The Salar de Uyuni is more commonly known as the salt flats or salt pans. Coming to Bolivia, I had heard a little about them, someone likening them to a desert of salt but I wasn't quite sure what to expect. After visiting though its something i would say is an absolute must for anyone travelling ... Read review
NH Hotels, the hotel chain leader in Europe, with more than 300 hotels in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Enter into our web site and find the best available tariff at all times
Advantages: Truly breathtaking; some of the best scenery in the world Disadvantages: Hard to get to; gets very cold
The Salar de Uyuni is more commonly known as the salt flats or salt pans. Coming to Bolivia, I had heard a little about them, someone likening them to a desert of salt but I wasn't quite sure what to expect. After visiting though its something i would say is an absolute must for anyone travelling to this part of the world! Imagine being surrounded for hundreds of miles by compltley flat pure white salt. It feels as though the dazzling whiteness extends ... .../>
Travelling to Uyuni from La Paz for me was a gruelling experience - 13 hours on a cramped bus along un-tarmacked roads, made only slightly more bearable by a TV showing the most over exaggerated Spanish soaps and a slightly dodgy copy of Troy. It was definitely worth the long journey, however, and the drivers are generally happy to stop off in the small hamlets along the way to stock up on supplies, or even pull up by the side of the road for ... more
The Salar de Uyuni is more commonly known as the salt flats or salt pans. Coming to Bolivia, I had heard a little about them, someone likening them to a desert of salt but I wasn't quite sure what to expect. After visiting though its something i would say is an absolute must for anyone travelling to this part of the world! Imagine being surrounded for hundreds of miles by compltley flat pure white salt. It feels as though the dazzling whiteness extends forever and is truly breathtaking!
Getting There: Travelling to Uyuni from La Paz for me was a gruelling experience - 13 hours on a cramped bus along un-tarmacked roads, made only slightly more bearable by a TV showing the most over exaggerated Spanish soaps and a slightly dodgy copy of Troy. It was definitely worth the long journey, however, and the drivers are generally happy to stop off in the small hamlets along the way to stock up on supplies, or even pull up by the side of the road for toilet breaks. My only advice is to take a sleeping bag or blanket onto the bus as it gets pretty cold as night falls, and there's no heating.
It is also possible to get a train from La Paz and a variety of other cities around the country, and this does work out slightly quicker, although it is far more expensive, and the timetables were exceptionally difficult to work out, not helped by the absence of any staff whatsoever in the entire train station.
Town of Uyuni: The town itself is fairly basic, its essentially just a centre for tourist expeditions to leave from, though there are a few industries (mainly salt production and refuse processing) around the outskirts. As buses from La Paz tend to arrive in the early morning, then even the seasoned traveller will turn his thoughts towards breakfast, and there are certainly a number of fairly good quality restaurants, generally serving omelettes, pancakes or bread and jams, and you'll never have to pay more than a few dollars for a good sized breakfast. The restaurants are also good for evening meals, and again for a cheap price you can find pizzerias, traditional Bolivian restaurants and burger bars. The town does also have a Western Union for changing money, a post office (though the mail in Bolivia is notoriously unreliable) and several internet cafés where a couple of US dollars will get you all the time you could need.
The Salt Pans: The main reason for coming to Uyuni, however, is for the salt pans, and the best way to experience these is through one of the organised tours which can be booked from any of the vast number of offices dotted around the town. They generally have large signs outside and are all around the centre so should not be too difficult to find. It is also possible to book rooms directly for the Salt Hotel (an entire hotel made from salt cut from the flats - the walls, floor, bar, even the beds and chairs are all made of salt!) and whilst this is an impressive sight to see, it is included in the longer tours and you can explore very little of the salt flats by just staying in the hotel.
Generally the tours run for between 3 and 6 days and the generally offer the same kinds of things, though it is perhaps worth looking around at different itineraries if there are particular things that you want to do. They all include food and accommodation for the duration, and this tends to be in the form of small stone built houses out on the salt pans which offer little warmth, although the longer tours do generally include at least one night in the Salt Hotel.
Sights to see - Train graveyard: This is situated just outside of Uyuni and is a throwback of the days when Uyuni used to be a vast train junction. I found it to be a little uninspiring compared to many of the other sights around the area, although walking among the hundreds of old trains, you do find some humorous messages scraped onto the rust. I have a photo of two of my friends standing next to a South American train with "Tony Blair is a ****" written in three foot high letters (!)
Isla de pescado: (translation - fish island): This is not really an island in the nautical sense, but merely a huge piece of rock jutting out from the salt. It is so named because it resembles half a fish when you approach it, and if the sun catches the salt just right, it turns reflective so it appears as thought there is a giant fish hovering in mid air!. This was one of my favourite places, as we travelled here before dawn and walked about fifty metres up the rock face to watch the most amazing sunrise ever!
General tips: -Its important that you bring a lot of warm clothing! The salt flats are perhaps the coldest place in Bolivia (barring the tops of the mountains) and especially if you are sleeping in unheated rooms, you will get very cold. -Sunglasses are also an essential. It's probably worth bringing two pairs, as i broke mine a few days before we arrived in Uyuni, and spent the next five days squinting all the time. The salt reflects a lot of the suns light and it really gets very bright! -Explore if you get the chance. We were on an organised tour, but a few of us went off to explore the small settlement we were staying in and were invited to join a local Bolivian party! Fiesta!
Advantages: the scenery, unusual experience. Disadvantages: arranged tours mean little personal choice, many hours of driving in a jeep between sites
Salar de Uyuni, the salt flats of Uyuni is some of the most impressive and unusual scenery I have seen in a long time travelling. It is virtually impossible to see the salar without joining a tour, unless you have your own transport, equipment and possibly backup team too, so most people join a tour group in Uyuni. Many tours leave every day from the town and it is cheaper to book on the spot rather than in advance from La Paz or abroad. The most ... ...the salt flats and the lagoons and geisers of south-east Bolivia although since the salt flats are only visited for one day it is also possible to see them on a simpler one day tour. It seems a little pointless to come all the way here without seeing all the sites available though so doing the full 3 days is recommended. Starting from Uyuni most jeeps wind through a few minor sites such as the train cemetery before arriving out to the salt. This ...
flyingllamas 03.07.2009
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Salar De Uyuni
Advantages: Completley unique landscapes Disadvantages: Not the place to go if you suffer from altitude sickness
...Chile into Bolivia over the Salar de Uyuni. This is the name given to the largest salt flats in the world, the residue of a vast, ancient high-altitude lake, which dried out many years ago. This is no surprise as there is very little rainfall anywhere near the area. In fact, in some parts there has been absolutely no recorded rainfall!
It is a barren and arid landscape where the animals and plants have needed to evolve pretty quickly to survive. ... ...crossing you touch on 5,300 metres above sea level and altitude sickness is extremely common.
The crossing goes from San Pedro de Atacama in Northern Chile, through to Uyuni in Bolivia. You can do the crossing either way, although if you start in Chile it tends to be more expensive (approx $70 as opposed to $50). You will need to cross by 4x4, and an organised trip is the best option, as you will not want to get lost out there. The journey will ...
petea101 26.04.2004
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Salar De Uyuni
Advantages: the views, the sheer size and the wind and colours! Disadvantages: maybe not on your planned route but if that's the case i suggest you change it!
I visited the Salar De Uyuni in November of 1999 with 5 other travellers from the UK. We took a 5-day tour costing 50 dollars a day (it's best to think in US currency when in South America with the exception of French Guyana). The best place to take a tour from is the town Uyuni which can be reached from La Paz direct by plane or by bus. We arrived there from Cochabamba by bus. Our tour was by 4x4 jeep (absolutely necessary because there are often ... ...motorcyclist cops. The Salar de Uyuni for those of you who don’t know is a vast expanse of salt at very high altitude (about 4000m). What happened was millions of years ago the plates pushed together in such a way that a large amount of water was trapped and raised to it’s current altitude and the water evaporated leaving the salt.
The tour itself really is mind-blowing. You will see salt factories (which you can take photos of then pretend to your ...
nikammar 24.11.2000
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Salar De Uyuni
Value for Money
Shopping
Nightlife
Ease of getting around
Family Friendly
Similar reviews »
Reviews which might be of interest for "Salar De Uyuni"
Advantages: Stunning views, remarkable emptiness and isolation. Disadvantages: Extremes of weather, especially cold, taxing altitude.
It's about half five in the morning, it?s pitch-black, and it?s minus-a-lot-degrees. I haven?t had a proper wash in four days and I?ve been consistently cold for just about all that time ? although I?m also sunburnt, somehow. Standing in the midst of a great empty plain, I?m not getting any warmer ? and the sun doesn?t seem to be in any hurry to rise.
Rise it does, however, and the icy waiting starts to pay off. With nothing to interrupt them, our shadows stretch far behind us, long, blueish, parallel lines cast by our legs. In every direction, nothing but a sea of white stands between you and the horizon; mildly disorientating, but quite stunning. It?s still damn cold though.
The SalardeUyuni ? the world?s largest Salt Flats ? make up a four thousand square-mile corner of Bolivia; hover over the country on Google Maps and it ...
Advantages: Beautiful scenery, lovely people, charming cities, cheap and safe Disadvantages: Breathing at altitude!
Last year I spent seven months travelling in South America with my partner and Bolivia was our favourite country by a long shot. In my opinion Bolivia is the cheapest, friendliest, safest and most interesting of the Andean countries.
Highlights include the largest salt flat in the world, SalardeUyuni. You can take a three day jeep tour which takes in the salt flats, vivid hued high altitude lakes dotted with flamingoes and cold deserts of southern Bolivia. It is a truly unforgettable experience.
The finest city in Bolivia - indeed the nicest city we visited in South America - was Sucre. The whole city is made up of low level whitewashed buildings that open out into flower-filled courtyards. The weather is fantastic and I would recommend visiting the city from Potosi. The descent from the thin air of the highest in the world ...
missjosephine25 30.06.2006
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of General: Bolivia
Advantages: The unforgettable scenery and untouched beauty Disadvantages: Lack of hygine, cold and uncomfortable
one of the highlights of my year travelling, relaxed and warm and able to spend some moments contemplating the more amazing aspects of my trip. It was as magical experience. As is the nature of all such things though it was time to head back to Laguna Colorado and collect our fellow travellers for our journey to the edge of the SalardeUyuni, the largest salt plain in the world.
The afternoon was another where mind-blowing views would be the feature, an initial stop at the Arbol de Piedra set the tone, a bizarre shaped rock that is, unsurprisingly for those with any Spanish, tree-shaped. A plethora of more lakes, this time blue but still complete with hundreds of beautiful flamingos that traced their elegant flight reflected in the mirror-like surface, the sumptuous backdrops of snow-capped volcanoes and vivid colours of the area ...
