Salar de Uyuni- this is a salt marsh, that is, a dried salt lake. Salar de Uyuni has the world's largest salt field at 10,582 km². Salar is located in southwestern Bolivia, at an altitude of about 3650 m above sea level,close foothills of the Andes.

The thickness of the salt layer here is more than 10 meters in the center. During the dry season, the salt occupies a completely flat space, and during the rainy season, the salt marsh is covered with a thin layer of water, turning into the world's largest mirror, which creates stunningly beautiful reflections.


The lake was formed 13,000 thousand years ago as a result of the retreat of the ocean from the depths of the continent, and now there is what many know as the Altiplano or Lake Titicaca (remember Jack London and his “Love of Life”?).

In the middle of this formation there are two wells of natural origin, with a diameter of 10-15 centimeters and a depth of 120 meters.

Many tourists receive unforgettable experience crossing a salt field by car in summer. During the summer season, everything looks very original - clear blue skies and snow-white salt below. Everything ends at the horizon - and it is difficult to understand where the earth ends and the sky begins.

In addition, during the rainy season, when the salt is covered with a small layer of water, the lake is the largest mirror in the world. Probably, each of us would like to see this beauty with our own eyes.

Yes, the winters in this place are quite harsh - and imagine how unusual the snow drifts look on salt lake. Frozen water crystals are very difficult to distinguish from table salt crystals...































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 big lake two small ones remained: 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 fly here - pink flamingos after it rains 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; Starting point for tourists there is a 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 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, various healing procedures. 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!

SalardeUyuni/ Salar de Uyuni (Bolivia)
Salar de Uyuni is the world's largest salt flat, located in Bolivia.
Geography:
Salar de Uyuni includes more than 12,000 sq. km of land in the Potosi region. In the dry season, the salt expanses are covered with dry, flat salt, but in the rainy season, the expanses are covered with a thin layer of water.
This site was created by the transformation of several prehistoric lakes. It is covered with salt crusts protruding to a height of several meters. They contain between 50 and 70 percent of the world's lithium reserves.
Salar de Uyuni serves as the main transport route through the Bolivian Altiplano and is the primary habitat for several species of pink flamingos.
Climate:
Salar de Uyuni is located in transitional climatic zones. Tropical, powerful cumulus clouds rise in the eastern part. In the western region, near the Chilean border and the Atacama Desert, dry weather prevails.
The area has a relatively stable temperature of 21°C in November-January and a minimum of 13°C in June. Nights, however, are cold throughout the year with temperatures ranging from -9 to 5°C. Relative humidity is quite low and constant throughout the year -30 - 45%. Precipitation is not heavy from April to November, but January is the rainy season.
Hotels:
Near salt desert many hotels were built. Due to the lack of conventional building materials, many of them are built almost entirely (walls, roof, furniture) from salt blocks carved in this place. The first such hotel was built in 1995 and soon became a popular tourist destination.
Tour:
Standard tours start in the south towards the southwestern part of Bolivia. Here you can find many lakes with fluorescent colors, which were created from a collection of different minerals from the runoff from the surrounding mountains.
The standard tour is conducted in 4x4 vehicles (usually Toyota Landcruisers) with 6 or 7 people, with a driver. Majority 3 and 4 day tours have the same routes for the first 2 ½ days, a day on the salt flat and then in south direction in the southwestern region of Bolivia, and then return back.
Accommodation is usually provided in basic shelters and the weather can be very cold, but it's worth it to see amazing landscape.
Day 1: The world's largest salt flat
On the first day you will visit the salt flat. During 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 trips start here, next to railway station at 10:30, although it can also be reached from the hotel.
  • The Train Graveyard is usually at the beginning of the tour, but some operators prefer to end the tour here. There are many destroyed old steam locomotives here.
  • Colchani, Bloques de Sal is a village 7 km north of Uyuni. Here you can buy souvenirs made from salt. There is also a salt museum here, which contains carved animals created from salt, as well as some pieces of furniture and household appliances. Paid entrance.
  • A salt mining area is an area where salt is dug up and left in heaps (weighing a ton) to dry in the sun, then transported to a refinery.
  • Salt Hotels – several hotels made entirely of salt.
  • Isla 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 fossil corals, 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. Most tour groups dine on the western "shore" of this island.
  • Accommodation is possible in San Juan, although for the real experience it is better to try to find hotels closer to the Salar. Then you will have the opportunity to get up before dawn and reach the plain in 4x4 jeeps to see the most spectacular sunrise of your life.
Second day - Heading south to the colorful lagoon lakes (South Past Colorful Lakes – Laguna Colorada)
  • Hedionda Lagoon is full of flamingos and is a popular lunch spot.
  • ArboldePiedra is a stone tree that was carved by strong, sandy winds.
  • The Viscacha area, a short stop on a rocky outcrop, is a Viscacha colony.
  • Lagoon Colorada is a red lake with algae. You can also see a lot of flamingos.

Third day, morning - geysers and hot springs in Laguna Verde ( Verde).
The day starts early in the morning (5 am) without breakfast in order to have time to visit several of the following places:
  • The SolardeManaña Geyser Pool is a collection of bubbly gray pools and the geyser is typically visited when the sun rises.
  • The Termasde Polques hot springs are located next to the Salar de Chalviri. You can bring your own swimming gear to enjoy the springs. Popular place for breakfast.
  • Lagoon Verde - painted green, it contains heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, copper, with an ideal view of the Lincacabur volcano

This is followed by a long drive back to Uyuni, or you can get from here to San Pedro de Atacama.
  • Laguna Blanca – white lake, filled with boron ore.
  • Lunch – Colorada Lagoon – popular place where you can have lunch.
Afternoon – east of Tupiza.
If you choose a four-day Tupiza tour, the route will go off the beaten path and you will have the opportunity to visit several small communities. You will also see the following places:
  • Lagoon Celeste is a bright blue lake colored by magnesium and manganese.
  • Amarilla Lagoon - a yellow sulfur lake and several old ones nearby rock paintings.
  • Ruinasde San Antonio is an abandoned sixteenth-century mining town where slave labor was used.

Afternoon – north of Uyuni:
The road back to Uyuni is very rough, stop at several small communities along the way:
  • VallesdeRocas - many strange mountain valleys.

Fourth day – the trip ends at Tupiza.
The tour will take a long time to pass through beautiful scenery. The last attraction before arriving in Tupiza is Sillar. The site features giant clay columns formed due to erosion.
Day four – ends at Uyuni.
  • San Cristobal is a town with a 350 year old church and a very beautiful silver altar.
  • The Train Graveyard is a collection of vintage trains 3 kilometers southwest of Uyuni.

The wild beauty of this vast salt desert makes the Salar de Uyuni one of the most... impressive sights In South America.

In hotels located on the edge of the Uyuni salt marsh, walls, ceilings, floors, furniture and even clocks are made entirely of salt. At the same time, all rooms provide modern amenities, including a sauna, bath, bathhouse, and jacuzzi. One night in such an establishment will cost a tourist twenty dollars, and he will be required to comply with the main rule of the hotel, which appeared after the owners began to notice that the furniture began to shrink in size: “No licking!”

The Uyuni Salar is notable for being the largest dry salt lake in the world: its area exceeds 10.5 thousand km2, and it is located at an altitude of 3.5 thousand m above sea level. m. The Uyuni salt marsh is located in Bolivia, in the south of the high desert plain of Antiplano, near the city of Uyuni.

From the capital of Bolivia, La Paz, it is unique phenomenon nature is separated by about 500 km to the south, and on geographical map this area can be found at the following coordinates: 20° 11′ 14″ S. latitude, 67° 32′ 57″ W. d.

Locals They are convinced that the salt lake is the bitter tears of the abandoned Tunula, whom her husband, Cusco, left with a baby in her arms and went to another, Cousin. After his departure, the woman sobbed bitterly for long days and nights - and her tears, mixed with breast milk, formed huge size salt lake Uyuni salt marsh (interestingly, that’s what the Bolivians call this area - Tunula). The gods, seeing this, enchanted the three people - and now they rise high mountains on the outskirts of the salt marsh.

Geologists explain the appearance of this phenomenon differently. They claim that 40 thousand years ago there was Lake Minchin here, which dried up over time: the lack of tributaries and the hot sun did their job. In its place, several ordinary lakes and two salt marshes were formed, separated from each other by mountains.

The appearance of the Uyuni salt marsh was influenced by the formed reservoir, which did not have any tributaries. The water in it evaporated much faster than precipitation fell, as a result, the amount of salt at its bottom constantly increased. After the water had completely evaporated, a solid layer of salt formed in place of the lake, turning the area into a salt marsh.

Description

The layer of salt that covers the Uyuni salt marsh is uneven and its thickness ranges from several centimeters on the outskirts salt lake up to ten meters in its center. During the rainy season, a layer of water 30 cm thick accumulates on the surface of the salt marsh, which creates a mirror effect: the sky, sun, clouds and other objects are so accurately displayed underfoot that it seems as if all the people around are literally floating in the clouds.

But during the dry period, grooves appear on the surface of a dried-up reservoir, which, connecting with each other, form a “honeycomb” - these are mostly hexagonal shapes, but can often be seen with five, seven or even eight sides.

In the very center of the Uyuni salt marsh there are the destroyed remains of the craters of long-dormant volcanoes, which at the time of Lake Minchin were completely under water. Their tops are covered with fossils and algae, and only bushes and cacti grow on them - the only vegetation adapted to life in this area.

Flora and fauna

Since the Uyuni salt flat is completely covered with a layer of salt, it is not surprising that there is practically no vegetation and fauna here. Among the wild animals that live here are foxes, viscaches (rodents that resemble rabbits), and alpacas. The only plants you can see are huge cacti, the height of which reaches twelve meters, or several types of shrubs.

During the rainy season, more than eighty species of birds fly to the Uyuni salt marsh, among them the South American pink flamingos, which acquired their amazing colors by eating algae algae growing here.

Birds live here because the algae and crustaceans on which they feed are not found in freshwater, and therefore, being the only food for these birds, force them to live in not very favorable places: the water here is so alkaline that, if not for the extremely thick skin, could easily corrode living flesh.

Minerals

It is interesting that under the thick layer of salt (and there is more than 10 billion tons of it here) there is brine - water containing, in addition to salt, magnesium, gypsum, and also the lightest metal - lithium. Geologists say that the Uyuni salt marsh contains about 100 million tons of this metal, which is more than half of the world's reserves.

Lithium is considered a very promising metal: it is used in the manufacture of laptops, cell phones, batteries and other equipment, and presumably will soon find use in the mass production of batteries for electric vehicles.

Despite the prospects, Bolivians have a negative view of lithium mining in the salt flat, and therefore foreign companies that have tried to build factories here have encountered resistance and rejection from the authorities (which is not surprising, since the Bolivian government itself is planning to address this issue).

Climate

The warmest weather here in summer is in December and January, when the mercury shows daytime temperatures of +22°C, but the nights here are cold throughout the year. From November to March there is a rainy season. Tourists need to take this point into account, since the tour may well be canceled or rescheduled due to heavy rainfall: salty water can damage the vehicle. This period is an ideal opportunity to watch flamingos, which just fly here to nest.

In winter it is not very cold here: temperatures fluctuate around +14°C, but frosts are common at night, and the mercury thermometer can drop to -11°C. There is little precipitation here at this time, and therefore the Uyuni salt marsh is an absolutely dense plain. Therefore, it is during this period that the peak tourist season falls - from June to August.

How to get to this wonderful place

Mostly tourists come to Uyuni from the capital of Bolivia, La Paz. There are several ways to get here from La Paz:

  • Airplane - an airport was opened in Uyuni several years ago. From La Paz you can fly here on planes of two airlines at once, which allows you to quickly get to your desired location (especially if you give preference direct flight, which does not transit into any city).
  • Buses from La Paz go daily through Oruro, and therefore the total length of the road to be covered from La Paz to Uyuni is 569 km.
  • With transfers - you can get from La Paz to Oruro by bus (the journey will take about four hours), and then transfer to a train going to Uyuni (since the bus station is located some distance from the railway station, you will have to take a taxi).

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 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.
  • Camera, extra battery and multiple memory cards: 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 path includes railway from Avaroa on the Chilean border (unfixed departure times), railway from Oruro, bus (including tourist bus) from Oruro, or La Paz, and 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 they have had, vehicles, drivers and food 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 tourist 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 main square- a great place to meet such people. Ripley Tours can arrange a decent one 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. On main street There are several tour operators 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 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 the best place for photographing 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 - entrance fee national reserve wildlife Andina Eduardo Avaroa.

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. Temperature environment in July it 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 in green color, 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 track 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 there individual tour for a high price, but got a simple, standard tour. Instead of double room they received two beds in a ten-bed dormitory. 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.