Three days tour through the Salar de Uyuni.
The Salar de Uyuni is one of Bolivia’s most remarkable natural wonders and the largest salt flat in the world. Located in the southwestern part of Bolivia, it covers an expansive area of over 10,000 square kilometers (4,000 square miles). The salt flat was formed from the evaporation of prehistoric lakes, leaving behind a vast expanse of blindingly white salt crust.
During the rainy season (November to March), a thin layer of water covers the salt flat, transforming it into a giant mirror that reflects the sky and surrounding mountains, creating stunning and ethereal photo opportunities.
The Salar de Uyuni is also rich in geological and natural wonders. In addition to the vast salt crust, the area is dotted with islands, such as Incahuasi Island, covered in giant cacti. The region is also home to unique wildlife, including flamingos and Andean foxes.
03 September 2015
After we arrived in Uyuni after our overnight bus, still a bit tired from the bus ride, we went to the tour operator, packed our small backpacks and then went for breakfast.
We had to start the three-day tour directly on Thursday because Sunday is “Pedestrian Day” and therefore no cars are allowed to drive!!
The tour started at half past ten. Unfortunately, our guide was a bit shy and not particularly talkative, but our fellow tourists (a German couple, a Swiss woman, an American woman) were quite nice.
First we stopped at Cemeterio de Trenes , a train cemetery near Uyuni. Here we already suspected that we are not the only group and that it would probably be so full of other tourists at every stop.
Next stop was at Colchani where you could buy salt souvenirs.
Then we finally drove to the salt desert, the Salar de Uyuni at 3653 m, and stopped at a place where the salt was piled up to dry in small pyramids.
A little further we stopped again, where water had accumulated and left a great little lake.
We continued our drive…
… to a former salt hotel, where we had lunch.
The next stop was Isla de los Pescados / Isla Incahuasi . This “island” is made up of coral fossils and covered with 1,000 year old cacti.
After a short photo stop in the middle of nowhere …
… we drove to the edge of the salt desert in San Juan, where our salt hotel awaited us. The floor is salt (yes, loose salt!) and so are the walls and furniture!
We had to pay extra for hot shower and after a warm tea and a good dinner we went to bed. However, I only found the night tolerable with two sleeping bags and blankets.
04 September 2015
Our day started at 8 am.
There were vicuñas to see along the way.
In 1965 there were only 6,000 specimens of vicuñas, but now they have increased again to 200,000 due to protective measures. The fur of the animals is more expensive than that of alpacas and llamas.
We had some photo stops, always accompanied by volcanoes in the background.
Our next stop wass Laguna Cañapa.
Then we drove on to Laguna Hedionda, where we also had lunch.
We saw a wind hose and fox on our onward journey
Our next stop was at the Laguna Hondas.
Then we drove to Desierto de Siloli.
We stopped next at Arbol de Piedra with cool rock formations all around
Our last stop of the day was the Laguna Colorada, a red lagoon located at 4,300 m altitude.
Our accommodation for the night was not far from the Red Lagoon. This time there were six of us in one room. It got really cold in the evening (below -10°C) and although we were all prepared for a freezing night, it wasn’t that cold after all.
05 September 2015
On the last day of the tour, we got up at 4 am to see the sunrise at the geysers. We arrived at the steaming field just in time. These were not real water-spitting geysers like in Iceland. More of a steaming field.
Next stop was hot springs which we were all looking forward to! But it turned out that hundreds of people wanted to get into a small, warm swimming pool. Besides, we only had twenty minutes. We all did without it and preferred to take pictures of the steaming surroundings. A great contrast between frozen ground and warm water.
We continued our journey to Desierto de Dali
We also shortly stopped at the Laguna Verde with the Licancabur volcano in the background and after dropping of a Swiss woman at the Chilean border, also at the Salar de Chalviri.
We had another photo stop at some great rock formations.
On the way back, we stopped at a small village. They sell some kind of drinks everywhere around in Bolivia (but we did not dare to try them yet).
At 6 p.m. we arrived back at the agency in Uyuni. Not far away was our hostel where we have a double room with shared bathroom 🙂 After an outstanding pizza with salad, we are now super satisfied. Good night!!
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