salar de uyuni bolivia

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For a traveler visiting South America or Bolivia, visiting the Salar de Uyuni is a must. Conditions on a tour of the Salar de Uyuni are variable. The extra day sees you touring some of the country’s most remote scenery, where a series of deserted mining towns, volcanic peaks and deserted altiplano plains filled with native wildlife are the highlights. Steph. The landscape is entirely flat, bar a few small islands such as Isla Incahuasi, which only accentuates its surreal beauty. This is the photograph that won first prize in the LUX awards in Spain last year. They also offer a visit to a salt factory and end their three-day tour with a hike through a giant volcanic rock valley, which was one of the highlights of our trip. After Kusku deserted his wife for Kusina, Tunupa was left heartbroken and her tears are said to have formed the salt flats. An array of jaw-dropping sites surround this marvelous landscape to produce one of the most extraordinary and unforgettable tours you will ever experience. Shot in Uyuni, Bolivia. Save time, stress & money with a customized travel itinerary planned for you by a South America expert. This means that altitude sickness can play a decisive factor in whether you enjoy your time here or not. Thank you! For vaguely up-to-date bus timetables, check out this website. My suggestion is to choose a three-day tour option. Again, this story believes that the mountains were once people and that Tunupa and Kusku were married. We took Salty Desert Adventures. Uyuni also has a small airport. Unlike traditional deserts, which have sand in abundance, the Salar de Uyuni features vast expanses of glistening white salt. If you want to save time, and avoid the twisty, turning Bolivian roads, the flights from La Paz to Uyuni are only about an hour. Most tour companies offer one to three-day tours of the salt flats, lakes and surrounding region. Water from the surrounding mountains gathered here because there was no drainage outlets in the Altiplano. The once bubbling towns of San Antonio de Lipez and San Cristobal de Lipez are flooded in history and captivating stories. Because there are fewer tourists starting from here, you may need to wait a day or two for a complete group of tourists to form (you need at least four in your group before you can depart). What can you expect from Salar de Uyuni tours? This is also because you’re taking a route northwest (whereas those from Uyuni are taking a loop west). Den ligger på punaen sørvest i Bolivia i departementene Potosí og Oruro omtrent 3650 meter over havet.De rikeste mineralforekomstene i saltsletten er halitt og gips. While we have experienced many different guides during our Bolivian travels, our best by far was from Banjo. Thanks for your comments Steve! I'm glad you enjoyed the trip. Unfortunately, the salar has a tendency to flood during the rainy season, causing some parts of it such as Isla Incahuasi to become inaccessible. We felt comfortable embarking on a six-week backpacking trip with kids ages 8 and 11 with Steph on our team. Spreading out over 11,000-sq.-km, Salar de Uyuni is the largest salt flat in the world. That way, you can be sure to get the times you want and a lie-flat, or “cama,” seat if you are traveling overnight. If you want to take a bus, unless traveling during a really busy holiday weekend in South America (like Carnaval), you can probably walk right into any bus station in Bolivia and purchase tickets at the counter. Let them know! Unique Bolivian wildlife, such as Darwin’s rheas, vicuñas, vizcachas, and, of course, flamingos. To be fully prepared for the Bolivian salt flats, you’ll want to pack the following when visiting the Salar de Uyuni: Sunscreen and a sun hat to block those rays! Excluding the cacti-filled islands, ‘Isla Incahuasi’ and ‘Isla del Pescado’, the landscape is completely flat which creates an endless horizon that is optimal for all sorts of crazy perspective photos. For an increased chance of seeing this, you should visit between March and April. A final alternative for visiting the Bolivian salt flats is from San Pedro de Atacama, a town across the border in Chile. She now lives between Europe and South America and, since 2014, has been travelling throughout this continent, authoring guidebooks, writing for international travel publications and creating comprehensive travel guides for Worldly Adventurer. They can also drop you in San Pedro de Atacama in Chile for an additional cost of around $10 USD. Tours are generally marginally more expensive (everything is in Chile compared with Bolivia!) You can save yourself time and money by taking over-night buses or early morning flights and jumping straight onto a tour without actually spending the night in the town of Uyuni. That said, the sun can be really strong at high altitudes, meaning you’ll want to pack plenty of layers. Most guides want you to be happy with your experience; I’ve found that being clear about what we wanted out of our tour was best for everyone. You can arrange to drive back to Tupiza or instead stop in Uyuni; both companies also can terminate the tour across the border in San Pedro de Atacama in Chile. Alternatively, Aymaran legend tells another obscure story about the formation of Salar de Uyuni. The world’s largest salt flat, it a truly amazing sight to behold. If taking a tour of the salt flights from San Pedro de Atacama, the most efficient means of getting to this town is by flying into Calama, a city situated 100 kilometres northwest. The natural beauty and uniqueness is something you’ll never forget! Every one of Steph’s recommendations panned out to be incredible pieces of our trips and we would highly recommend her! Don’t care so much about the train graveyard or the Laguna Colorado and want to spend more time in the hot springs? Patagonia Dry season in Bolivia lasts from around April to October and during this time, the salt flats look less like a giant mirror and more like… well, a giant salt flat. This lake later transformed into Paleo Lake Tauca and many other smaller prehistoric lakes. However, to get here from southern Chile, departures are more frequent to nearby Calama. Group tours or a private tour are also options. I’ve used this website multiple times and my reservations have always been honored. While rainy season visits are great for photographers, there are also some downsides to visiting during this time. Con el personal 100% comprometido con el turismo. Blog. Salar de Uyuni nebo také Salar de Tunupa je největší solná pláň na světě, jež byla dříve dnem jezera.Má rozlohu 10 582 km² (přibližně jako rozloha Libanonu, resp. This company’s guides are fluent in English and were very helpful. Chott el Djerid is a large endorheic salt lake in southern Tunisia, close to the … However, it can also be accessed via other parts of Bolivia and Chile as well as Peru and Argentina. When Yana Pollera became pregnant, the two male volcanoes fought tirelessly and tenaciously over who the father was. flamingoes in lagoon at the salar de uyuni in bolivia - salar de uyuni stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images. Many people visit Salar de Uyuni in the hope of seeing the mirror effect. The landscape can completely vary depending on the season, meaning that the best time to go ultimately depends on the experience you’re looking for. Dried up ancient lakes have produced several salt flats – including Salar de Uyuni, the largest salt flat in the world, containing 10 billion tonnes of salt. What should you pack for visiting the Salar de Uyuni? One good option is the Toñito Hotel (Av Ferroviaria 60, double 500 BOB ($72 USD), which offers private rooms with hot showers, heaters in the rooms, and yummy pizza downstairs in the Minuteman Pizza restaurant. Some 40,000 years ago the enormous Salar de Uyuni was covered by Lake Minchin. Salar de Uyuni: a journey across Bolivia’s remarkable salt flats 3 min read • Published Jan 10, 2013 The world's largest salt flat - Bolivia's Salar de Uyuni - is a surreal realm of mirages, where the bone-dry landscape reflects the sky like a mirror… Guyana A one-way trip using either method will cost about 32-120 BOB ($5-17 USD). When should you visit the Bolivian Salt Flats? Very helpful. In August, it is the dry season and there are not many bodies of water for reflections, but the salt flats have a beautiful landscape at that time of year. Copyright © 2021 Worldly Adventurer | Privacy Policy | Bamboo on Trellis Framework by Mediavine, This article may contain affiliate links. The LUX awards is the most important Professional Photography awards in Spain and so I am still on a high after receiving this prize and wanted to share more about how this photo came to be. On a still day, a thin layer of water covering the salt transforms the salt flat into ‘The World’s Largest Mirror’ reflecting the sky. However, flights are often the same price and significantly more time efficient. Those who are lucky enough to experience this natural wonder will tell you how difficult it is to distinguish where the sky ends and land begins. Going to a new and exciting place is an adventure AND has its challenges. This means that altitude sickness can play a decisive factor in whether you enjoy your time here or not. Private tours are obviously pricier but grant more flexibility; to meet new people and save money, go for the group option! Lots of amazing photos that we took. bolivia, potosi province, salar de uyuni salt pan - salar de uyuni stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images. Hi Mindy, you are likely getting quoted higher because normally they take five in a vehicle (so you're paying for the extra person) and nicer hotels will cost more. $2,670.00 per adult. Saltsletten er omtrent 25 ganger større enn Bonneville Salt Flats.. Visits can be done as a day trip or a multi-day tour, with lengthier tours venturing further into the remote landscapes up to the Chilean border. Another great tour operator is Banjo Tours. It was a great time. The most common ways to get to Salar de Uyuni are via La Paz in Bolivia or San Pedro de Atacama in Chile. Chott el Djerid, Tunisia. Cover photo full. You’re also still able to take some sweet photographs – particularly the hilarious perspective shots. More info. Its otherworldly beauty and surreal nature have made it a hugely popular stop for backpackers and tourists. While there are many tours and companies to choose from, I highly recommend Quechua Connection. Salar de Uyuni offers an unforgettable experience at any time of year. Let me know if you have any insight. Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia TRU Group 2008 through 2020-Salar de Uyuni lithium-containing salt lake is large but it is challenging to harvest and process. This spectacular landscape lies at an elevation of 3,656 metres above sea level, near the crest of the Andes. Worldly Adventurer – aka Steph Dyson – is a bilingual freelance travel writer and guidebook author from the UK. She is the author of the brand-new Moon Chile guidebook. Hello - thank you for the detailed info. Tours are a little more expensive than those from Uyuni, starting from around $195 USD per person. From the remarkable mirror effect and perspective photos to the numerous natural wonders surrounding the landscape, it is no wonder that this part of the world is regarded as a paradise for photographers. This spectacular landscape lies at an elevation of 3,656 metres above sea level, near the crest of the Andes. It’s still pretty spectacular, and the expanse of white stretches on forever! Depending on the time of year, these flights can vary between 1,100 and 1,800 BOB ($170-250 USD). Read More, Argentina Underneath the cemented salt are large reservoirs of lithium-rich brine. Once, when we had a problem at the terminal due to a “Dia de Peaton” (Pedestrian Day… a fun Bolivian tradition that can be a bit less fun if it interferes with your travel plans), the website even refunded our tickets for lost time. La Torre are also another highly recommended operator based here. She sent her baby far away to protect its safety but immediately became worried that it wouldn’t survive alone. Most choose to experience the salt flats via a guided tour. Rain makes mud, so the going gets tough at points along the road. In Bolivia’s Altiplano, Salar de Uyuni—a 4,086-square-mile (10,582-square-kilometer) stretch of land encrusted with thick etchings of salt—is the world’s largest salt flat. If you want to experience the incredible richness of natural beauty and diverse landscapes that Bolivia has to offer, a tour of El Salar de Uyuni is a great way to do it! If you’re more of a planner like me, use Tickets Bolivia to purchase your tickets ahead of time. Queremos mostrar maravillas únicas al sur de Bolivia. In total there is an estimated 10 billion tonnes of salt here. Being able to carve out an in depth plan with someone that has been there that you can trust was extremely helpful. Salar de Uyuni (or Salar de Tunupa) is the world's largest salt flat, or playa, at over 10,000 square kilometres (3,900 sq mi) in area. Flights take around two hours 10 minutes. Chile The journey costs $3,000 CLP ($4 USD). Seems slightly on the high side. Buses to here from the Chilean capital, Santiago, cost between $25,000 CLP and $48,000 CLP ($36 USD to $70 USD) and take 22 hours. It does seem a little high though, so I suggest you contact a couple of other tour companies to get comparable quotes. If you’re not a planner like me, it’s fairly easy to walk into a tour office upon arrival and book a tour the same day. Take pictures in the famous Salar de Uyuni. Further information about this is located below. In an attempt to care for her baby, she flooded the plain between them with her milk so it could be fed. Want some extra time on the salt flats for pictures? Salar de Uyuni (Uyuni Salt Plains) – Bolivia. If your schedule doesn’t permit this option, however, there are plenty of hostels in Uyuni that you can visit. As the only travel blog dedicated to responsible, adventure travel in Latin America, Worldly Adventurer seeks to inspire you to venture beyond the beaten trail and find a deeper connection with the countries you encounter along the way. Colombia Those who visit have the option to do a one day, three day or four day tour depending on your prefered length of exploring and where you want your tour to start and finish from. Wikipedia | Google | Google Images | Flickr. A night in a hotel made out of blocks of salt. Train Graveyard Explore the old, rusting train carriages that have lay on the outskirts of the deserted town of Uyuni since the collapse of the mining industry in the 1940s. Local advice to relieve the symptoms of altitude is to chew on coca leaves. It is very rare that you are stuck for long as there are always other cars around that are willing to help each other out so sit back and enjoy some of the most beautiful surroundings this planet has to offer. However, the real treasure for the locals lies beneath the salt flat, where approximately 70% of the world’s lithium reserves can be found. This marvellous reflection of the sky is most likely to be seen during the rainy season (December to April). While the scenery flying past your window will be beautiful, the fact is you will probably sit for hours per day jostling around in a 4×4 vehicle down precarious roads. The most common route to Uyuni is from La Paz, a ten-hour bus ride away. Salar de Uyuni – Bolivia Salt Flats. This magical corner of the world is complete with vibrant colored lakes, bubbling geysers, crazy rock formations and quinoa producing villages. Whereas tours from Uyuni all take the same route and mean that you can expect to be in a procession of other 4WD vehicles packed with tourists and who all get out at the same spots at the exact same time, as there are only two tour agencies departing from Tupiza, you’ll likely only see a handful of other cars during your trip. km) in south-western Bolivia. You might get lucky and find a part of the salt flat that is dry and a part that’s covered in water! If you’re going to stay in Uyuni for multiple days, you might as well go big and see all there is to see! We're getting quoted anywhere from $450-$600 pp. These tours can … Located at an altitude of 3,656 m above sea level in the Daniel Campos Province, this region is remote, unique, and inhospitable. These include the Hotel Palacio de Sal (Orillas Salar de Uyuni, Colchani, double 1,076 BOB ($156 USD)) modern lodgings that are supposedly the first salt hotel in the world, and Hotel de Sal Luna Salada (Orillas Salar de Uyuni, Colchani, double 945 BOB ($137 USD), which even has salt floors! Does that sound about right? However, for the best climate and unrestricted access to all of the sights, you should visit between July and October. Venture through Bolivia stopping to enjoy quaint colonial towns, go deep inside the rich silver mines and embark on an unforgettable expedition through the vast and blinding-white salt flats of Uyuni. Salar de Uyuni is located in the Daniel Campos Province in Potosí in southwest Bolivia. Tours departing from Tupiza take a different route to those leaving from Uyuni; because fewer tourists choose to start their salt flats tours from here, you can guarantee you’ll see fewer other tourists during most of your trip. If you get car sick easily, take medicine and sit in the front seat! Tell them! If you are short on time and funds and only interested in seeing the salt plains themselves, a one-day tour will suffice. To be fully prepared for the Bolivian salt flats, you’ll want to pack the following when visiting the Salar de Uyuni: To be honest, I would suggest not actually staying in Uyuni. On the north east side of San Pedro, Ckuri Atacama (Los Laureles 170, $48,000 CLP ($78 USD) double) has really beautifully-furnished bedrooms with shower rooms, large double bed and a small dining area with your own fridge and plates and cutlery for you to serve yourself breakfast (it’s not included in the price). While 4WD vehicles and drivers are well-equipped to handle the terrain, more mud means a greater risk of getting stuck. Both agencies can also organize private tours for a much higher price. There are four of us and we'd like our own vehicle and nicer hotel accommodations. Salar de Uyuni and Mt. Located between Potosi and Oruro, near the crest of the Andes, Bolivia. Posted on Last updated: 2nd July 2020 By: Author Sarah Ketchum, Categories South American Highlights, Bolivia. Salar de Uyuni is one of the harshest environments on the planet for vehicles, meaning that there can occasionally be unavoidable issues with the vehicles. This is the Salar de Uyuni, the largest salt flats in the world, covering an area of 10,582 kilometers at once mirrors the natural world. The vast expanse of white, glistening salt stretches across 10,582 kilometers of the Altiplano and can even be seen from space. Peru They offer many tour options leaving from and Uyuni, including one from La Paz to Uyuni via lesser-visited Sajama National Park, where you can see Bolivia’s highest peak and visit pre-Incan burial sites before visiting the salt flats. Night skies are also guaranteed to be clearer because of a far lower chance of rain than in rainy season! El salar de Uyuni es el mayor exportador de saldesierto de sal continuo y alto del mundo, con una superficie de 10 582 km² (o 4085 millas cuadradas). Prices and (probably!) A rise in temperatures coupled with a change in climate from wet to dry caused the water to slowly evaporate. up-to-date prices and timetables can be found on this website. If you want to take a tour starting in Tupiza, it’s a four-hour bus journey from Uyuni, with buses leaving a couple of times each day from the bus terminal in the latter. Three- or four-day tours depart San Pedro de Atacama and stop at the most popular sights along the route: Laguna Verde, Laguna Colorada, El Salar de Uyuni and the Termas de Polques hot springs. Salar de Uyuni in southwestern Bolivia is the world’s largest salt flats measuring more than 10,500 square km. 25× větší než solná pláň Bonneville Salt Flats v Utahu v USA).Nachází se v departementech Potosí a Oruro na jihu Bolívie v blízkosti hřebenu And v nadmořské výšce 3650 m. Expect to pay around $30 BOB  ($6 USD). The first night’s accommodations with have hot showers (a big plus! Salar de Uyuni - Salar de Uyuni. LATAM has also just announced daily direct flights (2.5 hours) from Lima to Calama, costing from $81,000 CLP ($122 USD). Best Dining in Uyuni, Potosi Department: See 2,935 Tripadvisor traveler reviews of 43 Uyuni restaurants and search by cuisine, price, location, and more. From San Pedro de Atacama, the most recommendable agencies include Chilean company Cruz Andina Travel and the Bolivian company Estrella del Sur Expeditions. Although it attracts many visitors, it remains one of the world’s most unspoilt and natural landscapes. If you’re in Chile and want to pop across the the salt flats, a tour from San Pedro de Atacama makes the most logistical sense. At night, the stars can appear in double, reflected by the watery mirror on land. The owners are wonderful and know plenty about the area making them a great first port of call for information about tours or dining recommendations! It’s also centrally located and easy to walk or get a taxi anywhere in Uyuni. The salt flats are formed by several prehistoric lakes, which change shape about 30,000 to 42,000 years ago. Lasting from around December to March, you’ll definitely want to visit if you’re hoping to snap amazing reflection photographs, where the horizon seems to completely disappear and the sunsets are spectacular. This train connects Oruro with Tupiza (5.5 hours after Uyuni; 56-239 BOB ($8-$35 USD) and Villazon (3 hours after Uyuni) further down the line. From La Paz, it’s also possible to take a four-hour bus to Oruro and then hop on a train to Uyuni, another six or seven hours away. It is recommended to bring warm clothes and a warm sleeping bag if your tour is over one day long as these tours involve a night’s stay in very basic accommodation. Her expertise and ability to hear what we wanted gave us a great jumping point for planning. You can either end in Uyuni (from $125,000 CLP ($180 USD)) or back in San Pedro de Atacama ($150,000 CLP ($215 USD)). We loved the Uyuni Salt Flats. but standards of tour operators are often better and it saves you having to take the long and uncomfortable bus across the border from Calama (Chile) to Uyuni. If you were to ask the campesinos (Spanish for ‘peasant farmers’) living on the lake’s shores, they will give you a rather different explanation on how the salt flat was formed. What’s more, tour agencies in Tupiza have a reputation for being far more responsible, with vehicles kept in better conditions and generally a high-standard of guides being employed. As this water evaporated, high salinity levels caused a thick salt crust to form, leaving behind the impressive salt flat that we see today. ), while the second night is spent near the hot springs, where you can enjoy an evening soaking under the Milky Way. Hiking and sleeping at 3,600 metres (about 12,000 ft.) above sea level can get pretty chilly, especially at night. Steph (the founder and editor of Worldly Adventurer) saw the salt flats via a tour from Tupiza with Tupiza Tours. One thing you can expect from all tours is to spend a substantial amount of time in a car. The two-bed mini apartment is great for groups or families as it has a kitchen, bathroom and two bedrooms. Salar de Uyuni. A beanie, gloves, and a scarf or buff for those cold, windy days. Thanks for all the info you posted, very useful for my upcoming trip in February 2020. Despite the warm weather and blistering sunshine during the day, this part of the world is very cold at night with temperatures often falling well below freezing and sometimes even as low as -15 C. For more information on tours of Salar de Uyuni click here. Stretching across 10,582 square kilometres of the Altiplano, Salar de Uyuni is the world’s largest salt flat. The drivers of these cars are well experienced and used to breakdowns so if issues do arise there’s no need to panic. Worldly Adventurer is a website that gives you the tools to travel in a different way through South America: to have a deeper connection with countries and their people; to go beyond the beaten trail; and to have more meaningful, responsible experiences along the way. Be aware that it’s winter during these seasons, so you can expect temperatures to drop to below freezing once the sun goes down (around -6°C or -22°F). For those on a smaller budget, La Casa de Matilde (Avenida Pedro de Valdivia, $13,000 CLP ($21 USD) dorm, $55,000 CLP ($89 USD) two-bedroom mini apartment) is really homely and has comfortable dorms (all single beds and no bunks). The options are either an hours-long bus ride—not including likely delays—down a bumpy highway full of hairpin turns, or flying into Uyuni from La Paz which could potentially turn out to be the worst flight ever. Salar de Uyuni este cel mai mare deșert de sare din lume, având o suprafață de 10.582 km². The Salar de Uyuni (engl. You can take a bus, train, plane, or a combination of all three to Uyuni, the town nearest to the location of El Salar de Uyuni. : Salt Flats of Uyuni) in Bolivia is the world’s largest salt flat and has a surface of 10,582 square kilometres. If you don’t mind being outside of town and want to see the Salar de Uyuni at night, stay closer to the salt flats at one of the more expensive, salt hotel options near the village of Colchani. It also gave us peace of mind knowing that we had someone we could call if our plans went awry. Aeropuerto Internacional El Loa (CJC) receives around a dozen flights from Santiago with carriers LATAM (expensive), Sky Airline (low cost) and Jet Smart (super low cost). At this point, the town exists practically solely to accommodate tourism to the salt flats. Rainy season in Bolivia is when the Salar turns into the world’s largest mirror, making it, for some, the best time to go! Transfers are timed to pick up passengers from the arrivals hall just after flights land. Tour guides should speak English; be sure to confirm this when you book. If you book at least a few weeks in advance, you can secure flights for as little as $33,000 CLP ($48 USD) – although with Sky Airline and Jet Smart, you are required to pay for cabin baggage and hold luggage in addition to the quoted fee. For the best of both worlds, visit in late March or late November. Worldly Adventurer is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and affiliated sites. If you choose a three-day tour, those will take you up to 4,500 metres (almost 15,000 ft.)! The rate of evaporation is ten times more than precipitation, meaning that Salar de Uyuni is a never ending salt source! Her advice and wide array of options also allowed us to be flexible. Salar de Uyuni tours from San Pedro de Atacama (Chile), Recommended tour guides for El Salar de Uyuni, Recommended tour guides from San Pedro de Atacama, Top tips for taking a tour to the Bolivian Salt Flats.