3 Day Uyuni Crossing
Day 1: La Paz - Uyuni
This morning you will be transferred to the airport for your short flight to Uyuni. On arrival in Uyuni you will embark on a 3 day desert crossing by 4WD (English speaking guide included) across the stunning, mars-like landscapes between the Salar de Uyuni and the Atacama Desert (Chile). Your first stop is the Train Cemetery near Uyuni, where you can explore a huge rusting collection of disused English trains that once crisscrossed Bolivia. It’s said that more than one of them was robbed at the hands of the infamous Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid while on the run from the law in South America. In the village of Colchani is an opportunity to observe the salt processing operations, Salt museum and even purchase your very own bag of Uyuni salt.
Begin your explorations of the famous Salar de Uyuni, one of the big highlights of the continent. It’s difficult to comprehend its enormity, blindingly white and impossibly flat, the largest salt flats in the world span an area of over 10,500 square kilometres. On closer inspection you will see that the salt dries into repetitive hexagonal shapes with jagged salty edges sharp to the touch.
Visit a hotel made entirely of salt blocks before visiting the Ojos del Salar/eyes of the salt flat where bubbling gases escape from underneath. Thought to have restorative powers, it is not uncommon to see rotund local ladies sitting in the knee-deep water splashing themselves liberally. Another photography stop at the some montones del sal/salt piles, where salt is dug up and piled into a series of cones to drain the excess water before being transported for processing. You will visit Incahuasi/cactus island, a small hill of erupting in the middle of the flats. Take a short walk over the island alongside huge prickly cacti several times your height and enjoy the fabulous panoramic views. You’ll also have a chance to mess around with the lack of perspective in silly photographs. In the rainy season the salt flats are covered with a layer of water creating a mesmerising mirror effect. Although stunning, the water restricts access to Incahuasi and may result in diversions as vehicles are unable to cross the flooded flats.
Continue on to your evening’s accommodation.
Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included.
Day 2: Salar de Uyuni
Your journey continues driving through the Silolí Desert where you will get to see the Árbol de Piedra. Wind has eroded the rock haphazardly, leaving a bizarre tree like formation over eight metres high. This afternoon you will pass a series of lagoons - Altoandinas: Ramaditas, Honda, Chiarkota, Hedionda and Cañapa. From here you will arrive at a viewpoint from where you will have a good view of the semi-active Ollagüe Volcano.
As you drive along the tracks be sure to keep a keen eye out for local wildlife. The elusive Vicuna call the Altiplano home, though their rusty brown wool coat often camouflages them against the mountains and grass. As you get closer to small villages you will see herds of llamas, often accompanied by their Bolivian owner – usually a short older woman with two long plaits, a bowler hat and big skirts. You may see an impossibly big rabbit bounding through the grass; these are in fact viscacha, a South American rodent from the Chinchilla family.
Next is a photographer’s dream - Laguna Colorada/Red Lagoon. Sitting beneath a series of colourful rolling mountains, the lagoon is tinged a dark orangey-red with algae and dotted with large pools of white borax deposits. The endangered Andean flamingo gathers in vast numbers to feed on the bountiful algae. They are impossible to count, appearing as a pink haze around the edge of the water, only breaking formation when one is startled prompting a group to suddenly take flight.
Continue to your night’s accommodation.
Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included.
Day 3: Salar de Uyuni – San Pedro
Continuing your journey, you will pass the Salvador Dali desert, so called for its resemblance to the famous artist’s surrealist paintings. Next you can take a dip in some thermal hot springs pool on the edge of a huge lake. There’s changing facilities, bathrooms and a tiny shop with unreliable opening hours. You will also visit big steaming geysers and bubbling pools of volcanic mud.
Your final stop is Laguna Verde/Green Lagoon at the base of Licancabur volcano. Watch carefully and see how the wind disturbs the water and agitates the resident algae that creates the vibrant green hue. Finally, you reach the Hito Cajon border of Bolivia and Chile. Once you have completed the immigration procedures you will say goodbye to your local driver and guide and take a shared transfer down the winding road to San Pedro de Atacama to your accommodation.
Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included.
