Welcome to Uyuni
Standing in defiance of the desert-like landscape that surrounds it, Uyuni occupies a desolate corner of southwestern Bolivia. Mention Uyuni to a Bolivian and they will whistle and emphasize harto frío (extreme cold). Yet despite the icy conditions, the town has a cheerful buzz about it with hundreds of travelers passing through every week to kick off their tour of Salar de Uyuni or the Southwest Circuit.
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Uyuni activities
Uyuni Salt Flats Full-Day Tour from Uyuni
The Salar de Uyuni or “salt flats” is one of the world's highest deserts, surrounded by mountains and volcanoes that reaches 5000 meters (16,400 feet) above sea level.Start your tour with a visit to Uyuni's 'train graveyard' to see the first locomotives in Bolivia. Then, visit the small village of Colchani (salt miners workshops next to the salt flats) before continuing on to the great salt flats of Uyuni. Along the way, see many piles of salt and the 'eyes of the salt' (big holes in the salt flats where the water, from underneath this death lake, still comes out by high pressure). Take photos as you cruise along the vast white expanse of salt, and visit a hotel made completely of salt. After lunch, travel to Inca Huasi (Fish Island), in the middle of the salt flats, where you will have time to take a hike to the top of the island to see giant cactus and rock formations made of petrified coral. Take time to organize your group for fun perspective and proportion-distorted photos on the blinding white surface of the salt flats. Then make your way to the foot of the big Volcano Tunupa (5,434m / 17,828 feet) to appreciate a nice view and get some pictures. Return back to Uyuni around 7pm, stopping along the way to enjoy a fantastic sunset in the Salar of Uyuni.
Uyuni Salt Flats Full-Day Tour with Lunch from Uyuni
Starting the day(around 10:30 am), our guide gives you a short briefing on some recommendation for the tour, and shortly after you'll hop on a 4x4 drive Toyota Land Cruiser that will firstly take you to the Train Cemetery where a full story of the first trains that arrived in Bolivia, and their purposes will be uncovered. Soon after the crew takes you to the small village of Colchani, where you could expect many handicraft shops for souvenirs, and also the salt factory, where the salt is being refined and packed for consumption. The lunch takes places in a Salt hotel with plenty of option for any taste.Once the drivers packed all the dishes etc, you'll head toward the majestic Salar de Uyuni, (being the same size as the Bahamas) and start the real journey into the biggest salt flat on earth. Your first stop will be next to the only construction allowed in the Salar, which is called Playa Blanca, the first salt hotel build in the salt flat, plus you'll also find there the Flags and Dakar Race monument. Next on, is a 30-min drive toward the middle of nowhere into a special location to take the best pictures of yourself and your friend, helped of course, by your experienced guide that tell you how to do everything perfectly. Once we finish the “photo shooting session”, we'll go to the central point of the Bolivian White desert, which is the Inca Wasy Island (Cactus Island) where will be able to see giant cacti and rock formations of petrified Coral that will make you feel on another planet for sure. A small hike of 40 min will be realized on this very island all the way up the top, reaching the highest point of view in the trip with 3750 m.a.s.l (12,303.14 feet) where a 360* view of the hole Salt Flat awaits for you. After finishing your little, but amazing hike, it will already be time for the breathtaking sunset to come (that usually takes place around 6:00pm) and your driver will choose to the best location for it. At the end of our tour we'll return back to Uyuni at approx 6:30-7:00 pm. So don't miss out on this amazing opportunity and get your reservation now !
Salar de Uyuni Salt Lake Tour
Itinerary: • 10:30am - Departure from the city of Uyuni to visit the Train Cemetery, and then go to the salt lake • 11am - Make a brief stop in the town of Colchani, where you will pass the processing plant for artisan salt • 12pm - Enter the Salar to visit waterholes, observe the extraction of salt, and visit the Playa Blanca Hotel (one of the first hotels in the Salar) • 12:30pm - Lunch in the middle of Salar de Uyuni • 1:30pm - Visit Incahuasi Island where you see the famous giant cactus • 5:30pm - Sunset at the Salar de Uyuni (alternative to the direct return to Uyuni) • 6:30pm - Return to Uyuni
Salar de Uyuni Private Day Trip with Great Salt Lake and Lunch
You will leave in the morning and visit the train cemetery, then head to the Great Salt Lake. On the way, meet the people of Colchani where you will see an artisanal salt processing plant. Then visit the Salar to meet the eyes of water and observe the salt extraction process. Visit the Incahuasi Island (known as Fish Island) where you can observe the famous giant cactus. Continue the journey towards the town Tahua located at the foot of Volcan Tunupa, the shores of the Salar. Lunch will be provided on this tour. Later return to the banks of the Salar, where you will see the stunning sunset on the Salar, where the sky at this latitude is considered one of the clearest in the world.
La Paz to Uyuni Salt Flats Day Trip by Air Including Lunch
Escape to the desert on a private, guided trip to the Bolivian salt flats called the Salar de Uyuni. Begin the full-day tour by being picked up at your hotel in downtown La Paz for a transfer by private vehicle to El Alto airport. On the short flight to Uyuni, in southern Bolivia, you’ll fly over the Altiplano (‘High Plain’) and get jaw-dropping views of the Andes Mountains.Less than 1 hour away by air, the town of Uyuni provides easy access to the world’s largest salt flats. Stretched between distant Andean peaks like a shimmering white carpet, the Salar de Uyuni resembles a snow-covered lake and covers 4,000 square miles (over 10,000 square km). It’s home to pink flamingos, 1,000-year-old cacti, rare hummingbirds and hotels built entirely from blocks of salt. Don’t forget your camera, as the blinding white salt flats, framed by mountains and blue sky, create picture-perfect opportunities. You can observe mirages and optical illusions caused by solar radiation and the crystallized ground. Weather permitting, you’ll hang out on Cactus Island, home to a plethora of cacti, unusual flowers and strange fauna. And you’ll graze on a picnic lunch smack in the middle of the salt flats, creating the feeling that you’re eating in the middle of nowhere. After your unforgettable visit to this wondrous landscape, you’ll fly back to La Paz and be dropped off at your hotel.
Salar de Uyuni Salt Flats Private Night Tour from Uyuni
This tour starts at 8pm. The pickup will be from the point of collection agreed in Uyuni.In a private car and with a professional guide, go to the world's greatest salt flat to take an evening stroll and observe the sky in its glory with the stars and the Milky Way in one of the cleanest places on earth.Enjoy an intimate encounter with nature in a very special atmosphere, and take extraordinary pictures of the sky and stars. See the reflexes on the salt mirror reflected by the stars of the night.At the end of this tour, return to Uyuni and get dropped off at the place agreed.