Note: Javascript is disabled in your browser.
To see the gallery in all its glory, you'll need to enable Javascript.
Introducing Uyuni
Seemingly built in defiance of the desert-like landscape, Uyuni stands desolate yet undaunted in Bolivia’s southwestern corner. Mention Uyuni to a Bolivian and they will whistle and emphasize ‘harto frío’ – extreme cold. Yet despite the icy conditions, which are compounded by the fact that, no matter how you plan it, you always seem to arrive at 2am, Uyuni’s got a cheerful buzz about it. Travelers arrive and eagerly plan a trip around the Southwest Circuit; those who return see Uyuni with new eyes, as a sort of paradise filled with much-missed daily comforts.
Advertisement
Although there’s not much to see here, and the wind chill can strip your soul bare as you pace the wide streets, Uyuni’s isolated position and outlook elicit an affectionate respect from both Bolivians and foreign travelers.
The town was founded in 1889 by Bolivian president Aniceto Arce. It remains an important military base; tourism and mining are the other major sources of employment.
Last updated: Feb 17, 2009
Tips & articles
-
Fly me to the moon: Planet Earth’s best unearthly landscapes
20 July 2009
How’s this for a space oddity? Forty years have passed since the historic Apollo moon landing,...
Uyuni
Recommended things to do & see
- Restaurants (8)
- Shopping (1)
- Sights (4)
- Hotels & hostels
Our favourite Uyuni Blogs (beta)
-
Photo silliness on the Salar de Uyuni
Blog: Itinerant Londoner - 19 October 2009
Let’s face it, spectacular as its landscapes are, one of the main reason every backapcker wants to go to the Salar de Uyuni is to take lots of silly photos and videos. I had thought that all those trick shots would be tiresome to set up and take, but it turned out to be some [...]
-
The Salar de Uyuni
Blog: Itinerant Londoner - 18 October 2009
If there was one place more than any other that I was excited about visiting in South America, it was the Salar de Uyuni. Before I traveled, I read countless blog posts and saw hundreds of amazing photos about the place, and I couldn’t wait to see it for myself. After a slightly frustrating evening in [...]
-
The Altiplano, Tupiza to Uyuni
Blog: Felicity Sees... - 15 September 2009
You know that feeling of dread you get before an exam you fear might go horribly wrong? Well that was pretty much how I felt as I signed on to a 4 day jeep tour to the remote altiplano in South West Bolivia: Travelling to freezing altitudes of 5000m into remote desert expanses crammed into a worn looking jeep with six strangers and a Spanish-speaking Bolivian driver with no means of bailing out? This, could go horribly wrong.
