| carmenfaith01:45 UTC09 Jul 2007 | Last night I returned from the four day Salar trip and would like to tell the world that the tour company I went with, Valle Hermoso, provided and excellent driver and international chef. Reuben and Elsa are the names of the wonderfully sweet couple who were our guides for the tour. They were good fun and laughed at our stupid antics, woke us up in the morning and took care of the sick or injured!
The tour cost me $100, and although I could have probably haggled for a bit less I truly couldn´t care less because it was one of the most fantastic experiences I have ever had.
Doing the tour from Tupipza means that the highlight of the Salar de Uyuni and Isle de Pescadores (cactus island, that was once a reef within the lake) is at the end. Even though it is winter and the lakes are either partially or fully frozen over we still saw about one hundred flamencos at sunrise, a spectacular scene. We also were privaledged enough to see llamas (lots of), vizcachas (chinchilla like rodent), road-runner like birds,vicuñas, foxes (dead and alive) and emus amongst other things.
The accomodation for the first two nights is basic, and at high altitude and so cold, but the views and the gernal banter on the tour more than make up for it, and on the third night you can have a nice hot shower for 5 Bolivianos. Even with 6 people in the 4x4 it was still relatively comfortable (we just rotated seat positions after every stop as the middle seats have a bit more leg room than in the back).
If your about to go on the trip have a fantastic time, prepare yourself for lots of al fresco toilet stops with incredible views (girls may need to walk a bit further to hide their bums from the boys in the open flat lands), cold nights, sore lips and early starts and life-long memories!
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| tdrebot04:16 UTC09 Jul 2007 | Hi Carmen,
we're going to do the same early September, do you have any contact to: Valle Hermoso??
What was your itinerary in Uyuni and how did you get there from La PAz??
do you really need super warm sleeping bags and equipment for Uyuni??
thanks,
Tomasz
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| juan_austria15:38 UTC09 Jul 2007 | HI Tomasz,
we did the same Salar tour starting from Tupiza with "El Grano de Oro"-tours and were only FOUR persons for the same price.
(tel. 00591-2-6944763) If possible spend a day more in Tupiza and do a horse-riding or day-tour around Tupiza, for me it is one of the most beautiful landscape in Bolivia
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| laura0018:56 UTC09 Jul 2007 | Hi,
Hoping to do the Salar tour from Tupiza but want to finish in San Pedro de A in Chile. Do Valle Hermoso or El Grano do Oro run such a tour? If so is it also a 3 night tour? Thanks
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| britkid00:38 UTC10 Jul 2007 | Valle hermoso, Tupiza. "20 each, nice room with good bathrooms and a lounge, but so far shoddy service." I quote from my diary of May 2004. I also remember they spoke too much English for my liking, which made it hard to practice Spanish with them. I confused "nine" with "new", and there was no way back from there. I also did a similar tour, although not with them.
In response to #1 I further quote from my diary (written in Uyuni after the tour):"Have spent the last four nights at high altitude and none of them have been warm. In fact probably all sub zero, even fully dressed not cosy really." But I still wouldn't bother lugging a sleeping bag around, personally.
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| naugastyle04:57 UTC10 Jul 2007 | #1, I went in mid-September and it was VERY cold. You can rent sleeping bags from your tour agency, you don't have to lug it from home. Not expensive and worth it, was wearing everything I brought every night including scarf and gloves and under 2 blankets and sleeping bag I was still cold!
I used Tupiza Tours. While the main contact for the office speaks pretty fluent English (Beatriz) the guides did not know any. Lots of practice opportunities :).
I doubt any of the Tupiza-based agencies go to Chile, they turn around and drive back to Uyuni after they get there (if you want, you can head back with them, can't imagine it would cost extra because they have to go back anyway). Contact info for Tupiza Tours and Valle Hermoso should both come up in Google.
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| carmenfaith03:02 UTC15 Jul 2007 | Valle Hermoso is a hostel international hostel, so Im sure youll be able to get the contact details easily, also in LP I think.
I went back to Tupiza at the end of the trip, but you can just finish in Uyui, around 2pm, easy to get buses to la paz, just ask your drive to drop yu off by the bus agency offices.
Sleeping bags are a definite YES, mine isnt that thick but was enough, the hostel rents big thick ones for $7 i think (clean too)!
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