Uyuni/Lagunas/Volcano 4WD tour partner(s) sought!

Flexibly departing Uyuni November 25th (Sat), 26th (Sun) or 27th (Mon); duration is 3 days.

What's normal?

Basically, the standard 3-day, 2-night tour (all meals, vehicle & driver, park entrance fees, and backup accommodations if the good hotels stiff us ("sorry, your reservations are lost"), then the standard (fun shivering in a room together) lodging is included).

What extra's are planned?

Very interesting hotels (private rooms & baths, heated, roomy & loads of character), very small tour group (2 or 3 people max), longer time at each site, and if the group concurs, an open route & timetable, & can eliminate or drastically shorten some sites (Dali rocks, etc.). Done through a better reputation tour company (Expexsa Tours). No, I'm not affiliated with them.

The catch: US$220 per person (based on 2 people - a little less apiece for 3 people) for the trip PLUS the nightly hotel fees. Accommodations:
Hotel Tayka de Sal (Salt Hotel) and/or Hotel Tayka de Piedra (Hotel in the Rocks) - expect US$70-80 per night, per person for lodging.

Should already be acclimatized to the altitude, and bring some extra patience and a positive attitude!

Need to reserve soon, so please respond at earliest chance or with extra questions.

finally - the rich and pampered get their luxury even in the last corners of the world....

I've slept in airports, on city benches, in great and crappy hotels across most of North America, and visited most commercial parts of latin america for work previously. I've been bitten by strange bugs day & night in the weirdest places (geographic & anatomical). I've stayed in family 'hotels' and hostels across much of Mexico (last time spent there was just one year ago), and usually work roughly 60 hours a week. I won't be wearing Tilleys, whining about the scarcity of Evian in Oruro, or complaining about the lack of suspension in the 4WD. And I'm sure not rich.

But I have to admit, I didn't paddle my zodiac solo from the north atlantic and hitch-hike the rest of the way inland to Bolivia for free like a 'real traveller'. I'm wimping-out and taking a plane. Sorry.

But for me, the trip is about more than partying with everyone in the back row of a land cruiser: I want to actually explore each of the stops we make, and take more than 'photo op' post card snaps. A great trip is a sensory refreshment. I want to talk at length to the guides for the background of each location (more than you get in the Bradt or LP books), and its a lot easier to get to know 1 or 2 fellow travellers than 6 or 7, and that costs more. To me, its worth it. I don't get much of a break, but I'm sure as he11 gonna get to know every place I visit as much as a gringo can in the short time I have there.

So tell that rich and pampered person to please sign up - maybe they'll have some extra cash and spread some of that luxury around.

OP, you sound like a tv advert.
Salar de Uyuni tour, 3 days, can be had for half of your price. The Salt hotel is nothing I'd recommend to anyone. It's a place you can go and die.
Who do you work for?

Cheer up, buddy.

I'm not claiming to be any kind of expert. I've been following the related threads here, and some blogs, and emailing a handful of people for the last couple of months now, and I don't believe everyone has to swarm like lemmings to enjoy themselves. I like to be able to do something different now and then. This is part of what I came up with.

Sorry it offended you so much.

Would you be so kind as to show me how you would put something comparable together for half the price as you offered, and I'll even throw in a few beers for you if I don't have to die there at that special rate? 8vo

I know I could put together the stock tour for $80 if I cut corners - I've already got three quotes at that rate, but it's not quite the same package, plus I hate pushing & jump-starting land-cruisers when its 3 below and windy at night.

Thanks in advance for your expertise Tonieja!

PS - Darn! Too bad I didn't take that job doing voice-overs for Ronco!

;-) good fun to read this string! But I also like to spend some more if you can get away from the standard. I just returned from Noel Kempff Mercado and it was definetely worth it!

I'm planning the Salar trip, either 3 or 4 days, starting on the 24th or 25th. I think it is worthwhile to check out Hidalgo or Fremen, anybody has experience with them?

Let me know if you still plan to do the trip and if you would like to team up.

thanks

I´ve got a whack of quotes, and I was hoping to have a few takers to finalize the decision a while back. Hopefully its all still possible - I lost my thumbdrive with my securemail client and am now screwed for sending email. I can post here and other travel sites though! Such is travel - I can live with it...

Whether we go together or not, I´m happy to share the results of my efforts for anyone that wants to try something different. And glad to hear I´m not nuts (or at least, if I am, I´m not alone!). And incidentally, the 25th is not a problem for me, and I definitely plan to do the trip now that my butt has recovered from the WMDR.

The most iron-clad (please excuse my typos from using a spanish keyboard with the markings all worn off - I´m in Sucre now) is actually from Ivan at TodoTurismo (I was a speck surprised too), which is a perfect dream of a well-done trip configuration and planning, with non-Uyuni starts acceptable (although they preferred a Uyuni start and finish), but way more expensive (if I write it here, someone will surely write a novel-length flame - happy to PM it to you or any thread lurkers that are interested).

Fremen's was a thorough plan and nice trip, but far longer (5 days or more), inflexible, also quite costly, and I didn't at all feel my config was getting due attention. I think they´re concept is a hybrid of Ford's original Model-T and their current Lincolns, as far as 'as long as what you want is what we give, you'll be ecstatic', or in other words, its a sweet ride, and comes in any colour, as long as it's black!

Maritza at ExpexsaTours has been the most diligent and persevering, but her agency can't book the salt or stone hotels, which are owned by the Tayka hotel group (different tour operators - must be a turf war thing), so you have to pay yourself, although she'll gladly make reservations for you. She was also willing to have a Potosi starting point (can't recall if it was a bit extra), and I'm sure would be willing to arrange a different end-point if you needed it.

Luis at Hidalgo Tours was also excellent (and patient), and even though Ranking Bolivia put them very highly for custom tours, it was a heckuva lot of emails to clarify the requirements, but we got it eventually straightened out. The price was around the same as Expèxsa's, but he was able to include the hotels (so add the hotels to Expexsa's costs to get a similar total). Their price included a Potosi start and Uyuni finish.

Ivan had the best english, and as stated earlier, both Maritza and Luis were exceedingly gracious with my weak spanish to arrive at understandings.

All the rest didn't care, or never replied (and I tried a bunch of others).

Whether we hit the road together, or this helps you on your own - either way I hope you have great time, and that this helped a speck. If you want the price sticker shock' I'll PM you - just let me know.