Salt Flats, Bolivia🦩
If you go to Uyuni, you have to do the Salt Flats tour, which is the main activity to do there. You can do a one, two or three day tour driving across the Bolivian Salt Flats towards the Chilean border. We went for the three day tour and it was honestly one of the best group trips we’ve done so far!
We first got the overnight bus from Sucre, which took nine hours and got us in at 6:30am in Uyuni, we then went to a cafe to have breakfast till 9:30am, which is when we got picked up for the tour to go to their office.
Tour we did
We went with Salty Desert Aventours and opted for the three day tour returning to Uyuni. You can choose a one or two day tour with them and end in Chile if that is the route you are going, but the prices do vary. Our three day tour cost us 1,550 BOB each for a Spanish Guide, although you can pay more at 1,750 BOB for an English Guide. There are also additional National Parks tickets you will need to pay, so it is recommended to bring at least 350 BOB additional cash each. For the tour, you will only need a small backpack each, we had our stuff packed in Sucre and then locked our big bags at the Salty Desert Office. Make sure to bring your own toilet paper and towel. The toilet paper is handy for any Inca loos (in the desert), as there are only a few restrooms along the way and for the towels, you will need to rent them from the hostels otherwise.
Day 1
The first day is the busiest day as you fit in a lot of the main sights! It started with us going to the office at 9:30am to pay for the tour, they prefer for you to pay in cash, so make sure you get some out before you go! We then got our bags and things ready for 10:30am, which is when we were split into different cars. Each 4x4 has a maximum of six people in it, depending on how many people are on the tour.
Our first stop was the Train Cemetery, which is an open-air, abandoned site featuring old rusting locomotives from the 19th and 20th century. We spent twenty minutes here walking around the site, exploring all the ruins.
After this we went to Colchani Village, where we got to watch the iodisation of salt and how it is processed and packaged for national consumption. After this we had a group lunch before having thirty minutes to mooch around the local stalls to get some souvenirs. Make sure to tell the tour of any dietary requirements so they can cater to your needs beforehand.
From lunch, we drove straight to the great Uyuni Salt Flats or Salar De Uyuni, where we spent a few hours, taking in the worldly surroundings.
As we drove across the Salt Flats, we stopped at Playa Blanca Salt Hotel, which is now operating as a museum and where you can see salt sculptures and take photos of the iconic flags waving in the wind. We spent twenty minutes here walking around the Salt Flats and taking photos of the incredible scenery. Make sure to wear your sunglasses here to protect your eyes. It is ridiculously bright as the sun is reflecting off the Salt Flats, so it can damage your eyes if you aren’t careful!
We then went to the next spot, which is where you can see the hexagonal shapes in the salt flats. During rainy season you might be able to get some amazing photos in the middle of the Salt Flats with the shiny mirror effect. Sadly, we weren’t able to see the mirror effect as it hadn’t rained recently, but it was still incredible nonetheless and we were here for about forty minutes. Your guide will help take some hilarious photos, with a dinosaur, Pringles can, or just yourself to give the impression that you are tiny humans on the Salt Flats. Hilarious photos that you will keep forever!
After this, we drove to Isla De Incahuasi, which is an island in the middle of the Salt Flats with thousands of cacti growing on it, some measuring at over 10 meters tall. It is 30 BOB each to enter the park, but completely worth the price. A short walk to the top offers clear 360 degree views of the Salt Flats. We were so lucky with the weather, the clear skies allowed us to see the surrounding mountains in the distance and the contrasting colours only made the Salt Flats and views brighter! There is also a small cave in the middle of the island, which you can walk through and was pretty cool to do.
After Isla De Incahuasi we drove towards the Salt Flats border with Chile, which is where we waited for the sunset. At our sunset spot, there was a small body of water on the Salt Flats, so we got to see a bit of the mirrored effect as the sun began to set. As we watched the sunset, we were treated with a cheeky glass of red wine and some snacks.
After sunset, we went to Colcha Village, which is where we spent the first night. Here we all stayed in a Salt Hostel with a private room each. After sorting our things out, we had a group dinner, eating traditional Bolivian soup before a main course. The food as a whole on the trip could have been better, I personally didn’t find it too bad, but it was very basic. We then decided to go star gazing and it was honestly incredible. You are practically in the Atacama Desert, so the stars here are so impressive, especially on a clear night!
Day 2
At 7.30am we had breakfast together before getting our things ready to move on. Our first stop was the nearby town, where we could buy any snacks or drinks. After this we made a small pit stop at this viewpoint where you can see the train tracks, which connects Chile to Uyuni. The train used to go all the way to La Paz but only stops at Uyuni now and is only used for resources not people.
We then stopped off at this viewpoint where you can see views of Volcán Ollagüe. You can walk around the area to different viewpoints or chill at the restaurant. This is the main place where you can try a Llama Sausage burger, which of course Ned tried!
We then headed to a couple of different lagoons, which are Laguna Cañapa and Laguna Hedionda. Here you can walk along the paths next to the lagoon and see wild pink flamingoes and vicuñas in their natural habitat.
Our third Laguna was Chiarkota, which is also where we had lunch! The lagoon had the most incredible amount of wild flamingoes, probably around a thousand flamingoes relaxing in the waters, it was insane. The restaurant we had lunch at also overlooks the lagoon and surrounding mountains, so the views as we ate were amazing!
After lunch we drove through the Siloli Desert, stopping off at different viewpoints, like Laguna Honda, to see the surrounding mountains against the contrasted red sand.
We then stopped off at this huge rock formation in the middle of the desert. Here you can climb up and around the rock formations and see wild Bolivian rabbits, called Southern Viscachas.
We then headed towards another site of rock formations, where we saw the famous tree made out of stone, the Arbol de Piedra. We only spent a few minutes here but the rock formations are pretty cool to see.
Our last stop of the day, was to Laguna Colorada, which is the red colored lake, where you can see three different species of flamingos.
After visiting Laguna Colorada we headed towards Huayllaja Village, which is where we spent our second night. At this hostel we also got private rooms, but with a shared bathroom. Sadly the water was cold so we had cold showers and they only have electricity on for a couple of hours in the evening, so make sure you charge everything within this window, for your last day. This also meant we were getting ready and having breakfast in the dark, but apart from that it wasn’t bad! You will most likely have an early night anyway as you have to wake up pretty early on your last day. After our group dinner we did some more star gazing before turning in.
Day 3
Day three you wake up early at 5:30am. Our first stop was the Geysers Sol de Mañana, which is an area where there is high volcanic activity. The site is at 4,850 meters, and you get to walk through the geyser basin with bubbling mud pits, hellish fumaroles and a thick aroma of Sulphur fumes surrounding you.
After the Geyers, we drove across the Salvador Dali Desert, stopping off at different viewpoints to take in the surreal landscapes. The viewpoints we stopped at were Laguna Verde and Licancabur Volcano. If it is windy when you are at Laguna Verde, it will make the waters turn into a shiny blue green colour giving off the mirror effect.
After Laguna Verde, we went to Polques Village, which is where there are two Hot Springs that you can relax in. We spent two hours here taking a thermal bath swapping between the 29 and 39 degree baths. As you relax, you can take in the surrounding views of the desert, mountains and wild flamingoes and vicuñas.
After lunch in Villa Mar Village, we got ready to return to Uyuni. We had a quick pit stop at San Cristobal Village with its picturesque Colonial Church and grabbed a small bite to eat before continuing our journey. It took around four hours from lunch to arrive back to Uyuni, at around 18:00pm. From then, we collected our big bags from the office, had some food, then caught our night bus to La Paz.
Overall, the Salt Flats tour is a 100% must. It has been one of out favourite group trips so far. We were really lucky with the weather, met two lovely Dutch girls in our car and overall the vibes of the trip were immaculate. Definitely recommend Salty Deserts, as our guides, Jimmy, Lucio and David were so much fun and taught us a lot about the history of Bolivia and the Salt Flats.