa was founded by local Gabriel Santellan after working for over a decade with a UK travel company. His partner Claire is from New Zealand.
Uruguay celebrates the longest carnival in the world. It starts with a number of parades and continues with nightly shows called tablados that the locals just love. And the whole thing goes on for forty nights. Carnival in Uruguay is totally different to the Brazilian version. Ours is family-oriented, has virtually zero tourists, a touch of politics and a lot of humour. You have to check it out.
Your tour guide will be a local carnival enthusiast. We affectionately call them the “carnival whisperers” because they’ll be telling you what’s happening throughout the show by whispering the details, so as not to bother the locals around you. The carnival whisperers will be using headsets in 2025 which will allow them to whisper to more people. However, they will be keeping the groups very customised and not accepting more than four guests.
Contact Tekoa for a private guide to a Carnival show (including rehearsals if you are here before Carnival starts) and parade tickets.
Most people are taken by surprise to hear that tango is a quintessential Uruguayan form of music and dance (as usual, those flashy Argentinians have done a better job at marketing). But it’s more accurate to say that tango is rioplatense, that is, from the region encompassing the area on both side of the Río de la Plata river, that is, Buenos Aires and Montevideo. There are no “for export” tango shows in Uruguay. The tango scene in Montevideo is much friendlier than Buenos Aires and it’s easy to navigate by yourself. But if you’d like company at the tango milonga, take a class and learn about the history of tango through a local dancer’s eyes and experience, Tekoa has a guide (a dancer himself who speaks great English) who will share some of the secrets of tango in Montevideo.
Uruguay hosted the first ever World Cup in 1930 and La Celeste, as Uruguay’s national soccer team is known, has won more international football cup titles than any other in the world. Not bad for a country of just three million. There are two football museums in Montevideo – the National Football Museum in the Centenario Stadium where the first World Cup was won, and the Peñarol Museum in celebration of the achievements of Uruguay’s most popular football team. Both are enjoyable to visit, even for non-football fans like myself. However, the lack of English signage makes a private tour a great idea. And why not plan to see a game? The Uruguay football first division plays between February and early December (in 2024 there will be a break during the Copa America). Tekoa will get your tickets and make sure you get safely there and back. Plus you’ll have a captive Uruguayan guide—who speaks your language—by your side to quiz throughout the game on all things Uruguay!
Tours in English, Portuguese and Spanish. Tekoa guides are thrilled to show the best and most curious of Uruguayan culture.
Book a carnival tablado tour for any night of carnival (see Montevideo carnival dates 2025). Depending on the weather, carnival may even extend into the first days of March. If you want to ensure your carnival show tour, book a tour for Friday or Saturday, or give yourself flexibility in case of a raincheck.
Book a carnival rehearsal tour if you are here in December and January before carnival starts. Here the rest of the year? There’s always something carnival-related going on in Montevideo. Contact Tekoa to find out.
The difference between a carnival show and a rehearsal Rehearsals take place in local clubs and sports centres. Some are in the open air in public parks or just on the street. It’s a relaxed atmosphere. This is a super authentic experience which the locals love too. Dozens and even hundreds of people attend rehearsals of the most popular groups.
Premier league football match dates are only announced one week in advance. And only then are tickets available. But there’s always a great game on on a weekend. Ask Tekoa for their recommended match unless you have a team preference.
Carnival and tango tours are private tours Noone else will join your group. Prices vary but to give you an idea, 2024 carnival tablado tours are 230 USD for an individual tour. The cost for a couple is 125 USD per person.
Looking for a different cultural experience? Contact Clare and Gabriel at Tekoa. They have a huge number of contacts for gastronomy, wineries, history, architecture and other tours. They’ll be delighted to put together a custom tour just for you.
Transfer and city tours Tekoa offers airport transfers and city tours of Montevideo, Colonia del Sacramento, Punta del Este or wherever you want.
Book direct 24/7 via phone or WhatsApp: +598 99 349 299
If you prefer email: tekoaoperaciones@gmail.com
Their website is under construction! They are too busy wow-ing their clients.
2 responses
My wife, son, and I were down in Montevideo for Carnival 2026,a nd signed up with Tekoa carnival tours for the 4 night parades. Well worth having a guide who could help us understand what was happening and answer all our questions. A side benefit was meeting some other tourists in town for the same. All in all, a great experience. If we get there again, we now know enough to do it on our own. We were comfortable enough to locate the tablados on our own and attend some.
Hola,
Queria consultarles. Voy a estar con mi familia el sabado 1 de marzo en Montevideo y queria saber si ese dia hay algun espectaculo de carnaval en la ciudad para asistir, en que horario y cual es el precio.
Saludos y gracias
Guillermo