Uyuni salt marsh is the largest salt marsh in the world located in Bolivia. Photographers come here to capture a unique landscape. He is often visited as part of a 3- or 4-day tour of southwestern Bolivia. We talk more about him here.

General information

The origin of the Uyuni solonchak

Uyuni solonchak includes more than 10,000 square meters. km of land in the Potosi region. The thickness of the salt layers reaches 10 meters in the center. In the dry season, the salt expanses are covered with dry flat salt, but in the rainy season a thin layer of water forms on the surface.

Standard tours originate in the southwestern part of Bolivia. Here you can find many fluorescent lakes, which were created from various minerals brought by mountain rivers.

Tours

We want to outline a standard tour. It is carried out on 4x4 cars (usually Toyota Land Cruiser) with 6 or 7 people and with a driver. Most 3- and 4-day tours have the same routes in the first 2 days: a day on the salt plain, southbound movement to the southwestern areas of Bolivia, and then return. Visiting certain places may depend on the tour, but groups can decide for themselves which places to visit and how much time will be spent in each.

Accommodation is usually provided in basic shelters and the weather can be very cold, but worth it if you see an amazing landscape. Avoid tours that offer a night at one of the salt hotels. They are illegal because they are not part of the water grid and pollute the environment.

What to bring

  • Flashlight (torch): the light goes out when the generator runs out.
  • Sunglasses: salt flats blind.
  • Camera, extra battery and lots of memory cards: no better photos than here.
  • Additional water: the tour usually provides an insufficient amount. An additional 2 liters per day is required.
  • Sunblock and hat: 3.5 km above sea level there is much less atmosphere that absorbs solar ultraviolet radiation.
  • Sleeping bag. You can rent it. Check and make sure the zipper works.
  • Warm clothes are better layered.
  • Hot-water bottle: it is very cold at night, and you will be very glad that you have a hot-water bottle.
  • Slippers: restrooms are shared.
  • Towel: not available during the tour.
  • Extra snacks, especially fruits and protein. Although quality food is provided, it usually contains heavy starches.
  • Lip balm: in the sun, wind and dry air, they can crack.

How to get there

Uyuni. The route includes a railway from Avaroa on the Chilean border (fixed departure time), a railway from Oruro, Bolivia, a bus (including a tourist bus) from Oruro, Potosi, or La Paz, Bolivia, and a flight from La Paz .

Tupiza

San Pedro de Atacama. The routes from here are almost identical to those coming from Uyuni, only in the opposite direction and are 60% more expensive.

Agency Search

When choosing a tour operator, it is important to consult with other travelers to understand what experience they had, vehicles, drivers and food on the trip. Trips will begin in all cities, so this is a good opportunity to ask other travelers arriving from the route about their impressions. Usually they complain that the vehicles are in very poor technical condition, that there is no emergency supply, for drunk drivers and a small amount of food and water.

Uyuni - There are dozens of travel agencies offering this trip. Most of them are located around the main square, where every second store is a travel agency. It is also advisable to find a group of people who are going on excursions and sharing your interests, and / or language and working with your agency. Minuteman Pizza in the evenings or the main square is a great place to meet such people. Ripley Tours can arrange a decent one-day tour (BOB130).

Tupiza. You can also travel from Tupiza to the end of Uyuni or vice versa. Local agencies offer 4-day Uyuni tours, while others prefer 3-day options.

Other excursion options

Ending on the Chilean border. An alternative is to conduct a three-day tour and drive to the Chilean border before visiting San Pedro de Atacama, or starting the whole tour from there. Do not miss any of the attractions, leaving the Chilean border, before heading back to Uyuni.

From San Pedro de Atacama. There is an opportunity to visit this tour, which starts in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile, and ends in Uyuni on the third day or with a return to San Pedro the next day. The advantage is that you get the opportunity to see the salt marshes on the last morning and see the sunrise above them. There are several tour operators on the main street in San Pedro. However, you should take into account the instructions of tour operators in Chile that all tours in Uyuni (Bolivia) are operated by Bolivian tour-guides. Chilean guides do not have the right to conduct excursions in Uyuni.

Voucher Selection

There are several options for visiting the Uyuni solonchak. Starting your journey from La Paz, you need to take the bus to Oruro, and then take the train to Uyuni. After a pleasant 7-hour trip, you will arrive in Uyuni at night. You can book a hotel in Uyuni or in one of the hotels built in salt blocks located near the salt plains. The next day, you will begin your journey towards Uyuni with the aim of visiting Kolchan. This is a small town where you can buy crafts from salt. From this place an unimaginable and breathtaking view of the largest salt desert in the world opens, the area of ​​which is approximately 12,000 square meters. Km! You will begin the journey by observing the bubbling water on the surface in the so-called “water eyes”, and you will also see the residents work to extract salt for sale.

Next you can head to Incahuasi Island, or Fish Island. The island is located in the heart of the salt marsh, it is characterized by the presence of giant cacti. You can stroll around the island, enjoying breathtaking views of the salt marsh and appreciate the great white interweaving with the Andean sky. This is the best place to photograph the salt marsh. Later you can continue the journey, still heading southwest towards the colored lagoons (red, blue, white, yellow and green) located in the Parque Nacional de Fauna Andina Eduardo Avaroa.

Volcanoes occupy these places, and from here a wonderful and incredible view opens. On some excursions you can visit the Cave of Galaxies and the Cave of the Devil. The lagoons have such a name because of the different tones that are arranged because of the presence of algae, the chemical composition of the water, the movement of the wind, or because of a certain time of day. When you return to Uyuni, you can visit the town of San Cristobal and the train cemetery. You can also see one of the most magnificent sunsets in your life on the salt marsh!

By plane

By bus

For budget travelers, there is also the option of just catching the local bus to Kolchan BOB10. Ask the driver to be left in Solonchak, and you can travel on foot and for free to get a better idea of ​​the place. The journey to the old salt hotel takes about two hours.

hint: Uyuni - time is now15: 5113 OctoberDifference in hours: Moscow & plus; 7 Kazan & plus; 7 Samara & plus; 8 Yekaterinburg & plus; 9 Novosibirsk & plus; 11 Vladivostok & plus; fourteen

When is the season. When is the best time to go?

Uyuni - monthly weather

hint: Uyuni - weather for the months of January January + 12.7 February ± 12.5 March ± 12.4 April ± 11.1 May ± 8.6 June ± 6.7 July ± plus 6.5 August ± 7.9 September ± 9.8 October ± 11.7 November ± 11.7 12.8 December & plus; 12.8

Where to go, walk, go ...

The first day - the largest salt marsh in the world

On the first day you will visit salt plain. In the dry season it will be a hallucinogenic white landscape. In the rain, the salt plain is mostly immersed in water, which gives a perfect reflection of the sky.

Uyuni Plaza Arce. Most trips start here, near the train station at 10.30, although you can get from the hotel.

Train Graveyard. The tour usually takes place at the very beginning of the tour, but some operators prefer to end the tour with this place. There are many destroyed old steam locomotives.

Colchani, Bloques de Sal - a village 7 km north of Uyuni. Here you can buy souvenirs made of salt. There is also a salt museum, in which there are various animals created from salt (you will be forced to pay a fee when leaving), as well as some pieces of furniture and household appliances. Bathrooms are available for 1 boliviano.

Salt Mining Area - the area where salt is dug up and left in heaps (weighing a ton) to dry in the sun for transportation to the refinery.

Salt hotels - Several hotels are made entirely of salt. You need to buy a chocolate bar to go inside.

Isla de los Pescados, or Isla Incawasi. The name comes from an island that looks like a fish in the rainy season. It is an island of petrified coral, covered with 1000-year-old cacti, in the middle of Salar. These cacti grow at a speed of 1 cm per year, so you can easily calculate their age. Here you can also see Viskashi. Most tourist groups dine on the west coast of this island. Bathrooms are available for 1 boliviano.

Accommodation can be found in the city of San Juan, although for real pleasure it is better to try to find hotels closer to Salar. Then it will be possible to get up before dawn and reach the plain in 4x4 jeeps to see the most spectacular sunrise in your life. Especially in the main "salt hotels" you can take a shower for 10 boliviano and charge the camera.

Second day - head south to the colorful lakes of Laguna Colorado

Lagoon of Edion. The lagoon is full of flamingos, and it is a popular place for lunch.

Whiskey Zone - A short stop on a rocky ledge, is a colony of Visokas. Guides feed them carrots, accustoming them to go out to eat.

Arbol de Piedra (4,412 m) - a stone tree that was carved by strong sandy winds.

Lagoon colorado - red lake with algae. You can also see a lot of flamingos. 30 boliviano for Bolivian citizens or 150 boliviano for foreigners - entrance fee to the Andina Eduardo Avaroa National Wildlife Refuge.

Accommodation. In the vicinity of Laguna Colodardo, there are numerous huts without heating. Beds and blankets are provided. There is electricity for several hours, but the battery usually cannot be recharged. The ambient temperature in July can drop below -20 ° C at night. You can persuade the owner to turn on the water heater (15 boliviano), but the showers are outside the house.

Third day, morning - geysers and hot springs in Laguna Verde (Verde)

The day begins early in the morning (5.00) and without breakfast, in order to have time to visit all the necessary places.

SolardeManaña Geyser Pool (4,850 m) - A collection of bubbly gray pools and a geyser is usually visited when the sun rises. There is no railing, it can be slippery and in the cave the water can look hot.

Hot Springs TermasdePolques are located next to Salar de Chalviri. You can bring bathing accessories with you to enjoy the springs. A popular place for breakfast. Simple bathrooms are available for 6 boliviano.

Laguna Verde (painted green, it contains heavy metals arsenic, lead, copper and others) with a magnificent view of the Lincacabur volcano.

This is followed by a long journey back to Uyuni, or you can also get to San Pedro de Atacama.

Lagoon Blanca - a white lake filled with boron ore.

Dinner. Laguna Colorado is a popular place to dine. Toilets are sometimes provided.

Afternoon - East of Tupiza

If you choose a four-day tour in Tupiza, then you will go to the wilderness and visit some small communities.

Laguna Celeste - a bright blue lake, colored with magnesium and manganese.

Amarilla Lagoon - a yellow sulfur lake and several old cave paintings nearby.

Ruinas de san antonio - An abandoned mining town of the 16th century, where slave labor was used. The city was abandoned for reasons not fully clarified. Despite all the attempts in the 70s, the city could not be populated, and people now live in the city with the same name, which is nearby.

Afternoon - North of Uyuni

The road back to Uyuni is very rough. You will be staying in various small communities along the way.

Valles de Rocas. Many strange mountain valleys emerging from Altiplano. The guide will point to patterns in the rocks that resemble familiar objects.

Accommodation - tourists stop in different towns on the way to their destination. Heating and shower will depend on where the driver decides to stay.

Fourth day - the trip ends in Tupiza

The tour will go through an area with beautiful scenery.

Silar - giant clay columns formed as a result of erosion.

The fourth day - ends in Uyuni

San cristobal - the city where the 350-year-old church is located, in which there is a very beautiful silver altar.

Train cemetery - A collection of old trains 3 kilometers southwest of Uyuni.

Food. What to try

Security. What to watch out for

Be careful: every year in the salt cave accidents occur due to the fault of drunk drivers. Do not risk your life when traveling with a drunk driver.

It’s a good idea to bring basic necessities (including food and water for a few days) in case the truck breaks down in an inaccessible place, but if you are on a tour, another truck will most likely be available in a few minutes.

Perhaps here you will find altitude sickness. If you are staying directly off the coast, it may take up to several days to acclimatize. Dizziness, shortness of breath, and headaches are common symptoms. Locals say that if you chew coca leaves, they can alleviate the symptoms, but they can also lead to the failure of the drug test. If someone has not fully acclimatized, you can buy several acetazolamide tablets at a Uyuni pharmacy before you leave.

You can also drink tea from coca leaves. Everyone, from the pope to the Queen of Spain Sofia, drink it when visiting Bolivia. If you add a little sugar, tea can be even better!

To avoid mountain sickness, gradual adaptation to altitude is recommended. First visit the Bolivian Plain, located 500 meters from Santa Cruz de la Sierra, then it is recommended to go to the Cochabamba Valley, located at an altitude of 2,500 meters, and only then make a trip to Salar de Uyuni. If you don’t even want a 3- or 4-day tour, keep in mind that you will climb 5,000 m and sleep at an altitude of 4,200 m. This is a serious risk to your health if you do not acclimatize. The officially recommended height per day is only 300 m! Therefore, do not start with Tupiza (3,000 m) and Uyuni (3,700 m). Stay there for a few days before starting the tour. The German embassy in La Paz has already set up a room to cool the corpses of those who died from altitude sickness!

Warning for certain travel companies

On December 24, 2011, the car of the Oasis Tours travel agency (also known as the “Oasis Odyssey Tours”) was in a serious accident due to careless driving. The driver who was driving the car was moving at a speed of 100 km / h on a wet, muddy road from San Cristobal to Uyuni. The driver lost control, the car flew to the side of the road, rolled over twice and landed on the roof.

One passenger was seriously wounded in the head, bleeding while being dragged out, he needed emergency medical attention. Another passenger received a head injury. Other passengers had various scratches and bruises. Passengers who did not need emergency medical care went back to Uyuni to contact the travel agency.

The travel agency actively refused all attempts to collect information about the passenger who was taken to the hospital. When the police were involved, the travel agency continued to actively refuse that they had this information. Also, the travel agency refused to offer any compensation, including reimbursement of expenses.

Travel agency insisted that their attitude and the attitude of the driver are not related to criminal negligence. Most other cars on the same road drive at a speed of no more than 30 km / h. Many are even less than 20 km / h. And at a speed of 20 km / h, there were occasional accidents. Consider this when booking specifically in this travel agency. Look at the name of the poster on the car that is assigned to you. If the driver is driving carelessly, ask him to change his driving style.

Also beware of Dali Tours. It is located on Ferrovaria Avenue on the side of the train station. Website by link (not working). Tourists booked an individual tour there for a great price, but got a simple, standard tour. Instead of a double room, they got two beds in a dormitory with ten beds. Instead of interesting roads, they had a simple quick ride, and the driver cut corners every time he could. No sunsets or even small excursions - nothing. The woman at the agency will sell you everything, but you will not be able to find her after the trip. So all you can do is write about it here.

Things to do

How to get around the city

Ski vacation

Watch the video: UYUNI full english (March 2024).

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