La Esmeralda is a beach town and seaside locality in Uruguay, Rocha Department.

Then, in the 1970s, the owners of the afforested areas, seeing its potential in tourist business, divided the land in solares (undeveloped plots) intended for the construction of summer homes.

Although this is still an unspoilt resort, in recent years there has been a gradual but steady increase in tourist business development.

La Esmeralda is situated in La Angostura, isthmus of only 3000 meters wide, between the Laguna Negra and the South Atlantic Ocean on Rocha Department Wetlands, area declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1976.

Just a few kilometres from the seaside locality are important tourist spots like La Pedrera, Valizas, Cabo Polonio, Punta del Diablo, the Fortaleza de Santa Teresa, La Coronilla, the Fuerte de San Miguel and the city of Chuy.