From Tupiza, I embarked on the famous four-day tour to the Salar de Uyuni, which turned out to be a bumpy 4×4 ride through the most surreal high-altitude desert landscapes I had ever experienced in 20 years of travel. We crossed eroded red-rock valleys, bizarre volcanic formations, abandoned villages, and arid badlands before reaching flamingos feeding in toxic-coloured lagoons and steaming geysers in bone-chilling temperatures.
Most travelers start their tour in Uyuni, a town closer to La Paz. Tupiza, the small southern town near Argentina’s border, is a less popular departure point but, in my opinion, offers far more captivating landscapes.
How it all started
Booking a tour to the Salar de Uyuni turned out to be much easier than my outdated guidebook had suggested. Prices are standardized across agencies, and most hotels have their own tour offices. My decision fatigue had the best of me and I just booked through the tour agency of my hotel.
In normal times, several tours depart daily. But due to some political unrest in La Paz during my time of visit, most tourists had scattered away, leaving the country unusually quiet. During low-traffic periods, tour operators collaborate to fill their five-passenger jeeps, so the agency you book with might not be the one you actually travel with.
It turned out that the agency I travelled with was better than the one I booked with, but there were five of us plus the chauffeur, one more passenger than I had been told. Despite the full house and the lack of proper roads, the ride was surprisingly comfortable, which was fortunate given the long hours we spent in the jeep.
It turned out that the agency I travelled with was better than the one I booked with, but there were five of us plus the chauffeur, one more passenger than I had been told. Despite the full house and the lack of proper roads, the ride was surprisingly comfortable, which was fortunate given the long hours we spent in the jeep.
Our driver, who spoke a gringo-friendly version of Spanish, wore many hats: guide, weather expert, entertainer, DJ, photographer, and occasional herder when one of us wandered too far. Our mama-cook followed in a separate vehicle, preparing home-cooked meals at our destination, among the best food I had on a tour. Breakfast, however, was filled with sugary food imitations, which is pretty much the standard in Bolivia.
Traveling in winter (June–July), when the salt flats are dry enough to drive across without risking a short circuit, can feel like winter camping: you don’t shower for four days and wear the same five layers of clothing day and night. We slept in basic, uninsulated accommodations without heating, so a sleeping bag was essential to avoid losing too much body heat.
The extreme nighttime cold is partly due to the compact soil of the Altiplano, which absorbs little heat from the sun. Add the wind chill, and temperatures can drop as low as -25°C. The result is some of the most extreme day-to-night temperature fluctuations in the world.
Day 1: Inca Ruins and the Frozen Lava of Ciudad del Encanto
From Tupiza, we headed through the stone ridges of Quebrada de Palala, sculpted by centuries of erosion, stopping at El Sillar, also known as the Valley of the Moon.
We continued to Ciudad del Encanto, a sprawling landscape of volcanic rock formations covering several kilometers in the remote Sud Lípez province. The arid conditions create a stark, barren landscape where the few signs of life and human activity are reduced to scattered patches.
Along the way, we passed through the small gold-mining communities of Nazarenito, San Pablo de Lípez, and San Antonio de Lípez before reaching Quetena Chico, a tiny desert town of about 400 residents. We spent the night at Lodge Andino Lamphaya.
The lodge appeared abandoned. There was no heating, no hot water, and plenty of gaps in the walls and windows. Nevertheless, it had a pleasant living room with skylights, couches, and even a few magazines.
Outside, temperatures must have dropped to around -15°C. But it was worth stepping out into the darkness to watch the Milky Way spread across the sky, so close and completely untouched by light pollution.
Back in bed, I buried myself under five or six heavy wool blankets. It took a good hour for my body heat to warm the sleeping bag enough for me to finally fall asleep.
Day 2: Desierto de Dalí, Volcanic Geysers, and Mineral-Stained Lakes
The Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna Reserve is a huge protected area covering 7,147 square kilometers. Set high in the Andes, it ranges from roughly 4,000 to 6,000 meters in altitude.
The landscape is shaped by wind and mixes white salt flats with dark mountains in shades of ochre and black. Bolivia’s southern border with Chile is several days from the nearest major Bolivian city.
Our first stops were Laguna Kollpa, known for its large deposits of raw materials used in soap making, and Laguna Verde, sitting 4,250 meters above sea level in Bolivia’s southeast corner.
The green lake changes from turquoise to emerald depending on how much the wind stirs up the arsenic and magnesium sediments suspended in the water.
Next, we explored the Desierto de Dalí, a surreal desert landscape of colorful mountains and solitary monoliths that appear like mirages on the flat surface. These rock sentinels are remnants of molten lava, solidified and scattered across the terrain in random patterns.
At Salar de Chalviri, we took a break from the cold and altitude sickness by dipping into natural hot springs filled with volcanic water at a perfect 37°C. The only painful part was the short, freezing walk from the changing room to the water.
In the afternoon, we visited the bubbling mud and sulfur pools of Sol de Mañana Geysers at an altitude of 5,000 meters. The geysers send jets of steam into the air early in the day, but their energy fades as the hours pass.
At Salar de Chalviri, we took a break from the chill and altitude sickness while dipping into natural hot springs filled with volcanic water at a perfect 37°C.
In the afternoon, we visited the bubbling pools of mud and sulfur of Sol de Mañana Geysers, located at an altitude of 5,000 meters. These geysers send jets of steam into the air early in the day, but their energy fades as the hours pass.
Laguna Colorada is the reserve’s largest lake, with unusual shades of red, white, and pink. The red comes from a natural pigment in the algae, while the white edges are formed by ice and borax deposits, a mineral used in the manufacture of paint and glass. The pink comes from hundreds of flamingos splashing through the icy shallows in search of crustaceans and algae. The park office tower has a pleasant café where we warmed up briefly, but nights here can get brutally cold, dropping below -20°C.
Despite the harsh conditions, tenacious ecosystems survive around the salt flat’s arid margins, including colonies of cacti, hardy plants, and viscachas, rabbit-like rodents. Aymara and Quechua communities live here too, scraping by in this unforgiving environment.
We sped along the sandy road at dusk toward our second basic accommodation in the small village of Villamar, racing against the setting sun and making the last stretch in complete darkness. Our experienced driver’s knowledge of the road was a lifesaver. Before bed, I managed to get my hands on a portable heater for ten minutes—a short luxury before I had to turn it off to avoid cutting the power for everyone else.
Day 3: Italia Perdida And Cañón de la Anaconda
On the third day, we visited Italia Perdida and Valle de Rocas, known for their spectacular geological formations. Among them is El Camello, a mythical camel said to have been turned to stone by ancient deities after wandering through the valley. It is said that the geoglyphs carved into the ground can be seen from higher vantage points.
A snake-shaped valley aptly called Cañón de la Anaconda cuts through the arid landscape, revealing a lush green habitat along its floor. This unusual microclimate supports plant species that can’t survive in the surrounding desert.
We ended the day at Villa Candelaria, in a hotel built from salt blocks harvested directly from the nearby Salar de Uyuni. Compacted salt blocks are cut from the hardened salt crust and stacked like masonry, with a paste of ground salt and water used to bind them.
The salt flat rests at 3,650 meters above sea level. Thanks to this drop in elevation compared to the surrounding Altiplano, we can finally enjoy a more bearable climate.
Day 4: Isla Incahuasi, Salar de Uyuni, and Cementerio de Trenes
Our journey to the Salar de Uyuni began before dawn—5 in the morning, to be precise—so we could cross the white desert during astronomical twilight to catch the last glimpse of the night sky over the world’s largest salt flat.
As the first light rose above the horizon, we drove 60km to reach Incahuasi Island, one of the small islands scattered across the salt expanse. We made our way to the top of the rocky outcrop covered in geological oddity such as fossilized algae and giant cacti hundreds years of age.
Watching the sun rise over the salt flat from this icy island was surreal and one of the highlights of the trip. During lunch break at the foot of the island, we were visited by hordes of little black-hooded birds.
The journey ended 3 kilometers southwest of the town of Uyuni, where we stopped to visit the train cemetery. It is another eerie landscape, shaped by the metal carcasses of former trains, now surrendered to natural decay, slowly rusting and blending into their surroundings.
The trip back to Tupiza through the main road was equally fantastic
What to Expect
- The four-day trip cost about CAD $260 in 2024 for a group of five plus a driver. The park entry fee was another CAD $30. It’s possible to return to Tupiza with the driver for free, allowing you to store and retrieve excess luggage. Make sure to clarify what’s included in the price, including the sleeping bag.
- Extreme winds and temperatures dropping well below -15°C at night.
- No heating or hot water, and therefore no way to warm up. Sleeping bags are the only way to conserve heat at night. You may be able to pay for a hot-water shower when one is available.
- The average elevation of the plateau is 4,000 m, with the highest areas reaching 5,000 m. Peaks can reach up to 6,000 m.
- There are no roads for most of the trip.
- Building on the salt flats is illegal.
