Salt desert of Bolivia. Salt Desert (Salar de Uyuni), Bolivia. Lexus Tour of Salar de Uyuni
Location: Bolivia
Square: 10,588 km²
Coordinates: 20°10"41.9"S 67°30"48.6"W
Short description
It is impossible to surprise a modern traveler, spoiled by a huge number of offers from travel agencies. Many sights, architectural and historical monuments in various cities and countries are so amazing and unique that it seems simply impossible to see an even more amazing creation of ancient people or a miracle created by nature itself.
View of the Uyuni salt marsh
However, this is a big misconception. There is always something in the world that amazes the imagination; something that takes your breath away; something where you want to return again and again. In this material we will talk about the largest lake in the world, but, as you might guess, not an ordinary body of water, but a beautiful dried salt lake - the Salar de Uyuni.
Lake Uyuni Salar is located in Bolivia, in the southwest of this amazing country, in the vicinity of the city of Uyuni, on the territory of the departments of Potosi and Oruro and at an altitude of almost 4,000 meters (!) above sea level. This is the largest salt marsh in the world, its area exceeds 10,500 square kilometers, and the thickness of the salt layer in some places is almost 10 meters. Every year hundreds of thousands of tourists from all corners of our vast planet come here to see with their own eyes the “endless kilometers” of salt expanses, visit unusual salt hotels and capture on cameras and video cameras this miracle of nature, which, by the way, can change its appearance more than once during the day. coloring
Mounds of salt
Salar de Uyuni: history of formation
Before talking about the history of the formation of the largest salt lake, Uyuni, it is perhaps worthwhile to dwell a little on what salt marshes are and how they appear. All salt marshes on our planet were formed on the site of former water basins. In a lake where there is no runoff, and the rate of moisture evaporation exceeds the amount of precipitation that falls on the given territory, the concentration of salt in the water increases over time. When the water completely evaporates, a hard salt crust forms on the surface, which allows scientists to call the drying lake a salt marsh.
The Uyuni Salar is part of the Bolivian Altiplano mountain plateau, which, as mentioned above, is located at an altitude of about 4,000 meters above sea level. On this plateau, in addition to Uyuni, there are other salt marshes of much smaller size, as well as freshwater and salt lakes.
Salt mining
The history of the formation of the largest Bolivian salt marsh goes back to prehistoric times. About 30-40 thousand years ago, Uyuni was part of the huge Lake Minchin, which, under the influence of time, was transformed first into Lake Tauka, and later into Coipasa. After its partial drying, there remained two existing lakes Poopo and Uru Uru, and two salt marshes - Coipasa and Uyuni, separated from each other by a number of hills.
During the rainy season, Lake Poopo and its much larger neighbor, Titicaca, overflow their banks and cause natural flooding of the salt marshes of Coipas and Uyuni. The small amount of water that covers the salt layer of Uyuni transforms the salt desert into the world's largest mirror. “Having found yourself in any part of the salt marsh during the period when it is covered with water, it seems that you suddenly found yourself on another planet: the sky is both above and under your feet. The spectacle is indescribable in words. It creates a feeling of “floating in the air.” However, when you put your hand in the water and grab a handful of what you’re standing on, you realize that there’s a ton of salt around, which seems to never end,” a tourist who visited Lake Uyuni shares his impressions.
Indeed, the salt reserves in the Uyuni salt marsh are truly enormous. According to rough estimates by experts, there is about 10 billion (!) tons of salt here, and approximately 25 thousand tons of this natural mineral are mined in this area every year. First of all, it should be noted that the Uyuni salt flat is of great importance for the Bolivian economy. At the same time, it is necessary to take into account the fact that it stores huge quantities of lithium chloride, from which lithium is extracted, which is used in the production of rechargeable batteries.
An equally ancient legend is associated with the ancient lake, its essence is as follows... A long time ago, the mountain ranges that today surround Uyuni, Tunupa, Cusca and Kuzina were giant people. Kusku married Tunupa, but the beautiful Cousin managed to charm him. Kusku left his wife and ran away from home, even though a child was growing up in the family. Tunupa grieved for a long time, shedding tears day and night. Her tears mixed with the breast milk that she fed her son, and they formed a snow-white salt marsh lake. For Bolivians, Tunupa is a deity whose name, in their opinion, the lake should bear.
Salar de Uyuni salt hotels
Local residents who extract and process salt from Uyuni use it not only as a seasoning for food. Traders offer all travelers who come to admire one of the main attractions of Bolivia to buy a souvenir made from this natural mineral. In addition, city guests are invited to stay in hotels in which the walls, roof and some furniture are made not of expensive modern building materials, but of... salt.
Such hotels were first built in the mid-90s, in the very “heart” of the salt marsh. The news about such colorful hotels instantly spread throughout all countries: the influx of tourists exceeded all expectations. However, due to many sanitation problems that adversely affected the surrounding area, the hotels were closed and dismantled. Over time, they were rebuilt again, but on the outskirts of the salt marsh and in compliance with all environmental norms and standards.
One of the salt hotels
Modern salt hotels have all the necessary amenities, including a sauna, steam room and jacuzzi. The daily cost of such apartments will cost a tourist about 20 US dollars.
Lake Uyuni Salar: Train Graveyard
When going to Bolivia to Lake Uyuni as part of an excursion group, almost all tourists, at the beginning or at the end of their trip, make a stop at the train cemetery. Today the population of the town of Uyuni does not exceed 15 thousand people, and it was once a major center of Bolivia with a network of railway tracks. The decline in income from the mining industry, which began back in the 40s of the last century, led to the complete collapse of the railway in this territory. Huge electric locomotives, locomotives, carriages and trolleys were abandoned. Some examples of the train graveyard are over a hundred years old. Among them you can even find locomotives from Garratt and Meyer (these people were among the first to build articulated locomotives), but, unfortunately, they are all in rather poor condition. In 2006, the local administration raised the issue of creating an open-air museum on this site, but so far this idea has not been brought to life.
Train Graveyard
Salar de Uyuni: flora, fauna and climate
On the territory of the world's largest salt lake, as you might guess, there is practically no vegetation, the only exceptions being 10-meter cacti and small shrubs, which local residents use as fuel. In the period from November to December, which, by the way, is considered summer in Bolivia, you can see another stunning picture here: hundreds of pink flamingos walking along the endless salty surface of the lake. In some areas of the Uyuni salt marsh live foxes and small viscacha rodents, somewhat reminiscent of the well-known rabbits.
The rainy season begins in November and ends in March. The air temperature in the Uyuni salt marsh area in summer is +22 degrees Celsius. A hot day in Bolivia always gives way to cold nights. June, July, August (winter in South America) are considered the tourist season, despite the fact that during the day the air warms up only to +13 degrees Celsius, and at night the temperature can drop sharply to -10.
As mentioned above, the Uyuni salt marsh is located quite high above sea level, and tourists arriving from the flat area will experience discomfort for several days (dizziness, attacks of nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath and headache). It will take several days for the body to get used to the new climate. Local residents chew coca leaves to keep their spirits up. The townspeople also advise visitors to use them, saying that they help fight unpleasant sensations. However, all travelers should know that coca leaves not only have a tonic effect, but are also a powerful drug that can cause persistent addiction in a short period of time.
The most interesting and unusual lake in the world is different from all the others. It amazes the imagination with absolutely fantastic landscapes - tons of salt turn after heavy rains into a smooth, almost mirror-like surface in which the sky is reflected, and it seems that the sky has inexplicably found itself on the surface of the earth.
Deserted white sea
The Salar de Uyuni, located in Bolivia near the city of Uyuni, is world famous. Its interior is covered with hard salt deposits up to 10 meters thick, which can change their color during the day due to the bright sun or pink dawn rays. From a distance, the desert looks endless, with cracked tiles seemingly stretching beyond the horizon.
Amazed tourists are fearlessly allowed into the largest salt mining site (about 25 thousand tons per year), without fear of spoiling the useful mineral, because they say that it will last for several million years. Uyuni (salt marsh) is of great importance for the development of the country's economy, and not only salt is the reason for this. Lithium, used in the production of batteries, is mined here on an industrial scale. Previously, the United States invested huge amounts of money in this particular production, but society had ambivalent reactions to such investment. Many have advocated keeping all profits from lithium mining within Bolivia, and the local government has long been preoccupied with building its own plant.
Geological history
More than 40 thousand years ago, this desert was part of the huge ancient reservoir Minchin, which, when dried, left 2 lakes and 2 salt marshes, separated by hills. In the center of the largest salt desert there are peculiar islands - the tops of previously active volcanoes that have survived to this day.
In prehistoric times they were completely submerged in the water of Minchin, and now the peeking out islands are covered with various fragile fossils. There is a version that the ancient lake went underground, since it is known that the Uyuni salt marsh stores a deep pool under its surface, filled with thick salt blocks. This amazing place is surrounded by mountains, and all the table salt remains at the very bottom of the lake, the water of which contains magnesium chloride and lithium chloride.
Poor flora and fauna
The Salar de Uyuni (Bolivia) is devoid of any flora. If we talk about plants, then only giant cacti make their way through the thickness of salt deposits. Growing up to 12 meters high on a flat desert, they are a truly fantastic sight. At the end of the year (for Bolivia this is summer), amazingly beautiful pink flamingos fly here, walking along the hard surface of the snow-white lake. Researchers know about 80 species of birds that live on the salt marsh. And the poor fauna is represented by colonies of rodents.
Amazing hotels made of salt
Now, near the place where the Uyuni salt marsh is located, there are unusual hotels that cannot be seen in other parts of our planet. Erected in the early 90s, hotels built from salt offered all travelers who had traveled a long distance to relax in their rooms. Having learned about such an interesting innovation, tourists rushed to stay in unique hotels. True, they were later dismantled due to sanitary problems, but soon Uyuni (salt marsh) was replenished with a new modern hotel, built on its outskirts in compliance with construction standards and hygiene standards.
So in Bolivia, salt is not only a food flavor enhancer, but also an excellent building material, from which all blocks of hotels for tourists, furniture in rooms and even clocks with sculptures are made. When staying in hotels with affordable prices for overnight accommodation, all travelers are strictly warned: not to taste anything. However, so far few have resisted such temptation. True, everyone who spent the night in such a room notes that salt remains literally everywhere: on clothes, hair and skin. Therefore, many people prefer traditional hotels to exotic holidays.
Local residents of the village
The magical beauty of the salt marsh lake Uyuni amazes only foreigners with its landscapes, while local residents, accustomed to unusual views since childhood, have to work daily on the surface of the desert, extracting tons of salt. They fold it into neat small piles, which helps the water quickly evaporate, and then such mounds are easy to transport. Many try to survive due to numerous tourist excursions, selling souvenirs (all kinds of crafts), which simply amaze the imagination of tourists with their variety.
By the way, next to the salt marsh there is a small local museum where amazing salt figurines are displayed. And the houses of the residents, located on the outskirts of the village, are built from this solid mineral. Tourists are frozen in place by the stunning view of boiling white streets and houses against the backdrop of an equally snow-white endless field.
Salt marshes of Uyuni: how to get there?
This amazing corner is located at an altitude of approximately 3.6 thousand meters above the ground, which prevents many curious people from reaching their destination. But this even benefits the lost place, because its remoteness from civilization maintains a stable ecological situation.
To get to the most unique point on the globe, you need to get to the town of the same name Uyuni by train, plane or bus. In a small settlement there is a huge number of tourist offices offering their services. If someone does not want to join an organized jeep tour, they can take a private trip by car with a driver who will quickly take them to the desert.
The phenomenon of the sky under your feet
The rainy season here runs from November to March, and the temperature stays at 22 degrees Celsius. On days of heavy rainfall, excursions to the lake are suspended, as salt water can cause corrosion of cars. Despite the fact that winter is quite cool here, the period June-August is the season for tourists from all over the globe. The most beautiful phenomenon is when, after rain, the amazing salt marsh of Uyuni is filled with several centimeters of water. The photo of the mirror surface with the running clouds reflected on it causes genuine amazement in everyone who encounters this phenomenal landscape for the first time.
The space seems to expand, and a visual illusion arises in which it seems as if not the ground under your feet, but the sky itself is thrown down. Visible boundaries disappear in this place, forcing everyone who sees the world inside out to admire the natural attractions. The Salar de Uyuni, protected by mountains, is a quiet and peaceful area with a complete absence of winds. For the sake of the spectacle of the shiny surface, travelers from all over the globe rush to visit this enchantingly beautiful place.
True, many who arrive here experience an unpleasant state of dizziness and shortness of breath associated with acclimatization. And it takes several days for the body to fully get used to being so high above sea level.
Abandoned Train Graveyard
However, before getting to the salt marsh, all travelers visit another attraction of the small town, which once upon a time was the center of the country with railway tracks passing through here. The economic situation, which was not developing in the best way, led to a decrease in income from the mining industry.
The railway in the city is now reminiscent of abandoned carriages and locomotives in the salt desert, which has become a real train cemetery. Local authorities have repeatedly raised the issue of creating a museum on this site, since many of the abandoned specimens are more than 100 years old, and they are all now in a ruined and rusty state. Unfortunately, no one is still working on the open-air cemetery, and the question of preserving the heritage remains open for a long time.
Everyone going on a long journey needs to take certain things with them so that a trip to the Uyuni salt flat (Bolivia) brings only positive emotions.
- Moisturizing cream for constantly dry skin.
- Sunglasses. The light here is so bright that it hurts your eyes.
- Warm clothes, because even in summer there are always cool evenings in the desert.
- A sleeping bag for those who want to watch the sunrise by the lake.
- Rubber boots.
- National flag. There is a special area in front of the salt hotel, inside which tourists leave the symbol of the country as a souvenir.
Conclusion
Lake Uyuni Salt Flat (Bolivia) with its extraterrestrial landscapes will always attract travelers who want to walk across the sky abandoned to the ground and fully enjoy the unique views. The stunning endless expanses will give free rein to the imagination, and the quiet place will remain in the memory for a long time, like a real giant mirror in which clouds are reflected, always rushing somewhere.
In Bolivia there is a unique place where you can feel like you are in endless outer space. This is the Salar de Uyuni salt desert, located in the south of the Altiplano plain at an altitude of 3650 meters above sea level.
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Many thousands of years ago, there was Lake Minchin on the plain, which dried up over the years due to an excessively dry climate. From the big lake there were two small ones left: Poopo and Uru-Uru. The rest of the vast territory of more than 12,000 square kilometers has turned into a vast salt desert, on which the richest deposits of table salt in the world are located - Salar de Caipasa and Salar de Uyuni. The latter is named after the desert itself, reminiscent of the silent white Arctic: the only difference is that instead of bitter cold there is a burning sun, and instead of eternal snow there is salt.
Anyone who finds himself here comes to the thought of the impossibility of any kind of life here, among the salt silence. But the first impression is deceptive: once you start moving along it, you begin to understand that here, too, there is its own unique, special life, the unique flavor of which you will not see anywhere else in the world.
The peculiar life of a salt desert
It’s hard to believe, but even the most beautiful birds – pink flamingos – come here after the rain falls in November and the salt surface is covered with a layer of water. It's mating season for flamingos, so it's no wonder why they choose such an unusual place. Seeing such a spectacle is a real unearthly happiness - a living pink miracle on a mirror surface, reflected in the water along with white clouds. It seems that nothing else can surprise here more than this truly divine contemplation. However, it is too early to think so, because in the Salar de Uyuni there are still corners with incredibly unusual landscapes, looking at which you find yourself in an unreal world of living nature.
Such an amazing corner of the desert is the small cone-shaped island of Inkausi, formed from stony limestone, formed over centuries by the remains of corals and sea shells. Otherwise, this island can be called a reserve of giant cacti, completely covering its surface and representing a fantastic alien picture. The height of some of them reaches 7 meters, and the age is more than 1000 years; the brownish-greenish trunks are so powerful that local residents make furniture from them.
Every day hundreds of tourists in jeeps come here to forget about urban civilization for a while, to feel like aliens from another world, admiring the relic giants. Here you can hide for a few minutes from the scorching sun in a cool grotto located in the center of the island.
The busiest places in the Salar de Uyuni are the lagoons, which are full of life despite the rather uncomfortable climate: huge colonies of geese, flamingos, swans, and ducks live here. Each lagoon has its own specific color created by minerals. Blanca is a white body of water: this is how boron ore colors it; Verde has a greenish color due to copper minerals; Celesto – bright blue due to manganese and magnesium; Amarilla is colored yellow by the sulfur present in it, and Colorada, the most densely populated lagoon, is colored gray, white and reddish.
An exotic natural exhibit is a stone tree, created by the forces of two creators: wind and water. There are springs in the vastness of the desert in which water bubbles, but not ordinary water, but saturated with sulfur and which is healing. There are also geysers floating on the white plain; You can swim in them; hot water perfectly relieves fatigue.
Tourist infrastructure of Salar
The modern tourism industry has mastered all the mysterious unique places on the planet, and Salar de Uyuni also now has the status of a tourist Mecca, where four-day travel routes have been developed. The first day is devoted to viewing the desert itself - an endless white space; The starting point for tourists is the railway station, next to which there is a “train graveyard” left over from salt mining in the first half of the 20th century.
On the second day, you can visit the village of Blogues lt Sal, where the Salt Museum is located, which displays a wide variety of objects made from salt: animal figures, furniture, dishes, household appliances.
The third day is dedicated to getting to know the sulfur springs and geysers and swimming in them, so everyone takes swimming gear with them.
The fourth day of the trip takes place in places with beautiful landscapes and ends with a visit to another unique place, Siliar, where there are giant clay columns formed by wind erosion. The impression is that you are in the Ancient Colosseum; it's hard to put into words.
Unusual hotels in Uyuni
The pilgrimage of tourists entailed the problem of accommodating them, and hotels began to be built here from improvised material - from salt. Salt hotels are also a miracle of their kind - the walls of the building, the roof, the ceilings, furniture, stairs - everything is salt. Tourists who find themselves in them don’t believe their eyes at first, but then they taste everything and are convinced that it really is salt. Hotel owners were forced to introduce measures prohibiting licking and feeling the insides of the room, so as not to spoil the appearance. Among the desert hotels, there are two with 3 stars, 2 with free breakfast, 1 equipped with a Spa center, 1 family-friendly.
All of them are equipped with great comfort: there are showers, baths, steam baths, swimming pools with salt and fresh water, and various medical procedures are carried out. There are also cultural and entertainment programs, tennis courts, golf courses, discos, and bars.
You don't have to worry about food: Bolivian cuisine is very tasty, real delicacies are cooked baked in salt. Nowhere else will you taste llama meat or chicken cooked in such an unusual way, like everything in this fantastic place called Salar de Uyuni!
The Salar de Uyuni is the world's largest salt flat, located in Bolivia. Photographers come here to capture the unique landscape. It is often visited as part of a 3 or 4 day tour of southwestern Bolivia. We tell you more about it.
general information
Origin of the Uyuni Salt Flat
The Salar de Uyuni includes more than 10,000 sq. km of land in the region. The thickness of the salt layers reaches 10 meters in the center. During the dry season, the salt expanses are covered with dry, flat salt, but during the rainy season, a thin layer of water forms on the surface.
Standard tours originate in the southwestern part of Bolivia. Here you can find many fluorescent lakes, which were created from various minerals brought by mountain rivers.
Tours
We want to outline a standard tour. It is carried out in 4x4 vehicles (usually a Toyota Land Cruiser) with 6 or 7 people and a driver. Most 3- and 4-day tours have similar itineraries for the first 2 days: a day on the salt flat, heading south into the southwestern regions of Bolivia, and then heading back. Specific locations visited may vary by tour, but groups can determine which locations to visit and how much time to spend at each.
Accommodation is usually provided in basic shelters and the weather can be very cold, but it's worth it for the amazing scenery. Avoid tours that offer an overnight stay at one of the salt hotels. They are illegal because they are not part of the water network and pollute the environment.
What to take with you
- Flashlight (torch): The light goes out when the generator runs out.
- Sunglasses: The salt marshes are blinding.
- A camera, an extra battery and plenty of memory cards: there are no better photos than here.
- Additional water: the tour usually provides insufficient quantities. An additional 2 liters per day is required.
- Sunblock and a hat: At 3.5 km above sea level there is significantly less atmosphere to absorb the sun's ultraviolet radiation.
- Sleeping bag. You can rent it. Check and make sure the zipper works.
- Warm clothes - preferably multi-layered.
- Hot Water Heater: When it gets really cold at night, you'll be glad you have a hot water bottle.
- Flip flops: Restrooms are shared.
- Towel: not provided during the excursion.
- Extra snacks, especially fruits and protein. Although quality food is provided, it tends to contain heavy starches.
- Lip balm: Sun, wind and dry air can cause your lips to crack.
How to get there
Uyuni. The route includes a train from Avaroa on the Chilean border (no fixed departure times), a train from Oruro, a bus (including a tourist bus) from Oruro, or La Paz, and a flight from La Paz.
San Pedro de Atacama. The routes from here are almost identical to those from Uyuni, only in the opposite direction and 60% more expensive.
Agency search
When choosing a tour operator, it is important to consult with other travelers to understand what experiences, vehicles, drivers and food they have had on the trip. Trips will start in all cities, so this is a good opportunity to ask other travelers arriving on the route about their experiences. Common complaints are that the vehicles are in very poor technical condition, that there are no emergency supplies, drunk drivers and little food and water.
Uyuni - There are dozens of travel agencies offering this trip. Most of them are located around the main square, where every second store is a travel agency. It is also advisable to find a group of people who go on excursions and share your interests and/or language and work with your agency. Minuteman Pizza in the evenings or the main square is a great place for such people to meet. Ripley Tours can arrange a decent day tour (BOB130).
Tupiza. You can also travel from Tupiza to the Uyuni end or vice versa. Local agencies offer 4-day Uyuni tours, while others prefer to offer 3-day options.
Other excursion options
Ending at the Chilean border. An alternative is to take a three-day tour and drive to the Chilean border before visiting San Pedro de Atacama, or start the entire tour from there. Don't miss out on any of the sights as you leave the Chilean border before heading back to Uyuni.
From San Pedro de Atacama. There is the option to take this tour that starts in San Pedro de Atacama and ends in Uyuni on the third day or returning to San Pedro the next day. The benefit is that you get to see the Salt Flats on the last morning and see the sun rise over them. There are several tour operators on the main street in San Pedro. However, you should take into account the instructions from tour operators that all tours in Uyuni () are managed by Bolivian tour-guides. Chilean tour guides are not allowed to conduct excursions in Uyuni.
Selecting a trip
There are several options for visiting the Uyuni salt flat. Starting your journey from La Paz, you need to take a bus to Oruro and then take a train to Uyuni. After a pleasant 7-hour drive, you will arrive in Uyuni at night. You can book a hotel in Uyuni or one of the hotels built in the salt blocks located near the salt flats. The next day you will begin your journey towards Uyuni with the aim of visiting Colchani. This is a small town where you can buy salt crafts. From this place there is an unimaginable and breathtaking view of the largest salt desert in the world, whose area is approximately 12,000 square meters. km! You'll begin the journey by watching the water bubbling on the surface in the so-called "eyes of the water", and you'll also see the villagers working to extract salt for sale.
Next you can go to Incahuasi Island, or Fish Island. The island is located in the heart of the salt marsh and is characterized by the presence of giant cacti. You can stroll around the island, enjoying breathtaking views of the salt marsh and appreciating the great white intertwined with the Andean sky. This is the best place to photograph the salt marsh. Later, you can continue your journey, still oriented southwest towards the colored lagoons (red, blue, white, yellow and green) located in the Parque Nacional de Fauna Andina Eduardo Avaroa.
These places are occupied by volcanoes, and from here a wonderful and incredible view opens up. On some excursions you can visit the Cave of Galaxy and the Devil's Cave. Lagoons are so named because of the different tones that occur due to the presence of algae, water chemistry, wind movement, or the time of day. When you return to Uyuni, you can visit the town and the train cemetery. You will also be able to see one of the most majestic sunsets of your life on the salt marsh!
By plane
By bus
For travelers on a budget, there is also the option of simply catching the local bus to Colcani BOB10. Ask the driver to leave you in the Salt Flats and you can explore on foot and for free to get a better idea of the place. The journey to the old salt hotel takes about two hours.
Clue:
Uyuni - the time is now
Hour difference:
Moscow 7
Kazan 7
Samara 8
Ekaterinburg 9
Novosibirsk 11
Vladivostok 14
When is the season? When is the best time to go
Uyuni - weather by month
Clue:
Uyuni - weather by month
Where to go, walk, go...
First day - the world's largest salt marsh
On the first day you will visit salt flat. In the dry season it will be a hallucinogenic white landscape. When it rains, the salt flat is mostly submerged, giving a perfect reflection of the sky.
Uyuni Plaza Arce. Most journeys start here, next to the train station at 10.30, although it is possible to get there from the hotel.
Train Graveyard. The tour usually occurs at the very beginning of the tour, but some operators choose to end the tour with this location. There are many destroyed old steam locomotives here.
Colchani, Bloques de Sal- a village 7 km north of Uyuni. Here you can buy souvenirs made from salt. There is also a salt museum here, which has various animals created from salt (you will be forced to pay a fee upon leaving), as well as some pieces of furniture and household appliances. Bathrooms are available for 1 Boliviano.
Salt mining area- an area where salt is dug up and left in piles (weighing a ton) to dry in the sun for transport to the refinery.
Salt hotels- several hotels are made entirely of salt. You must buy a candy bar to go inside.
I sla de los Pescados, or Isla Incawasi. The name comes from the island, which looks like a fish during the rainy season. It is an island of fossilized coral, covered with 1000-year-old cacti, in the middle of the Salar. These cacti grow at a rate of 1 cm per year, so their age can be easily calculated. Here you can also see Vizcacha. Most tour groups dine on the western "shore" of this island. Bathrooms are available for 1 Boliviano.
Accommodation can be found in the city of San Juan, although for the real experience it is best to try to find hotels closer to the Salar. Then it will be possible to get up before dawn and reach the plains in 4x4 jeeps to see the most spectacular sunrise of your life. Moreover, in the main “salt hotels” you can take a shower for 10 Bolivianos and charge your camera.
Day two - heading south to the colorful lakes of Laguna Colorado
Edionda Lagoon. The lagoon is full of flamingos and is a popular lunch spot.
Vizcacha zone- a short stop on a rocky outcrop, is a colony of viscacha. The guides feed them carrots, teaching them to come out and eat.
Arbol de Piedra (4,412 m)- a stone tree that was carved by strong sandy winds.
Laguna Colorado- red lake with algae. You will also be able to see many flamingos. 30 Bolivianos for Bolivian citizens or 150 Bolivianos for foreigners is the entrance fee to the Andina Eduardo Avaroa National Wildlife Refuge.
Accommodation. In the area around Laguna Colodardo there are numerous unheated huts. Beds and blankets are provided. There is electricity for several hours, but the battery usually cannot be recharged. Ambient temperatures in July can drop below -20°C at night. You can persuade the owner to turn on the water heater (15 bolivianos), but the showers are located outside the house.
Third day, morning - geysers and hot springs in Laguna Verde
The day starts early in the morning (5.00) and without breakfast, in order to have time to visit all the necessary places.
SolardeManaña Geyser Basin (4,850 m)- a collection of bubbly gray pools and a geyser, usually visited when the sun rises. There are no railings, it can be slippery and the water in the cave can look hot.
Hot springs Termasde Polques are located next to Salar de Chalviri. You can bring your own swimwear to enjoy the springs. Popular place for breakfast. Basic bathrooms are available for 6 bolivianos.
Laguna Verde(painted green, it contains heavy metals arsenic, lead, copper and others) with a magnificent view of the Lincacabur volcano.
Laguna Blanca- a white lake filled with boron ore.
Dinner. Laguna Colorado is a popular place to dine. Sometimes toilets are provided.
Afternoon - East of Tupiza
If you choose a four day tour to Tupiza, you will go off the beaten path and visit some small communities.
Laguna Celeste- a bright blue lake, colored by magnesium and manganese.
Amarilla Lagoon- a yellow sulfur lake and several old rock paintings nearby.
Ruinas de San Antonio- an abandoned 16th-century mining town where slave labor was used. The city was abandoned for reasons not fully understood. Despite all attempts, the city could not be populated in the 70s, and people now live in a city with the same name, which is located nearby.
Afternoon - north of Uyuni
The road back to Uyuni is very rough. Along the way you will stop at various small communities.
Valles de Rocas. Lots of strange mountain valleys emerging from the Altiplano. The guide will point out patterns in the rocks that resemble familiar objects.
Accommodation - tourists stop in different towns along the way to their destination. Heating and showers will depend on where the driver decides to stop.
Day four - trip ends in Tupiza
The tour will pass through an area with beautiful scenery.
Silar- giant clay columns formed as a result of erosion.
Day four - ends in Uyuni
San Cristobal- a city in which there is a 350-year-old church, which has a very beautiful silver altar.
Train Graveyard- a collection of vintage trains 3 kilometers southwest of Uyuni.
Food. What to try
Safety. What to watch out for
Be careful: every year accidents occur in the salt cave due to drunk drivers. Don't risk your life by traveling with a drunk driver.
It's a good idea to bring essentials (including food and water for a few days) in case the truck breaks down in a hard-to-reach spot, but if you're on a tour, there'll likely be another truck available within minutes.
You may develop altitude sickness here. If you are staying directly off the coast, it may take up to several days for you to acclimatize. Dizziness, difficulty breathing and headaches are common symptoms. Locals say chewing coca leaves can relieve symptoms, but they can also cause drug tests to fail. If one is not fully acclimatized, a few acetazolamide tablets can be purchased from the Uyuni pharmacy before departure.
You can also drink coca leaf tea. Everyone from the Pope to Queen Sofia of Spain drinks it when visiting Bolivia. Adding a little sugar can make your tea even better!
To avoid altitude sickness, gradual adaptation to altitude is recommended. First visit the Bolivian Plain, located 500 m from, then it is recommended to move on to the Cochabamba Valley, located at an altitude of 2,500 m, and only then make a trip to Salar de Uyuni. If you don't even want to do a 3 or 4 day tour, keep in mind that you will be climbing to 5000m and sleeping at 4200m. This is a serious risk to your health if you are not acclimatized. The officially recommended altitude per day is only 300 m! Therefore, you should not start with Tupiza (3,000 m) or Uyuni (3,700 m). Stay there for a few days before starting your tour. The German embassy in La Paz has already set up a room to cool the corpses of those who died from altitude sickness!
Warning about certain travel companies
On December 24, 2011, a vehicle operated by Oasis Tours (also known as Oasis Odyssey Tours) was involved in a serious accident due to negligent driving. The driver was driving the car at a speed of 100 km/h on a wet muddy road from San Cristobal to Uyuni. The driver lost control, the car went off the side of the road, rolled over twice and landed on its roof.
One passenger was seriously wounded in the head and was bleeding while being pulled out and required emergency medical attention. Another passenger suffered a traumatic brain injury. Other passengers had various scratches and bruises. Passengers who did not require emergency medical treatment headed back to Uyuni to contact the travel agency.
The travel agency actively refused all attempts to collect information about the passenger who was taken to the hospital. When the police were involved, the tour company continued to actively deny that they had this information. The travel agency also refused to offer any compensation, including reimbursement of expenses.
The travel agency insisted that their attitude and that of the driver had nothing to do with criminal negligence. Most other cars on the same road drive at a speed of no more than 30 km/h. Many are even less than 20 km/h. And at a speed of 20 km/h there were occasional accidents. Please take this into account when booking specifically with this travel agency. Look at the name of the poster on the car that is assigned to you. If the driver is driving carelessly, ask him to change his driving style.
Also beware of the tour operator Dali Tours. It is located on Ferrovaria Avenue on the train station side. Website by (not working). Tourists ordered an individual tour there for a high price, but received a simple, standard tour. Instead of a double room, they got two beds in a ten-bed dorm. Instead of interesting roads, they had a simple fast ride, with the driver cutting corners whenever he could. No sunsets or even small excursions - nothing. The woman at the agency will sell you everything, but you won't be able to find her after the trip. So all you can do is write about it here.