The three-day tour of the Uyuni Salt Flats is one of the most popular things to do in Bolivia. The salt flats, along with the nearby Reserva Nacional de Fauna, are full of natural wonders unlike anything we’ve seen before.

Uyuni Salt Flats Tour: Salar de Uyuni

Two things we’ve noticed in our first few days in this country: the pace of life in the southern Bolivian countryside is slow, and people cover themselves head to toe at all times of the day. We quickly realise why. Walking anywhere when you’re above 4,000m is hard work. No one is hurrying anywhere, even when it’s flat. And the sun at this elevation is intense. Having lived in Australia for many years, we understand the importance of sun protection, but the sun’s strength here even when the air feels cool has caught us off guard a few times. Today we’re heading out on the huge salt flats of Uyuni at 3,600m above sea level where no doubt both these elements will be in full force. 

Our tall Dutch travel buddies from Tupiza had highly recommended the three day tour with Salty Desert tour operators which makes our life a whole lot easier given the huge number of operators in town. As a result we’ve done the sum total of about 20 minutes of research and have very little idea of what the next few days hold. Apparently ‘it’s awesome’. 

The tour this morning is due to start at a very civilized 10:30am, which gives us plenty of time to enjoy a hearty breakfast. We wouldn’t usually mention breakfast but wow, what a breakfast it is at Hotel Tonito – starting with the two-inch thick french toast that tasted more like an apple strudel, moving to the fresh fruit, the first greek yoghurt we’ve seen in months with Chris’ killer granola, coffee, fresh juices, more french toast… Must..stop..eating..

We whittle down our voluminous regular backpacks to two daypacks, filled mostly with protection from the desert and the altitude; as well as the harsh sun we’d been warned that the desert can get pretty chilly, especially in the evenings. The Salty Desert tour organizer stops by and mentions that desafortunadamente, the English tour guide isn’t available; would we be OK with a Spanish tour? Sure, why not? We could use the practice.

Luckily the other four people in our tour group (a young couple from Catalonia, and a mother-daughter from Germany) happily volunteer to translate anything that we don’t understand. Which will, no doubt, be plenty. I don’t think they realize what they’re signing up for. Not half because our tour guide/drive, Vladimir, speaks even less English than we do Spanish. That doesn’t happen very often.

Cemetery of Trains

As we arrive at our first destination, the so-called ‘Cemetery of Trains’, we realize just how many tours like ours are running every day. There are dozens of 4×4’s in the parking area, and the old rail cars are swarming with tourists looking for that next perfect Instagrammable moment. It’s a lot less low-key than our experience in the Argentinian salt flats, so the next few days will be interesting.

We find a few Instagrammable moments ourselves, then run the gamut of the souvenir stalls back to the Land Cruiser and carry on to our second stop of the day – arguably the most Instagrammable moment of them all…

Salar de Uyuni (Uyuni Salt Flats)

The Uyuni Salt Flats are the world’s largest salt flats, at over 10,000 square kilometres.

That’s such a big number as to be almost meaningless. But as we drive out on them we start to get an idea. The various 4×4’s that have followed us from the train cemetery all peel off in different directions. There’s salt as far as the eye can see, and well beyond that as well. Rising from the horizon is the blue hue of multiple volcanoes. There are no roads here; just tracks that have been worn down by enough vehicles going in generally the same direction.

In fact at our first stop out on the flats is an area where there’s a fair amount of water present, and gas bubbles are gurgling up from the depths. The salt sits on a brine layer under rich in magnesium, and the ever increasingly important lithium. The salt flats at their deepest are 7-8m deep. We learn that these holes in the salt are pretty common; our guide shows us a picture of one of their vehicles that had fallen into one when taking a ‘shortcut’.

We drive over to the salt pagoda where our guide unveils a marvelous lunch. After we’ve eaten we (continue) taking many photos, racking our brains for wacky perspective shots that no-one’s ever done before. taking these shots requires lying on the salt which in Argentina had not been a problem. But after a few minutes we realise the salt flat here is different. 

The pool of briny water we’d seen earlier is just below the surface and it quickly seeps into our clothes. We’re all styling a nice salted look to our clothing after half and hour or photo taking. 

We’re all particularly proud of this video:

Click to watch video:

We could go on and on with photos out on the flats. Super fun. But it’s time to move on!

Cactus Island

Following lunch we drive out into the salt flats proper. We drive and drive, the salt stretching out with nary a vehicle to be seen, aside from the occasional car on the horizon looking for all the world like a landspeeder floating a few feet off the ground as it scooted across the shimmering surface.

The guides from the various companies must have some sort of unspoken system to keep everyone separated, because not for the last time we feel like we’re the only people out here. After about thirty minutes we see our target: a dark green blob floating on the horizon gradually resolves itself as an ‘island’ filled with giant 300 years old cacti in the middle of nothingness. We circle the island and… there are all those 4×4’s.

We pile out and take about an hour to walk up and around the island, meeting the resident baby llama and enjoying the views. While it feels all the world like an island in the middle of a frozen lake, it is in fact the top of an ancient volcano which was submerged in water when a lake formed 30,000 years ago. Oddly, it’s also covered in large rocks of petrified coral, a remnant of prehistoric Lake Minchin. The island’s name, Isla Incahuasi (Inca House Island), reflects the fact it was used as a stopping point for Incas as they crossed the salt flats. 

We get a reminder that although it’s perfectly flat to the horizon, we’re at serious altitude. Like the locals, we move slowly up the small hill, which even so makes us a little breathless and we make more than a couple of strategic stops to take photos.

After four months travelling in South America we’re running out of superlatives. But the views out from the island across the salt flats to the volcanoes on the horizon quite surreal. 

The sun is on its downward march and Vladimir finds a secluded spot for us to watch the sunset. Here we learn lesson number one for the tour: this morning we’d stashed our main daypacks up on the roof and kept smaller bags with water and other essentials down with us for the day. The temperature drops in direct relationship to the height of the sun, and by the time sunset arrived we were longing for our hats, gloves, and extra layers. I’m sure Vladimir would have happily grabbed them for us, but we suffered through, especially when he produced a bottle of wine and snacks!

The colours from the setting sun stretched all across the desert sky, even turning the clouds far to the east a beautiful pink. We let out a collective sigh, then jump back in the Land Cruiser for another hour to our accommodation for the night, the Salt Hotel. This interesting building isn’t completely made of salt, but the walls and headboard in our room certainly were. Luckily the bathroom is not, although with the limited pressure of the shower we daresay the walls would probably be fine.

As we settle in we can see the effects of the altitude and the sun on our faces. We’re exhausted, with a slight headache and looking wind burnt. Pachamama (mother nature) is not fooling around out here. 

Over dinner we chat with Paola, Marc and Steffi about what brings them to Bolivia (Bella doesn’t join us as she’s busy on wifi being a 14-year old). Dinner, bed. Breakfast. And we’re ready for…

Uyuni Salt Flats Tour: The Highland Lakes 

Honestly, when we booked this tour we figured that the highlight would be the salt flats, and that they’d tack on a bunch of other hokey stuff to try to fill out three days. How wrong we were.

Today’s drive starts out like a Bolivian postcard. We drive past yellow, red and purple fields of quinoa with a snow-capped volcano in the distance. Herds of curious llamas look directly at us, turning their backs only when you pull out your camera. Vladimir provides a varied program of Bolivian music for our listening pleasure: Pasama, Luciano Pas, La Chica Del Esta and more.

At this point we’re skirting the border with Chile and as we pass the border post, Paola and Marc have flashbacks to a few days ago when they had to wait for two hours at the border because they had arrived from Chile during lunchtime and there was no-one around to process their crossing. Yep, nothing happens in a hurry here. 

We drive south along the national highway 701, the major link between Chile and Bolivia. It’s a hard packed dirt road that barely wide enough for the many 18-wheeler trucks to pass each other without tilting disconcertingly.  

By 11am we’re at 4100m, and we stop at a Mirador Volcan Ollague. Unfortunately the volcano is shy today, hiding behind the clouds so we settle for a clamber on the ancient lava flows. We partake of some freshly picked popusa tea (picked in the area and supposedly good for all that ails you) in the small restaurant and accidentally get a llama sausage roll because it smells so. darn. good.

Chain of Highland Lakes 

Back in the Land Cruiser, we turn off the highway onto and unmarked road. There’s no way you’d be venturing out here without someone who knows where they’re going.

Our ultimate destination today is the National Park in the far south western reaches of Bolivia. On the way we pass through a series of highland lakes which are rich in minerals giving rise to different colours from pink to green and the usual glacial blue. 

We had hoped that the weather would clear during the day and we’d see the lakes in all their coloured glory. But the clouds and the chill are persisting. Not to worry, the views of the mountains and the flamingoes keep us occupied. 

Vladimir produces another amazing lunch in the pavilion by the side of Laguna Hedionda. The views out onto the lake from here are spectacular, and it’s hard to believe there’s not a four-star restaurant and hotel here. But then we remember the drive to get here, and how incredibly isolated we are in this corner of the country.

After lunch we continue heading generally southwest, towards the park. The landscape has changed from this morning’s colourful quinoa fields to a stark, rocky, brown dirt with low scrub and the occasional family of llamas. The road is changing too. Where before it was a quite reasonable ripio (gravel) road, it’s now closer to a track. The wind and rain begins again in earnest.

 We hit a few sites that no doubt are much more spectacular when it’s not raining and cold, but none of us are particularly interested in sticking around for too long. We do see the Stone Tree, which is a rock formation that’s been blasted by the wind and weather to resemble a huge gnarled tree.

We get back on the road. The altitude gain is relentless. As we steadily climb, the weather worsens. Rain, followed by hail, followed by snow. You know it’s not the usual weather when your guide pulls out his camera to video while he’s driving.

Click to watch video:

The landscape changes once again, from the earlier brown scree to something resembling Mars. Red boulders strewn across a desolate landscape; no vegetation or animals. We reach just over 4,900m, which is officially the highest altitude we’ve ever been in our lives – higher than we got to in Nepal on our Annapurna Trek. What’s even more remarkable is that we reach this altitude just by driving along the altiplano – we’re not winding our way up switchbacks clinging to the side of a mountain – we’re just driving along a gravel track, and the next thing we know we’ve cracked 4,900m.

Click to watch video:

Reserva Nacional de Fauna Andina Eduardo Avaroa

We reach the entrance to the national park, the Reserva Nacional de Fauna Andina Eduardo Avaroa, which you’ll be relieved to know is known locally as the REA. The reserve is a huge 7,000 square km chunk of land in the southwestern corner of Bolivia. We’ll be spending the rest of the afternoon here and much of tomorrow as well.

Right at the entrance to the reserve is Laguna Colorada. A giant flock of flamingos are standing around looking pink, and  seemingly unperturbed by what looks like ice or snow in the lake but is actually borax, mined nearby. They seem so fragile in this harsh landscape, feeling all the more so today with the sleet and snow. Did you know that pink flamingos turn pink because of what they eat? In this case, pink algae. Kind of like when we eat too many carrots.  Such fragile creatures in such a brash landscape is a real contrast.

Not flamingoes

Sol de Mañana

Our first official stop inside the park, after a photo opp with some llamas, is the Sol de Mañana geysers. This geothermal area is filled with pools of boiling mud, sulphur-spewing jets and the thickest, nastiest mud ever to stick the soles of these boots. It’s another surreal scene, with sulphur clouds billowing across the landscape and the smell and sounds of bubbling mud all round.

Click to watch video:

As we drive away we comment to our guide that it seems a little dangerous, what with the boiling pools and slippery mud everywhere, that people are allowed to just wander anywhere. He nonchalantly replied that yeah, people fall in here and die there all the time. Uh, what?

Click to watch video:

After that we have a long drive to our hostel for the night. Vladimir really earns his money on this day, as the snow continues to fall and the track continues to deteriorate. The Land Cruiser and the heavy duty tires come to the fore as we scramble over rocks and boulders and through the weather. 

Luckily we have a special treat this evening. With the number of volcanoes around it’s not surprising that there are hot springs here (water not mud), and our hostel is positioned just down the road from a very nice outdoor setup. We eat dinner and then head down to the spa to watch the stars slowly emerge from the cloud cover and enjoy some travel chat over a couple of beers, before collapsing in bed.

Oh Altitude, How Do I Hate Thee? Let Me Count The Ways: Al’s Altitude Experience

After reaching a max height of 4,900m today, we descend to 4,400m to sleep. So what does that feel like? Not good, let me tell you. There was no headache or upset stomach, just a non-stop feeling of breathlessness. Simply walking from our room to the common area leaves me puffing. I keep my conversations limited and my sentences short so I won’t run out of breath.

But worst of all is the sleeping. Or should I say the lack of sleeping.

When I go to bed and try to breathe ‘normally’, after about two breaths my arms and legs feel the way they do when you hold your breath too long. They involuntarily spasm, like my body knows I’m suffocating. I have to open my mouth wide and take three deep breaths to get rid of the feeling of drowning.

Then I take two or three ‘normal’ breaths and try to doze off, and the cycle begins again. All. Night. Long. I don’t sleep a wink.

Never have I been so grateful as when we eventually make it down below 4,000m. I’m still breathless at this altitude but at least my body is no longer telling me I’m dying.

Weirdly, Michelle is basically fine at high altitude. It’s not something you can really predict: it affects people in different ways at different times.

(NOTE: I later discovered the wonders of acetazolamide, an altitude sickness drug available over the counter here in Bolivia (but prescription-only in Canada, US, etc). It worked spectacularly well for me.)

Uyuni Salt Flats Tour: Lakes and Llamas

After dinner last night, the guides told us that a) with the amount of snow that fell yesterday and b) roadblocks expected on the way back to Uyuni, we won’t be making all the usual stops and should expect that today could be a long one.

But you know what? The scenery’s spectacular, the company’s great, and the Land Cruiser’s comfortable. And if all else fails, we can snooze while Vladimir does the hard yards.

As it turns out, we wake up to beautiful sunshine and an unexpected set of mountains cradling our hostel. In the darkness last night we had no idea our hostel location was so stunning. Once the 4×4’s are refuelled, we file out and get back on the road.

View of the hotsprings at the bottom of the hill

Salvador Dalí Desert

Our first stop this morning is the Salvador Dalí Desert, so called due to it looking like the background in a Dalí painting. And, we gotta hand it to whoever came up with the name, because it certainly does.

The benefit of making it through the nasty weather yesterday is that today we’re treated to the very unusual vista of fresh snow on the peaks emerging from the dry, flat desert. Once again, Vladimir is talking selfies. Running out of superlatives again we have to settle on surreal once more. 

Laguna Verde and Volcano Juriques

After driving through a short stretch of fresh snow, we eventually reach Laguna Blanca and Laguna Verde, two lakes in the bottom left corner of the park. From here we get incredible views of two volcanoes straddling the Bolivia/Chilean border, Juriques and Licancabur. Our tour buddies from Spain, Marc and Paola, comment that both peaks look significantly smaller on the Bolivian side than when they saw them from Chile – not surprising since we’re already at 4900m!

Fun fact: Remember we said that the Chile-Bolivia relationship is a little chilly? Well, apparently at some point the Chilean army scattered land mines all through these mountains to ‘protect’ their border. Which has made certain climbing routes a little more of an ‘adventure’. Nice eh?

From here we begin the long return journey back to Uyuni. We’re retracing our steps through the park (there really aren’t many roads out here!) but for lunch there’s still one more surprise in store for us. We stop in a gorgeous little town where not only do we find a woman walking her dog and her llama, but we also find two baby llamas sitting by the side of the river, just begging to be patted. So we do.

Thankfully the roadblocks do not eventuate, and we make it back to Uyuni at about 4pm. Plenty of time for a hot, hot shower at our guest house and then on to try some of Chris’ pizza, that purportedly reduces those eating it to tears. While we don’t break down, it is awfully good, as is the icy cold quinoa beer. We strike up a conversation with the guys at the next table, who run a motorcycle touring company here in Bolivia called Novo, with all of the profits going back to the local community. We’ve done a fair bit of motorcycle touring around the world, and the idea of touring Bolivia is equal parts intriguing and terrifying. But, if you’re in the market, you should check them out!

Tomorrow, we’re back on a bus to escape this blasted altitude for a couple of days with a visit to Sucre, which is at a much more reasonable 2,800m. Alas, not before we pass through Potosí, way back up at 4,000m. But first, sleep.

In a Nutshell: Uyuni Salt Flats Tour

We used Salty Desert Aventours for our tour, based on a recommendation from some travellers we met. They were absolutely fantastic. 

We prebooked with them via WhatsApp (on their website) about 48 hours before we arrived in Uyuni. I don’t think this is strictly necessary, as everything seems to be super flexible when it comes to what day you start – tours run every day. In fact we very nearly didn’t make it to Uyuni on the day we expected due to a road block, and I’m sure it would have been fine if we’d asked to delay our start by a day.

Most of the tours cost roughly the same; some of the itineraries differ slightly so you’ll want to review to make sure you’re getting what you expect.

While in Uyuni we stayed at Hotel Tonito – both before and after our tour. They happily stored our backpacks for us while we were away. And their included breakfast, and their pizza and other dinners, are amazing and well worth seeking out.