Whilst the Uyuni Salt Falts are the icon of Bolivia, and an unmissable stop for every traveller, there is more to the Uyuni area (and Bolivia in general) than those. If you are solely interested in knowing more about Salar de Uyuni, you can a look at my article dedicated for it here.
This post will focus on other sights I was able to see as part of a 4 days, 3 nights tour from San Pedro de Atacama in Chile to Uyuni, Bolivia and back. I had a wonderful experience and saw many sights on our way to the Salt Flats that I would like to share with you guys through our 4 days itinerary.
Day 1: Border crossing, divine breakfast, Laguna Verde, Polques, Laguna Colorada (Reserva Nacional de Fauna Andina)
The first day was very intense and started around 6.30am in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile, to the Bolivian border (Hito Cajon), located around 47km (1 hour drive) away. The wait at the border is long, as you will arrive before it opens and there will be plenty of other full buses waiting in line. Crossing the Chilean border is easy, as you are exiting the country. If you have a Cedula de Identidad, bring it along with your passport. We were greeted with a delicious breakfast with heaaaaps of palta (avocado) just before the Bolivian border crossing; and after the Chilean border crossing - I could not contain my excitement! Most countries are eligible for a visa on arrival in Bolivia, where all you will have to do is pay BOB15 (A$3; 1.9 Eur).
After the copious breakfast and the Bolivian border crossing, you will be divided into groups of 6 and assigned a driver and then go along with your Jeep, first stopping at the National Park entrance where you will buy your ticket to the Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna Natural Reserve (Reserva Nacional de Fauna Andina). The cost of the ticket is BOB150 (A$30; 29 Eur) - which is why you are required to bring along Bolivianos in cash before your trip.
In the first stop, you will be able to admire two lagoons: the White Lagoon (Laguna Blanca) and the Green Lagoon (Laguna Verde); both equally stunning and located at the foot of Likankabur volcano. At this point, you are already at 4,350m above sea level, a huge difference from the departure point of San Pedro (2,408m) so you may feel dizzy.
We then headed to the Polques Hot Springs (Aguas Termales de Polques), where you have the option to bathe if you wish, with the water at 29C. You can pay BOB5 (A$1; 0,6 Eur) to go to the changing rooms but we opted out as it was really really cold and windy outside! The view was however, gorgeous.
During my first few hours of the Bolivia trip, I was so stunned to see so many flamingoes.. by the end of your trip you will realise that there are SO MANY, you will almost get sick of them! The Coloured Lagoon (Laguna Colorada) was our last stop for the day. The colours of the lagoon were something I had never seen before.. absolutely incredible (c.f. first photograph)! We walked around and got closer to flamingoes for quite a while and had friendly encounters with local alpacas.
We then went back to a refuge called Refugio Huayllajara. Whilst very basic and with no shower, it did the job for the night and the food was alright. We were advised that there would be no shower, so it was not surprise. The area is literally a desert in the middle of nowhere and we loved the calmer side of it. Being at over 4,000m above sea level, this first night was the worst of my whole Bolivian trip and much worse than hiking the Rainbow Mountain at above 5,000m. I believe the reason for this is that in Peru, I had the time to get used to altitude whereas in Bolivia we went from 2,000m to 4,000m in one day. I felt sick, nauseous and thought I would die. Our guide, Epi, was the kindest and he took good care of me; offering a tablet (although I had taken some before) and coca leaf tea. I did not feel better, I could not eat and ended up throwing up in the middle of the night. This is to advise you that at this altitude, it is no joke and if you are not prepared you will feel those effects (or worse). The best way to cope with this is to remain calm and not fear the altitude as Epi taught me. I felt much more alive the next day and the altitude was lowering so it was perfect. Simply be prepared and have some medicine beforehand, even if sometimes, as in my case, it may not be efficient.
Day 2: Arbol de Piedra, Lagunas Altiplanicas, abandoned train tracks
The second day started with some sights of a 'stone tree', a formation of a rock in the form of a tree due to the strong wind and erosion. The height of those can be up to 7m. In the area, we also had the luck to see a desert rabbit, otherwise known as viscacha.
The day will be filled with even more lagoons and more flamingoes. At one point, we had a short break in a tiny town called San Pedro de Quemes, where you can visit a tiny archeological museum and buy a local cactus beer for BOB20 (A$4; 2,5 Eur) and chill out. Whilst alcohol is strongly discouraged at high altitude, one beer felt fine that day. The day ended with a visit of abandoned train tracks (different from the train cemetery) and some photos. We spent the night in the salt hostel (Hostal de Sal) in San Juan de Rosario, which I absolutely loved! All the furnitures were made out of salt (table, bed frames, seats)! It was also one of the best night as we could finally enjoy a HOT shower! The food there was nothing special but still enjoyable.
Day 3: Salar de Uyuni, Isla Incahuasi, the famous flags, Bolivia Dakar statue, Colchani, San Cristobal
The third day was probably the most anticipated of all as we were finally able to see the Uyuni Salt Flats. We departed at 4.15am from the hostel and arrived in the Salt Flats just in time for the sunrise! We were absolutely the only ones in the area, as the Salt Flats are over 10,000 square km big. We had plenty of time to also take pictures, videos, etc. After the sunrise, we headed to one of the islands on the Salt Flats called Isla Incahuasi, full of cacti. The island itself is quite impressive, as it is full of fossils and algae. It is said that the top of the island, where you will have the time to hike to, is the tip of an ancient volcano which used to be submerged over 40,000 years ago when the Salt Flats were still a lake. The entrance fee for the island is of 30BOB (A$6; 3,8 Eur). Once we finished visiting the island, we had the pleasure to enjoy a breakfast overlooking both the island and the flats - stunning moment.
The second half of the day consisted of taking thousands of photographs and perspective videos, thanks to our wonderful guides Simon and Epi. We could not be more grateful for them being so dedicated in the massive heat of the afternoon. You should note that the temperature on the flats in the morning and in the afternoon can be very different and change drastically. The last destination was the famous train cemetery (near Colchani). I found the place to be a little bit underwhelming and more of tourist photo trap than a place with an actual story, but that is my personal opinion. We ended the day in the actual town of Uyuni, where we also dropped our driver. We were then picked up with another driver, who will basically take us to the border the following morning (Day 4) and start the trip all over again from the Bolivian border. I then understood how this trip was hectic for drivers and absolutely tiring. They pick up a group of people early in the morning to the Bolivian border and then go on to their 4 days trip with another group of people, drive for long hours and have little sleep. Whilst I heard that a lot of people did not have a good experience with drunk or sleeping drivers, I respect the tough work they do. The ones who are passionate, like ours, will tell you about the beauty of their country and you can feel the passion. I was really lucky to be taught so much by our guide, and be interested in what he had to say.
Day 4: Back to Chile
Day 4 was quite straightforward. We woke up from our refuge in Villa Mar and drove around 4-5 hours straight to the Bolivian / Chilean border. Here, you have the same breakfast as Day 1 with people coming in from Chile. The border crossing entering Chile is probably the most painful part - it is long and daunting. Remember to throw all your fresh food before hand and declare anything that is hazardous on the form they give you. Chile is as strict as Australia (if not more) when it comes to biosecurity laws.
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