The Uyuni Salt Flats, also called Salar de Uyuni, are the largest salt flats in the world. Found in south west Bolivia, they form a unique and magnificent landscape. The salt flats cover an area 10,582 square kilometers. Formed from evaporated prehistoric lakes at 3656 meters above sea level, the salt flats transform into a fabulous reflective mirror in the rainy season. You would be forgiven for thinking the incredible pictures of this natural wonder are exaggerated by clever Instagram filters or AI. You’ve probably seen pictures of people standing as if on a mirror reflecting the sky? Or the cheesy forced perspective pictures of people being stepped on by their giant friend? However, these are all genuine photos!
The Uyuni salt flats tour
When researching this trip, I read a thread online bashing these tours. The writer complained that the tour consisted of just being driven around and occasionally hopping out for nice pictures. Well, I guess that’s basically what you do. But do it right and the drive is so much fun! The stops are at some of the most incredible places in the world and you get to be there! There are other, darker reports of drunk drivers, dangerous driving and deaths, but thankfully, tour operators seem to have learned from their mistakes: our driver was responsible, helpful and very safety conscious. “Wear your seatbelt, kids!”
A tour of the Uyuani Salt Flats: need to know
So what is it really like to tour the Uuuani Salt Flats? It is worth it? What are some things they don’t tell you?
Firstly, if you are used to creature comforts, if you can’t do without toilets, can’t manage bouncing around in a vehicle for hours at a time, can’t cope with shared bathrooms or non-gourmet meals, then this one probably isn’t for you.
Keep reading to find out about my experience, and some advice to make the most of your trip…
Choosing a tour
Is a tour necessary?
Technically no, if you have your own vehicle and are confident driving the terrain and navigating what at times seem like loose interpretations of roads. We had neither and were pleased with the tour we booked.
When is the best time to go on a tour to the Uyuni Salt Flats?
Different seasons come with different perks. In the rainy season (Dec-Mar) there are more flamingos on the red lagoon and you stand more of a chance of seeing the famous mirrored salt flats. However, some stops are skipped as it takes longer to cross the flats when they’re covered in water. In the dry season (April-Oct), the weather is sunnier. We went at the end of April and were lucky with weather, mirrored flats and flamingos!
Advice on booking a tour to the Uyuni Salt Flats
I suggest you don’t book through Get Your Guide or other online platforms as they are significantly more expensive. We found we didn’t need to book far in advance either. We booked in person soon after arriving in San Pedro de Atacama in Chile.
San Pedro is a little desert town. It is impossible to miss the main ‘strip’ – a little dusty street which is home to most of the souvenir shops, restaurants and tour agencies. We went into a few to gauge prices and grab some flyers.
My advice is to ask around, negotiate, check online reviews and make a choice. Some agencies offer discounts if you book multiple tours, or pay cash. Generally, they’re all pretty similar prices. Some will cost extra for an English-speaking guide and we did pay for this. Was it entirely necessary? Maybe not, but it was nice not to have to rely on our very bad Spanish skills. Plus Omar was lovely and took some excellent pictures of us!
Our Tour
We opted for a 3 day / 2 night tour from San Pedro de Atacama, through the desert and salt flats to Uyuni, Bolivia. We booked a one-way trip from San Pedro to Uyuni. It is possible to return to San Pedro by adding another day and night. It is also possible to do a reverse trip starting in Uyuni. Single day trips to the salt flats are popular from Uyuni town. You cannot do the salt flats in a single day from San Pedro de Atacama as it is too far and you don’t actually reach the flats until the end of day two.
We ended up booking with White and Green, a locally based agency. They have a strong track record, gave us a reasonable price, offered us a private double room (sometimes called matrimonial) and accommodation with hot water showers – not all tours have this! We also paid extra for an English-speaking guide (this is not included as standard for tours). It ended up costing us about 240k Chilean Pesos, under £200 per person. On top of this, you need some Bolivian cash to cover park tickets, souvenirs, snacks, tips.
The tour included: transport, driver, guide, all meals, accommodation. The vehicle can hold driver plus 5 or 6 passengers, depending on whether you have a guide. Our little group was lovely, but I imagine it would also be very fun to organise a group of friends to fill out the car.
Preparing for the trip to the Uyuni Salt Flats: top tips
1. Acclimatise
Definitely spend a few days before the tour acclimatising to the altitude! San Pedro is 2400m above sea level, the salt flats are about 3600m and the first night on the trip you sleep at nearly 4000m. It’s no joke. Drink loads of water and bring some painkillers in case of headaches.
2. Paperwork
On the tour to the salt flats, you cross the border from Chile to Bolivia so you will need your passport. You will also need the PDI slip – the paper receipt which customs put in your passport when you arrive into Chile. It’s not a great system and many people lose it, including Adam! If you do lose it though, you just have to nip into a PDI office and request a duplicate before you leave the country.
3. Cash
Exchange some money or buy some Bolivian cash in San Pedro. There’s no ATM on the border or in the flats and you will need BOB (Bolivian currency) to pay for park entrance fees (150bob for the park, 30bob for hot springs), toilets and any souvenirs or snacks along the way. We bought about £200 worth, more than we needed while on the tour, but we knew we would be continuing through Bolivia and there was a good rate. Bolivia is cheap and your money will go quite a long way.
4. Layers
Layers are your friend. Temperatures fluctuate massively between cold and hot.
5. Daypack
Prepare a small daypack for in the car – your main pack will be on the roof but you will want sunscreen, water, snacks and the aforementioned layers. Don’t forget a swimsuit and towel if you think you will want to venture into the hot springs.
6. Don’t forget the toilet paper!
Stock up on snacks, water (we brought a big 6L bottle for two of us and put it on the roof at first). Also, and I cannot stress this enough: toilet paper or tissues and hand sanitiser! There are no public toilets readily available in many places on the tour. Sadly, you will pass places littered with used toilet paper. I managed to survive between public banos, but you usually have to pay a few BOB for these and they often don’t have toilet paper. You’ve been warned!
The Trip: our experience
Day 1: border crossing, lagoons, hot springs, geysers
On our way
It was an early start! The minibus collected us from our accommodation at about 4am… yay. At the border crossing we met our driver, guide and the 4×4. We had a little picnic breakfast here as the sun was rising while we waited to cross.
It was beautiful but cold: remember those layers? And a big warning here: no toilets! If you gotta go, you’ll have to find a pile of rocks to hide behind, and sadly, behind that you’ll likely discover the discarded piles of used tissues from the many others who’ve been before. The actual immigration office is quite quick to stamp you through, but one of the buses in front of us was held up (no clue why), and we were waiting for several hours before getting through.
Once on the other side of the border, there is another quick drive to the Bolivian customs and park office to get passport stamps and tickets. We paid extra (about £1 each) to queue jump as we were already running late. There’s a QR code and free wifi so you can fill in the required form. There are bathrooms in a basic hotel here and you can pay a few BOB to use their facilities. The big bags are loaded on top of the 4×4 and secured under a big tarp. Then you’re off!
Our first stops: lagoons
You can practically see the first couple of stops from the Bolivian immigration point: white and green lagoons at the foot of Licancubur volcano.
They are beautiful, but not lagoons for swimming due to toxic chemicals like copper and arsenic. Wind whips up the water, disturbing the sediment and making the green lagoon greener. Then it is back in the car and through the surreal-looking Dali desert.
Our next stop was the hot springs for a lovely warming soak and lunch. It’s an extra 30BOB for entry to the hot springs. Be careful as the heat, sun and altitude can make you light-headed! Make sure you’ve packed a swimsuit and towel in your daypack.
There are basic changing rooms next to the two springs which are warm and hot temperatures. Lunch is basic, usually water or soda, fresh salad, rice or potatoes, some cooked veggies, some form of meat (could be beef, llama, chicken, tinned tuna. One day there was a tasty dish similar to Shepherd’s pie.), Usually, there is some fruit to finish.
Higher and higher!
After lunch, we climbed high in the 4×4, up near 5000m, then down to impressive geysers which are part of a geo-thermal power plant. Watch your feet here and be careful not to breathe too much of the sulphur smelling fumes: people have been known to pass out and fall into the boiling mud and die!
The Red Lagoon
Our next stop was at the famous red lagoon (Laguna Colorada) which is home to the equally famous flamingos! Depending on the time of year, you may see more or fewer of these funky birds. More of them gather in the rainy season to breed. There are actually three breeds of flamingo here, all feasting on the special algae which is responsible for the pink water and feathers.
You’re not allowed to get too close as they scare easily, but there is a wonderful viewpoint over this massive lagoon.
Back in the 4×4, our guide let us try some coca leaves. Chewing these helps deal with the symptoms of high altitude. You will see many locals holding the leaves in their bulging cheeks – tingly!
Sleeping at 4000m
Around 6pm on this first day, we arrived at our accommodation for the night in a small desert town at the foot of Volcan Quetena. We had tea and biscuits, showers, then a simple dinner of soup followed by chicken and chips. We went to bed early after the long day. Some people complained of a cold night, but thankfully, we were pretty toasty! What was difficult, however, was the altitude: we were at around 4000m. I did get a headache and our breathing was noticeably different. It was a weird sensation that made it difficult to sleep so we did wake up fairly tired the next morning.
Day 2: llamas, canyon, quinoa, cactus beer
We ate a simple breakfast then packed up to be on the road again by 8am. Our first stop was a short walk through a little town alongside some free-roaming llamas – the first of many!
Valley of Rocks
The next stop and my favourite of the day was the Valley of Rocks – what I’d describe as a mini Monument Valley filled with stunning rock formations. You can wander around and clamber up them. Keep an eye out for famous rocks in the shape of the World Cup Trophy, a camel and Lost Italy.
There are an infinite number of potential photograph spots. Embrace your inner child and climb up these formations which are like nature’s playground!
Quinoa and Canyons
After this, we started to see several fields of quinoa – Bolivia’s famous and colourful grain. We appreciated our guide, who was the son of quinoa farmers, giving us lots of information about this ancient crop. He also warned that the farmers don’t like tourists taking their pictures. Before lunch, we fit in a stop at Anaconda Canyon – a deep ravine with incredible viewpoints down into the winding river below.
After lunch, we were dropped in some wetlands to wander through the Llama Valley. As its name suggests,the valley is filled with these fluffy creatures.
Cactus Beer
The final stop of the day was at a small town on a rail line. The Bolivian people are capitalising on their growing tourist trade by selling local cactus flavoured beers at several bars blasting loud music. The beer is sweet and refreshing.
We enjoyed this stop for kicking around a football with some new friends. It was reminiscent of some stops on the Ha Giang Loop in Vietnam and made me wonder if the tourist infrastructure will also develop in a similar way.
The Salt Hotel
Around 6pm we arrived at our Salt Hotel right on the edge of the flats. This building and much of its furniture, including the bed frames and tables, is all constructed using salt blocks! Yes, I licked the wall in our bedroom just to check!
We were treated to a stunning sunset over the flats, then stunning stargazing – you can literally see the Milky Way with your naked eye. Two groups arrived later having experienced a blown out tyre. Apparently, all the nearby vehicles stopped to help out and switched out the tyre very quickly, which was good to hear. We all had a basic dinner and shared some wine. Our guide suggested we keep the bottle for the next day’s photography exploits. Thankfully, the altitude here was a bit lower than the previous night and we slept far better, much to our relief.
Day 3: sunrise, salt flats, photography fun, trains
Cactus Island (Incahuasi Island) for photo fun
On the final day of the tour, we were up early again to drive to Incahuasi Island (aka. Cactus Island) and climb to the viewpoint for sunrise.
There is an entry fee of 30BOB. Obviously, the wake up time depends on the time of year and when sunrise hits. It’s worth pointing out that some tours go to this island later in the day instead, choosing to do sunrise on the flats. Some tours skip this island completely during the wet season as crossing the flats takes much longer when they are flooded. We really enjoyed this stop, for the beautiful sunrise of course, but also the cacti and ancient coral structures.
We had a picnic breakfast on the salt flats before driving to a remote spot for what was probably the most creative and hilarious photoshoot I’ve ever experienced. Think ahead about some fun ideas and any props you might want to include. Our guide was all in, lying on his front in the salt and directing us all for the best shots!
We danced out of a Pringle can, posed on a wine bottle, ran from a dinosaur, were stepped on, and looked up giant Adam’s kilt in horror!
After this hilarity there was a quick stop at the original Salt Hotel in the middle of the flats which now operates as more of a museum and souvenir shop. There are flags from every country, and a monument to the Dakar rally, which took place here in 2014.
The Reflective Flats – and more photo fun!
At last, it was the stop that everyone was looking forward to: the reflective flats. However, in dry season there may not be the layer of water to reflect the sky, and some tours will choose to skip this – my friend was told it wasn’t possible when she went two days after us with another company. Some tours provide boots. Ours didn’t so we did get some salty, wet feet, but this seemed a small price to pay for this natural wonder. Again, this is the spot for some incredible pictures and videos in which the sky and earth seem to meet.
After this absolute high, we drove to Colchani, a little town on the edge of the flats with souvenirs, a salt refinery and llama chicharron. Definitely give this a try: it’s delicious!
The Train Cemetery
Our next stop was at the train cemetery outside of Uyuni town. We loved walking amongst these rusted ruins and, again, taking some very aesthetically pleasing and fun pictures.
We wished we could have spent longer here as time just seemed to fly as we climbed around the old steam engines.
There’s also a little outdoor sculpture space over the road with very cool models of transformers and aliens crafted from old parts.
Uyuni Town
Finally, we arrived arrive into Uyuni town for lunch and this marked the end of the tour.
What a fabulous experience!
What next?
If you are doing the 4 day, 3 night tour back to San Pedro, you’ll be back in a vehicle after a short break then onward to San Cristobal on the Salt Flats – or similar. Then next day you’ll cross back into Chile and drive back to San Pedro where you started.
If like us, you choose the 3 day trip and end in Uyuni, I suggest booking a night bus elsewhere: La Paz, Sucre, Cochabamba, Santa Cruz… There’s not a lot to do in Uyuni itself but you’ll have a few hours to kill between tour and bus to explore, shop, eat, etc. But my best little snippet of advice: get a day pass for a local hotel. For 70 BOB we were given toiletries, towels, use of showers and communal areas to relax, use wifi and store luggage. Lovely when you’re all dusty and salty after a few days on the flats, and perfect preparation for a long night bus.
Unless you’re flying, I’m afraid night buses are pretty much your only option for long distance travel in Bolivia. However, they are cheap and fairly comfortable with almost lie-flat reclining seats.
On another note, make sure to check out the local info on road blocks and protests, which could quite literally get in the way of your plans. At the time of writing this article, we were stuck in La Paz and unable to leave!
Concluding thoughts on the Uyuni Salt Flats Tour in Bolivia
The grumpy person on Reddit who said the tour was just being driven around to various viewpoints was technically not wrong, but an Atacama to Uyuni trip is much more than that. Even just calling this trip ‘The Uyuni Salt Flats’ tour seems wrong, as you spend several days in so many other places.There is such a variety of incredible landscapes that make up the Altaplana.
If you can get a great group together, relax into the ride, get some good tunes going, pass around M&Ms and coca leaves, have good chat and lots of laughs, the journey becomes part of the fun beyond just seeing the most incredible scenery in the world. You’ll make amazing memories and your camera roll will be filled with the most fantastic pictures.
Just remember your BOBs and tissues!
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I have always made a point of never accepting guest posts on AbFabTravels, but I have just made an exception! My daughter Beth is currently on a sabbatical and travelling the world. She has agreed to contribute a few articles, giving a young person’s perspective and insights into a different way of travelling. She is a fantastic writer so please check out her posts.
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