In continuation to my South American series, after spending 2 days in La-Paz and around in Bolivia, we decided to take a bus from La-Paz to Uyuni, to explore the famous vast salt flats and few other locations in Bolivia on our way to Chile.
Salar De Uyuni is the world's largest salt flat which runs over 10,000 square kilometres at an elevation of 3,656 meters above mean sea level. These salt flats are exceptionally rich in lithium and contain 50% to 70% of the world's known lithium reserves. It provides a big chunk of lithium to the famous car company Tesla, which runs its toys on the lithium ion battery.
There are many other salt flats in the world, but I found these unique in terms of their vastness, a place with very unusual flora and magical sunsets.
If you are in this part of the world, it is a must, no matter how famous and touristy it is!
How to reach Uyuni:
You have an option to take a short flight or an overnight bus to Uyuni. Flights are not very expensive, but of course if you compare with the bus prices, they are.
For bus, you have various options and the prices are based on the comfort level of the bus you choose. It ranges from a simple state bus to private buses with semi sleeping and full sleeping facilities.
We booked an overnight bus, which was semi sleeper and found it to be very comfortable with excellent seats. These are much different from the semi sleepers in India with double the size of the seats. We booked our tickets on the same day from La-Paz bus stop which was easy to do. There are many private tour operators and options. You can first have a look at the bus before booking the tickets to be sure what you are getting into.
It is a 7 hours overnight drive; we reached Uyuni at 5:00 AM and were allowed to sleep for couple of more hours before getting down as when we had reached the whole town was asleep :)
Booking Salt Flat tour:
Taking a tour is the best option to explore salt flats unless you have a local to accompany you or you speak fluent Spanish as driving in the wild with little local knowledge is not recommended here. Keep in mind Bolivia is not a first world country! If at all, you want to hire a car, you can do that from La-Paz or Sucre, which is quiet expensive (min. USD 100/day) and you are only allowed to take a 4x4 on salt flats.
We booked our tour in advance, however you can book it from the town, though may be end up not getting a seat during peak season on the same day.
There are various options when you book your tour. You can book a day, 2 days or even 3 days tours. If you want to just explore the salt flats, a day tour is enough. However, if you want to explore further a 3 days tour is must.
We took a 3 day tour arranged by Red Planet Expeditions to explore the Uyuni salt flat of Bolivia with others attractions on our way to Chile. Instead of coming back to Uyuni on the 3rd day after completing our tour, we took a drop off in "San Pedro de Atacama" in Chile.
Best time to go:
If you want to do some perspective photography, the best time to go is between Dec to March.
There are people who go only to take the famous reflection pictures, which is possible only in the rainy season, and is not guaranteed. However, mid March to mid April is the best time for it if you fancy.
We visited in November end and really enjoyed our time trying some perspective pictures. We are not professional photographers though, so probably not great pictures as you would find on social media.
The three days tour is quite packed. We started around 11:00 AM in the morning and visited the highlight, salt flats on Day 1.
Old Train Graveyard:
First stop was an old train graveyard to see the the first locomotive engine in Bolivia. The skies are so clear, with the salt flats already seen at a distance, you can actually start doing your perspective experiments, right here :)
Visiting Colchani to see Salt factory:
We visited this small village next, with some souvenir shops and a visit to a salt factory where we saw the rustic way of table salt production by the miner workers
Exploring salt flats:
The next part was stopping by right in the middle of the salt flats, which according to most of the people what this entire trip is all about :)
We drove around a couple of hours before we stopped and tried all kind of Perspective poses we could, along with the help of our very experienced driver who was an expert in suggesting these :)
It feels really surreal to be right in the middle of these salt fields, far away from the real world!!!
Isla Incahuasi:
Isla Incahuasi, also known as fish island is located in the middle of the salt flats. It is quite unusual to see this island with its giant cacti and coral like outgrowths all over.
You can climb up to the top of the island to witness the vast salt flats from the top.
Sunsets and the octagonal structures:
After an eventful day, we stated driving towards the village Atulcha, which was our final stop for Day 1 to sleep. On our way, we saw a golden sunset and again did a photo session to capture those orange rays playing around the clouds :). Having seen many sunsets around the globe, I find something new in each of these. According to me, what makes this all the more beautiful is the background and the ever changing landscapes!
Experiencing an overnight stay in Salt Hotel
We stayed in a salt hotel, everything made up salt, from our room floors, to walls to even beds! Quite an experience it was
Further read
Please go to the second part of this blog to read further 2 days of the tour wherein we explored some volcanoes, hot water springs, vast volcanic landscapes and lot more, along with some cost details in case you plan to visit and budget for it!
Stay tuned!!! :) :) :)
To read about what all I explored while in South America, please refer to below further reads:
South American Sojourns - Laguna Torre, Patagonia: One of the "worlds 10 best day hikes"
South American Sojourns: Bolivia - La Paz & Around - 2 days
Anyone up for a Glacier Hike?- Perito Moreno Glacier, Patagonia
