It was once a place of ceremony in Inca times (hausi means house in Quechua). Colchani is a small salt-processing village 20 km south of Uyuni. Remnants of a former era, the disused trains lie abandoned and rusting in the salty winds. The great expanse of the white stuff, divided into hexagonal salt tiles, creates an otherworldly landscape.
On the 2nd and 3rd days of a standard 3-day tour, you will be taken to beautiful lagoons, and you will see flamingos and vicuñas. Due to the proximity to these international borders, many travelers either start or end their time in Bolivia at Salar de Uyuni. The hotel’s interior showcases the artistry of local craftsmen, featuring intricate salt sculptures and designs that celebrate Bolivian culture.
- A multi-day Salar de Uyuni tour is essentially a tour of the reserve.
- The great news is there is no bad time to visit the salt flats in Bolivia and each season has its advantages.
- It leaves a permanent imprint on any traveler whether it is the glittering salt plains in the dry months or the fantastical reflections in the rainy seasons, this is a natural wonder which is unforgettable.
- If travelling to Uyuni by bus you will arrive early in the morning (around 6 or 7 am) and most tours begin at around 10 am, giving you time to scout around for a tour you like.
- Salar de Uyuni is estimated to contain 10 billion tonnes (9.8 billion long tons; 11 billion short tons) of salt, of which less than 25,000 t is extracted annually.
- However, travelers should take great care in choosing which tour operator to go with when visiting the salt flats.
- The salt flat was formed through the gradual evaporation of prehistoric lakes, leaving behind an extensive, flat salt crust.
Salvador Dali Desert
Solar de Manaña geysers are located at an altitude of more than 15,912 ft/ 4,850m. Make sure to charge your devices during this time. Note that to enter Reserva Nacional de Fauna Andina Eduardo Avaroa, you need to pay an entrance fee of Bs 150 (not included in the tour price). In reality, its deep red color comes from red sediments and the pigments of algae and microorganisms living in the lake. According to the local folklore, the water in Laguna Colorada is the blood of the Gods. It sits at an altitude of 14,000 ft/ 4,270 m in Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve, close to the Chilean border.
Best Places and Sights in Salar de Uyuni.
Relax in the thermal waters of the Polques Hot Springs after exploring the salt flats. The Train Cemetery, also known as “Cementerio de Trenes,” is a significant tourist attraction near Uyuni, Bolivia, and within the Salar de Uyuni salt flats. For the adventurous, cycling or hiking across the salt flats is possible, but requires preparation and experience in arid environments. During the rainy season, water can fill parts of the salt flat, creating a stunning mirror-like effect. The salt flats are at 3,656 m.a.s.l. Some people can suffer from altitude sickness at this elevation.
Some people decide to skip Isla Incahuasi and just walk around it to save 30 Bs, but I think it’s money well spent. There’s a short walk to the top of the island, and the entry fee is 30 Bs (not included in the tour price). Except for two cacti-filled islands, Salar de Uyuni is completely flat, creating an endless horizon perfect for fun perspective shots. Salar de Uyuni is a paradise for photographers. This is the area where salt is dug up, piled into large pyramid-shaped mounds, and left to dry in the sun.
On both tours our drivers found spots with no one else around and brought dinosaur toys and wine bottles to use in the shots. The Dakar monument is made of salt, and the flags were left by travelers during their visits. It’s located near the Argentine border and a bit farther from the Uyuni salt flats. In Uyuni, there are plenty of travel spinmaya no deposit bonus code agencies offering Salar de Uyuni tours. Unfortunately, standard 2-day tours don’t include these highlights.
Polques Hot Springs are the most common hot springs stop on 3-day Uyuni tours. Standard tours allow time for taking perspective photos. That’s what it’s like when you visit the Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia’s enormous salt flat that stretches as far as your eyes can see. Alternatively, shorter one- to three-day tours are available from Uyuni or Tupiza, depending on your onward travel plans. Travellers with more time can opt for extended five- or nine-day tours from Salta, Argentina. From December to April, the wet season creates a stunning mirror effect across the salt flats.
Laguna Verde (Green Lake) turns green when strong winds lift the sediments of arsenic, copper, lead, and other minerals from the bottom of the lake. To add to the experience, we could see flamingos at Laguna Challviri. On our 2025 tour, we practically had the place to ourselves and enjoyed it more, as there was only one other group besides us. Challviri Hot Springs are tucked away near Laguna Challviri and are much quieter and usually less visited. The water is about 29 degrees Celsius and contains minerals that relieve the symptoms of arthritis and rheumatism.
Best time to visit Salar de Uyuni
The island is a remnant of an ancient volcanic formation and was once part of a prehistoric lake. It’s a unique landscape featuring giant cacti, some reaching over 10 meters tall, thriving amidst the harsh, salty environment. The salt crusts and brine pools support a rich diversity of microbial communities, including halophilic archaea and bacteria that have adapted to the high salinity and other extreme conditions. The Salar de Uyuni is characterised by high salinity, low humidity, and a significant altitude, creating a challenging environment for most life forms. The savage beauty of this vast salt desert makes it one of South America’s most awe-inspiring spectacles.
Want to know current time in other cities? Use our search form!
- If taking a multi-day tour of the salt flats, it’s likely you’ll spend the night at one of the area’s unique salt hotels.
- The island is a remnant of an ancient volcanic formation and was once part of a prehistoric lake.
- Some people are keen to observe the mirror effect on the salt flat.
- Salar de Uyuni also has a high altitude that may lead to the occurrence of altitude sickness.
- It is located a short drive from the edge of the Uyuni salt flats.
- The great expanse of the white stuff, divided into hexagonal salt tiles, creates an otherworldly landscape.
The second day includes mind-blowing Laguna Colorada and other stunning lagoons filled with flamingoes. They were visibly struggling and choking on the dust kicked up by the tour vehicles. On the way from the Uyuni Salt Flats to the flamingo lagoons, we passed a few tourists cycling along the road. Keep the high altitude, strong sun, and wind in mind. You should be an experienced cyclist and be prepared for long distances. I spent three months travelling around Bolivia, and my trip to Salar de Uyuni was the real highlight.
Omani and other GCC Nationalities are generally required to seek a Bolivia travel visa prior to arrival. Bring sunscreen, sunglasses, lip balm, and a jacket (or two) of clothing – the day and night can be extremely different. Salar de Uyuni also has a high altitude that may lead to the occurrence of altitude sickness. This is a lake of colour; it is a red lake caused by algae and mineral and a home of thousands of flamingos. It is an experience because, when one reaches the summit they can observe the entire landscape and it is particularly breathtaking during sunset or sunrise.
Warm clothes – the altitude is high, and it gets quite cold at night, and below zero in winter months (June to August). If you don’t like rain and prefer dry weather, visit between May and November. But keep in mind that even in this season, there is no guarantee you will see the reflective effect. Unfortunately, our tour didn’t take us right to the lagoon; we could only see it from far away. On 2025 tour, it was very windy, and Laguna Verde had a bright green color. So there is no guarantee the lake will be green when you come there.
Be warned that the accommodation on the budget tours is likely to be very basic. These are shared tours with five or six people per jeep and often with a Spanish-speaking guide. If you have time, take a longer tour – you won’t regret it.” If you’d like to explore further afield and get out into the surrounding landscape then opt for a two- or three-day tour. Another popular option for travellers heading north from Chile is to take a tour from the border town of San Pedro de Atacama.
Collectively, these features make the Salar de Uyuni approximately five times more effective for satellite calibration than the surface of the open ocean. Salar de Uyuni is a popular tourist destination, and consequently a number of hotels have been built in the area. Because of its location, large area, and flatness, the Salar is a major car transport route across the Bolivian Altiplano, except when seasonally covered with water. However, except for January, even in the rainy season the number of rainy days is fewer than 5 per month. It is covered with a solid salt crust varying in thickness between tens of centimeters and a few meters. Lacustrine mud that is interbedded with salt and saturated with brine underlies the surface of Salar de Uyuni.