Salar de Uyuni is the world's largest saltflat and is located in southwest Bolivia, near the crest of the Andes. The Salar was formed as a result of transformations between several prehistoric lakes. It is covered by a few meters of salt crust, which has an extraordinary flatness with the average altitude variations within one meter over the entire area of the Salar.
Starting your trip from La Paz, you will take the bus to Oruro and afterwards, board the train to Uyuni. After a pleasant trip for around 7 hours, you will arrive in Uyuni at night. You can book in a hotel in Uyuni or in one of the hotels built in salt blocks located near the salt flat.
The next day, you will start your journey towards the Uyuni Salt Flat visiting Colchani, a small town where you can buy handicrafts made in salt. From this point you will see unimaginable and spectacular views of the largest salt desert in the world, with an approximate area of 12,000 square kilometers, the Salar de Uyuni!
You will begin the trip watching the water bubbling on its surface in the so-called "the eyes of water," and also the inhabitants of the place in their work of extracting salt for marketing.
Next you can continue to Incahuasi Island, or Fish Island, located in the heart of the Salar, which is characterized by the presence of giant cacti. You can walk around the island, enjoying a spectacular view of the Salt Flat and appreciate the great white intertwined with the Andean sky, this is the best place to photograph the Salt Flat.
Later, you can continue the journey continue heading south west toward the colored lagoons (Red, Blue, White, Yellow and Green), located in the Parque Nacional de Fauna Andina Eduardo Avaroa. These sites are occupied by volcanoes, and offer wonderful and surreal views. On some tours, you can visit places such as the Cave of the Galaxies and the Devil's Cave. The lagoons are so-named due to the different tones that characterize them and are due to the presence of algae, the chemical composition of the water, the movement of the wind or to the specific time of the day.
At your return to Uyuni, you can visit the little town of San Cristobal, the Train Graveyard and admire the sunset on the Salt Flat, one of the most magnificent you will see in your life!
The Salar offers amazing views all year round, but there are different views during the rainy and dry season. Some photographers specifically want to visit the Salar during the rainy season. When the Salar is covered with a little bit of water it becomes one big mirror which makes for beautiful pictures. The wet season lasts from January to April. Even in the rainy season the number of rainy days is below 5 per month, so expect clear skies!