A trip to Bolivia would not be complete without visiting the Salar de Uyuni, the largest salt flats in the world. The salar, nearly 12,000 feet above sea level, was formed as a result of transformations of several prehistoric lakes. We knew our trip to Peru and Bolivia needed to include an exploration of this wondrous geological biome.
Salar de Uyuni / The Great Bolivian Salt Flats
My friends and I opted for a two day Bolivian Salt Flats tour. These tours are easy to book from the plethora of adventure tour operators in La Paz. Our tour was made especially easy as a friendly driver picked us up from the tiny airport in Uyuni–which was a quick one hour flight from La Paz.
After finding simple accommodations for our group in Uyuni, we hopped on to our jeep with our feisty Bolivian driver/guide for our two day adventure. I was traveling with two friends from Los Angeles, so three other people joined us on the tour–a Bolivian couple from Sucre and a young Swedish woman.
Our first stop was Plaza de Banderas Uyuni. This is the site of of a large stone monument dedicated to the Dakar–a motorcycle and automotive race that spans several countries across the continent. This is not a “must see” attraction or experience, but most tours undoubtedly make a quick stop here (restroom break, quick photo op).
After a bit of more driving, our driver/guide decided it was time to try out some of those eye catching photos that take advantage of the endless horizon. Interestingly enough, these photos are a bit more challenging to take, especially for first timers. Our driver took the best ones. 🙂
We ended our first day at the northern edge of the Salar–spending the night at a barebones “salt hotel” in the town of Coqueza, near the Tunupa Volcano. It was an incredibly chilly evening (roughly 25 degrees Celsius), so the ten blankets provided by the salt hotel came in handy. There was no heating, no hot water, and one electrical outlet to be used by all the guests (but only available till 10pm). Barebones indeed. The photos below were taken just outside of the town.
The photos below capture our lodging for the night (the building to the right of the jeep, with the Tunupa Volcano in the distance) as well as our simple accommodations.
Traveling Fern 