Choose another country to see content specific to your location
Choose another country to see content specific to your location
When I arrived in Bolivia, the highest item on my to do list was to go on a tour to the largest salt flats in the world – Salar de Uyuni.
I didn’t have much of an idea what the tour entailed, except that you could take those cool photos where you look tiny against objects such as dinosaurs or shoes because of the lack of perspective.
But I found out that the three-day Uyuni Salt Flats tour is so much more than just funny photos on the salt flats. It’s also active volcanoes, flocks of flamingos, steaming geysers, vibrant sunsets, colourful lakes and a whole lot of desert.
Here are 10 reasons why you should do a salt flats tour in Bolivia.
The first stop on the Uyuni Salt Flats tour is a visit to the Uyuni train cemetery, located just outside of the desert town. Uyuni was once a major centre for trains carrying minerals to sea ports.
The cemetery contains several rusty trains that were left abandoned and fell into disrepair. You can climb all over the trains for some cool photos (but do take care as there are some sharp edges and slippery sections).
This road trip of southern Bolivia is definitely an adventure as you get around in a 4WD over the salt flats and through the desert.
Your driver’s 4WD skills are mostly put to the test on the second day of the tour as you traverse through long stretches of desert and rocky roads.
There are many stops along the way at volcanoes, lagoons, and even a rock in the shape of a tree. The Stone Tree (Arbol de Piedra), located in the Siloli Desert within the Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve, was shaped into the shape of a tree by strong winds and desert sand.
The first day of the tour takes you onto the Uyuni Salt Flats (Salar de Uyuni). Extending over 10,000 square kilometres, this is the largest salt flat in the world.
Here you can take lots of fun photos due to the lack of perspective on the flats. You can look like you’re fighting dinosaurs, sitting inside your shoe, eating the 4WD, or you’re being held in the hand of one of your travel mates.
Incahuasi Island is a rocky, cactus filled island located on the Uyuni Salt Flats. You can hike to the top in about 15 to 20 minutes and get a great view over the salt flats – it looks like the sea or clouds from above.
You’ll be sleeping in hotels made of salt during the tour. The bed bases, walls, tables and chairs are all made of salt.
The hotels are basic with shared bathrooms and a common dining area. There’s no Wi-Fi of course in the desert but there are electrical ports in dining areas to charge phones and cameras. Showers may be available at the hotels you’re staying at depending on the location, however they do cost extra.
During your tour, you’ll stop at seven lagoons for some awesome photo opportunities. The lagoons range in colours. Some are coloured white from the mineral borax, while others are coloured red, pink or green due to the algae growing in the warm water.
You might also be able to witness picture perfect reflections on the lagoons in the morning.
On the second day of the tour, you’ll be going flamingo spotting. There is no shortage of opportunities to see the unique bright pink birds hanging out in the desert lagoons.
There’s some spectacular scenery on the tour, including lots of volcanoes as you drive through the desert. Most of these volcanoes sit on the Bolivian-Chilean border.
You’ll make a sightseeing stop at the Ollague and Lincabur volcanoes and you’ll see several others from the car.
My favourite was the Licancabur Volcano, located right near the border crossing and towering above Laguna Verde.
It’s an early start on the third day of the tour to catch sunrise over the Sol de Manana geyser field. You’ll leave your salt hotel at 4.30am, take a short drive through the desert and hopefully see a colourful sunrise peek over the mountains and shine light onto the steaming geysers.
It is definitely worth the icy start to see sunrise and then you get time to roam around the geysers and boiling mud pools. Watch your step though as many of the geysers produce very hot steam.
On the final day of the tour, you’ll get the chance to take a dip in a hot spring at Laguna Chalviri. Hopping in the thermal spring feels amazing after the chilly early morning visiting the geysers. Entry to the hot spring is only six Bolivianos (0.60).
Bolivia is incredibly diverse and this three-day tour will show you some of the country’s unique highlights. So start thinking about the funny photos you’re going to take on the salt flats!
Lisa Owen is a pint-sized Australian following her dreams to travel to as many places as she can, and loves to share her photography, travel hacks, hiking adventures, and food discoveries along the way. At last count, she has travelled to more than 60 countries in between working in public relations and discovering hidden gems in Australia's great outdoors. Instagram: @thelittleadventurer. Facebook: The Little Adventurer Australia.
The views, opinions and positions expressed by the author and those providing comments are theirs alone, and are meant as travel inspiration only. They do not reflect the opinions of Cover-More Insurance. You should always read the Policy Documents available from your travel insurance provider to understand the limits, exclusions and conditions of your policy and to ensure any activities you undertake are covered by your policy.