Soak Up The Salt Flats
Ticked off in December 2015
Over 10,000 square kilometres of blinding white salt above 3,600 metres, which becomes the world's biggest mirror after rain.
The adventure
Out on the salar the horizon disappears. In the dry months the ground is a white crust of hexagonal tiles stretching to distant volcanoes, so flat and featureless that your brain gives up on distance and every photo becomes a game of tiny people and giant dinosaurs. In the wet season a skin of rainwater turns the whole thing into a mirror, and the sky is above and below you at once.
The classic jeep trip goes further still: rusting steam locomotives at the train cemetery outside Uyuni, giant cacti on Isla Incahuasi, then high-altitude lagoons in red and green, crowded with pink flamingos. Nights in simple lodges are bitterly cold, and dawn brings steaming geysers at nearly 5,000 metres, followed by a hot spring to thaw out in.
Why it’s epic
- Salar de Uyuni covers more than 10,000 square kilometres, the largest salt flat on Earth.
- It's so flat that satellites have used it to calibrate their altimeters.
- Laguna Colorada's red water is home to thousands of Andean and James's flamingos.
- Beneath the crust lies one of the world's largest lithium deposits.
What it is
The Salar de Uyuni is the world's largest salt flat. In the wet season, a thin layer of water turns it into a giant mirror.
How to do it
Join a three-day jeep tour from Uyuni or Tupiza, ending near the Chilean border.
Top tip
Pack sunglasses and warm layers; the altitude is high and nights are freezing.
Need to know
- Altitude is the big challenge, so spend a few days acclimatising in La Paz or Sucre and drink plenty of water.
- Choose a well-reviewed operator with safe vehicles and a sober driver, as standards vary a lot.
- Tours can drop you at the Chilean border for San Pedro de Atacama, so check entry rules if you're crossing.
Plan this trip
- Rough cost
- £2,000 to £5,000 per person, including flights from the UK
- Time needed
- 3 days
- Best time to go
- December to April for mirror effects, May to November for dry salt
- Fly into
- UYU airport
Long-haul flights to South America are the main cost; the jeep tour itself is good value.
Sample itinerary
- Day 1Arrive in Uyuni; train cemetery and out onto the salt flats for sunset
- Day 2Incahuasi island and its giant cacti, then the colourful lagoons of the Altiplano
- Day 3Geysers at dawn and hot springs, then cross into Chile at San Pedro de Atacama or loop back to Uyuni
Do it yourself
- Small-group adventuresMuch Better AdventuresActive small-group trips run by local experts.
- Tours and ticketsGetYourGuide
- FlightsKiwi.com
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My experience
Salar De Uyuni
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