Salar de Uyuni Tour – Full Journey Information

The Uyuni Salt Flats is the primary vacationer vacation spot in Bolivia is among the most extraordinary locations now we have ever been. The variety of spectacular landscapes Salar de Uyuni has to supply is one thing superb. Uyuni is a photographers dream for superb panorama and reflective pictures and enjoyable perspective pictures. The Uyuni tour might be finished in 1, 3 or 4 days and totally different beginning factors are doable.

Exploring Salar de Uyuni we noticed coloured lagoons, pink flamingos, superior geysers, swam in sizzling springs and extra. On this entry I talk about totally different excursions, costs, websites and ideas, all you want to know to have an superior time exploring the world’s most outstanding salt dessert.

Choices for Salar de Uyuni Excursions

A 3 day tour of the Uyuni salt flats is the most well-liked technique to discover the largest salt flats on this planet. A journey throughout the Uyuni Salt desert is a tremendous technique to cross from Bolivia to Chile.

Most excursions depart from the city Uyuni, a small remoted vacationer city situated in Potosi, Bolivia, that is how we did it.

You may also do excursions to Salar de Uyuni from Tupiza, Sucre or La Paz

Uyuni 1 Day Journey from La Paz

Uyuni 3 Day Tour from La Paz

The one technique to do the journey by the salt flats unbiased is by bicycle, bike or by renting a Jeep. To Discover the salt flats you’ve got the selection of a sooner or later or three day tour.

The Uyuni Salt Desert can be visited by principally the identical tour in reverse beginning in San Pedro de Atacama in Chile and is the one technique to get from San Pedro de Atacama to Bolivia.

You may also do a tour from Uyuni to San Pedro de Atacama. We did this and continued touring in Chile!

Uyuni and San Pedro de Atacama on a 3-day tour

Salar de Uyuni Information

These spectacular salt flats are the most important on this planet spreading over 10,582 sq. kilometers (4,085 sq. miles). Salar de Uyuni is situated at an elevation of three,656 meters (11,995 ft) above sea stage! Sure that’s excessive sufficient to get altitude illness in the event you arrive with out acclimatizing. The Bolivian Salt Flats have been fashioned about 40 000 years in the past when an enormous prehistoric lake tried up. The salt layer left behind within the heart  is over 10 meters thick within the heart and it’s estimated to be full of 10 billion tons of salt!

Salar de Uyuni Tour Itinerary

Uyuni One Day Excursions

The sooner or later tour is the most cost effective technique to go to Salar de Uyuni. Excursions begin and end in Uyuni, most excursions run from 10am to 5pm so it’s doable to reach in Uyuni by bus, take a sooner or later tour and depart once more by bus on the identical day.

Salar de Uyuni One Day Tour

Typical excursions go to the practice cemetery,  adopted by a cease within the small city Colchani. That is the one salt making facility on Salar de Uyuni, the pyramid formed mounds you generally see on pictures is salt scraped into piles to be transported to the salt manufacturing facility in Colchani for processing. Help the locals right here by shopping for a shawl or another memorabilia.  You’ll spend the remainder of the day exploring the salt flats go to the salt motels, and a few islands equivalent to ‘Fish Island’, these are salt mounds remoted lined in cacti and have loads of alternatives to take superior pictures on the salt flats! Excursions ought to embody lunch. A giant spotlight is stopping on the salt flats to take pictures enjoying with perspective and funky props and toys.

Three Day Tour of Salar de Uyuni

A 3 day tour is the most well-liked technique to discover the Salt Flats and is what we did. On the three day excursions you solely spend sooner or later on the actual salt flats, the remainder of the time exploring desert-like panorama, it’s distinctive, assorted and easily spectacular!

Salar de Uyuni 3 Day Tour

Day 1 – precisely the identical because the sooner or later tour we simply stayed on the Salt Flats in a Salt Lodge the place the sooner or later tour turns round and goes again to Uyuni. It was superior the whole lot was made out of salt, even the mattress! Dinner was glorious, we even had some wine! (pack your personal if you would like a few glasses). It was chilly throughout the evening. Bathe was out there (not made out of salt), we gave it a skip since we didn’t really feel soiled after a complete day of sitting and it value about 2 bucks every.

Day 2 – We began early there may be numerous driving on this fascinating day. Stopped at Gruta De Las Galaxaxias a small cave full of petrified algae; a number of superb Andian lagoons of various colours purple, inexperienced and blue with many flamingos in a few of them. Unreal to seek out flamingos at this altitude in a salt desert! Arbol de Piedra (the rock tree) within the wild and great Siloli desert. You enter Eduardo Avaroa Nationwide Park, entrance payment not included, convey sufficient money and your passport with you.

Day 3 – We didn’t return to Uyuni on the third day, however continued to San Pedro de Atacama in Chile, half of our group went again to Uyuni. All of us went to the “Sol de Mañana” geysers, lookout to view steamy volcanoes, Dali desert, swimming within the Aguas Thermales (Scorching spring), Laguna Verde (the inexperienced lake). The group going again to Uyuni spent many of the day Uyuni city, we transferred to a unique Jeep and continued to San Pedro de Atacama the place we arrived at 13:00.

Attending to Uyuni from Sucre

We arrived in Uyuni from Sucre by evening bus. There are 2 buses doing the journey throughout the day through Potosi. The direct evening bus takes 9 hours arriving at about 5 am. Our bus arrived a bit early at about 4am, it was freezing chilly after we acquired off the bus and we have been a bit apprehensive pondering, ‘ What the hell are we going to do on this chilly till one thing opens?’

Fortunately there are some espresso outlets open that early! we had espresso, breakfast and wifi and a few touters even got here in that early to promote excursions to us. 

Attending to Uyuni from La Paz

From La Paz you will get to Uyuni purchase airplane, practice or bus. There’s a evening bus going from La Paz arriving at Uyuni at about 5am, the evening bus takes about 11 hours. 

Uyuni La Paz Bus Journey

From La Paz you will get Uyuni with a bus practice mixture, first take a bus to Oruro (3h 15 min) adopted by taking a practice to Uyuni, 7 extra hours, it’s a 20 minute stroll to the practice station.  You may also fly from La Paz to the small airport in Uyuni, Airline Amazonas and Boliviano de Aviacion are the principle airways providing these flights.

Lodging in Uyuni

Finest rated and priced lodging in several worth ranges, take a look at these glorious lodging choices all with nice evaluations and site.

Finest Time to Go to Salar de Uyuni

The perfect time to go to Salar de Uyuni depends upon you wish to see most throughout the journey, the huge expanses of the white salt pans or the unimaginable water mirror surfaces? July to October the local weather is improbable and might be essentially the most nice climate for the expertise.  

The dry season from June till November – Large fully flat dry salt plains, the attractive white pans with intricate patterns created by dry salt. Nice time of the yr to take these cool pictures enjoying with perspective with all kinds of  toys and different props.  Additionally, you will not get caught within the mud and can be assured of visiting the ‘islands’ (outcrops of cacti), caves and volcanoes. 

Uyuni receives lower than 130 mm (5 inches) of rain per yr, the best rainfall is between December and April. The water dams up on the salt pan and by February or March varieties an enormous ankle deep puddle leading to a reflective floor that’s nonetheless drivable. The mirror impact just isn’t there all yr and to see them one of the best season is March and April. Breakdowns occur anytime of the yr, however getting caught within the mud solely when there may be mud. 

Selecting a Salar de Uyuni Tour

We booked our tour the morning after we arrived in Uyuni, many vacationers do it this fashion and that is the most cost effective technique to do it. You arrive at about 5am and folks attempt to promote excursions to you from early morning, we began strolling round within the city to discover a tour at about 7am. All of the excursions go to comparable websites with small variations in itineraries, meals and lodging. Few excursions have guides that talk good English, these excursions is perhaps a bit extra dear. We went into one or 2 businesses asking costs and shortly discovered an company we preferred with some like minded vacationers asking comparable questions. If you wish to go along with a particular firm ebook earlier than hand, learn TripAdvisor evaluations. We had a really good group and a enjoyable information (no English). Corporations are continuously altering.

Most excursions provide the choice to return to Uyuni, Bolivia or head straight to San Pedro Atacama, Chile, in the event you select a tour ending in Chile examine if the bus to San Pedro is included in any other case you’ll have to purchase a bus ticket after going by immigration. 

Deliver additional money

The next prices should not included by most excursions

• Fish Island entrance payment
• Eduardo Avaroa Nationwide Park
• Scorching Springs entrance
• Bathe
• Deliver some additional money for water, snax and so on.

Uyuni Salt Desert Tour Highlights

The Prepare Cemetery

Uyuni’s stunning practice graveyard, the Cementerio de Trenes (Prepare Cemetery) is an open-air museum of rusted stays of trains from the nineteenth century. A railroad was constructed right here to attach the native mines, La Paz and the seaports of Chile. Within the Forties, the mining trade collapsed when minerals have been depleted. In a unique local weather the trains would have been in a significantly better situation 100 years after being deserted, however in Uyuni salt considerably accelerates corrosion making the trains seem like they may very well be centuries previous. You’ll be able to climb on the wrecks making for excellent pictures.The practice cemetery is included in nearly all salt flat excursions. To go to it with out the crowds get there by taxi for 10 BOB (US$1.50) within the early morning or late afternoon from Uyuni. For photograph concepts take a look at the hastag #traincemetery on Instagram

Fish Island

Isla del Pescado (“Island of the Fish”) also called Isla Incahuasi is a hilly and rocky outcrop of land in the midst of Salar de Uyuni. It’s known as Fish Island as a result of some say it appears like a fish when considered from far-off.

Salar de Uyuni Lodge manufactured from Salt

The salt motels of Bolivia have been created by establishing complete motels the whole lot from the beds to the partitions and flooring are from salt blocks. On the primary evening on a tour exploring Salar de Uyuni most excursions keep at a salt lodge, there are a number of of those lodge close to Uyuni.

Probably the most iconic of those salt motels in Bolivia is the Palacio de Sal, situated simply exterior Colchani, you received’t keep right here on a finances tour! This luxurious lodge was constructed from a million blocks of compressed salt grains it’s fascinating that staff should repeatedly shave down the salt partitions to maintain the place wanting sculpted and recent. The lodge even has a spa, swimming pool, on-site restaurant and even a salty golf course!

Salar de Uyuni Sundown

Sundown and dawn is spectacular on the salt flats and an amazing photograph alternative Solely the primary day of most 3 day excursions are spent on the salt flats, affirm along with your tour firm that you can be spending a few hours on the salt flats and could have the chance to see solar set and dawn. 

Galaxia Caves (Gruta De Las Galaxaxias)

Fascinating caves to discover on the southern shore of the Salar de Uyuni, fossilised algae, stromalites and marine deposits courting from when the Salar was lined by the massive prehistoric Lakes Minchin and Tauca. Appears to be like like an underwater panorama.

Coloured Andian Lagoons

Salar de Uyuni is legendary for the world’s largest salt flats and the spectacular coloured lakes, totally different colours because of the minerals and algae they host. 

• Laguna Hedionda at 4186m above sea ranges is a well-liked spot for lunch with many flamingos.
• Laguna Colorada (4278m) – additionally a preferred spot with many flamingos is coloured purple by algae within the lake.
• Laguna Verde (4400m) the inexperienced coloration of this lagoon might be seen when the wind blows, it’s coloured by Arsenic, Lead, Copper and extra heavy metals, when there is no such thing as a wind you see the reflection of Volcán Lincacabur (5960m). 
• Laguna Blanca – this lake is coloured white by the presence of borax.

Arbol de Piedra (the rock tree)

The Rock Tree (Árbol de Piedra) within the Siloli Desert desert is a tree-like rock formation with a skinny stem and large rock branches fashioned by sturdy winds carrying sand that erodes the smooth sandstone. Cool photograph spot! Checkout #arbolpiedra

Sol de Mañana geysers

Superb place with a great deal of geothermal exercise. This geyser and assortment of effervescent sulfur swimming pools is often visited at solar rise, situated at 4850m above sea stage with effervescent mud pots the geysers hase a really sturdy acrid odor of sulfur. Watch out when taking pictures, you will get as shut as you need there aren’t any limitations between you and the openings. Bear in mind the steaming effervescent mud can erupt at anytime.

Salvador Dali desert

The surreal Salvador Dali desert with barren landscapes really feel like you might be driving on one other planet, some extra glorious photograph alternatives. Dalí himself by no means visited the world, the colours and shapes resemble lots of his work. Checkout #dalidesert on Insta

Aguas Thermales

The Polques Scorching springs visited by 3 excursions to Salar de Uyuni have been fashioned on account of volcanic exercise from the close by Polques Volcano.Whereas hotsprings might be boiling, Polques stays round a cushty 29°C, superior in distinction to the chilly climate exterior the pool that may be as chilly as -5°C. Hovering within the pool taking a look at lakes, volcanoes and flamingos is an unreal expertise! If you happen to stick with an operator that overnights on the sizzling springs you’ll be able to tub with out the crowds at evening whereas doing stargazing!

Animals on the Salar de Uyuni

Regardless of the acute circumstances, some animals do stay at these altitudes and excessive setting. Three of the world’s six species of flamingos might be seen right here, along with 77 different fowl species! Some fascinating mammals discovered within the salt desert embody Puma, the Andean fox, Viscacha (much like rabbits), and Vicuña (deer).

Salar de Uyuni Pictures 

The 2 most well-known pictures are the attitude pictures and the reflective pictures.

1. Perspective Photograph on Salar de Uyuni

Finest Time to Go: Anytime is nice however the wet season December to March. Salar de Uyuni may be very flat and one uniform coloration, so you’ll be able to play with perspective and optical illusions the dearth of horizon causes. Be inventive and by shifting objects and folks various distances from the photographer make them appear totally different sizes from actuality e.g. somebody standing on high of a wine bottle or being attacked by a toy dinosaur. #salaruyuni on instagram have loads of examples

2. Reflection pictures on Salar de Uyuni

Through the wet season (November to March) the water accumulates on the floor of the Salar de Uyuni and creates an enormous mirror that completely displays the sky. Superb pictures the place the reflection is so good you cannot see what’s up and what’s down on the image. Evening reflective pictures displaying the milky method above and under are actually spectacular! Affirm along with your operator you’ll have the chance to take these reflective pictures at evening. 

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The sturdy half of Stingy Nomads, a nomadic aquaman that will be joyful to spend all his life within the water diving, browsing and spearfishing however usually has to compromise with Alya and go mountaineering as an alternative. Campbell is accountable for all our marine adventures and following them with write-ups. He loves touring, braai (BBQ in South Africa), purple wine and spending the day in a wetsuit.