SALAR DE UYUNI - THE BIGGEST SALT-DESSERT OF THE WORLD AND ITS SURROUNDING
Here you will find lots of information about a tour to the "Salar de Uynui" and the surrounding of this amazing landscape. Depending how much time you have, you can choose between a one day trip or tours up to 4 days. Most of the visitors visit the Salar while doing a 3 days tour.
While doing the short term tour you will just visit the salt-dessert with the very beautiful island "isla del pescado", the fish-island which is located in the heart of the dessert. If you book the 3 days trip you will also visit lots of places of interest in the south of the salar.
The ending point much more in the south near the border of Chile is laguna verde (the green lake), with the nearly 6.000 meter volcano Llicancabur.
For travellers who´d like to travel to Chile it will be possible to combine it with the Salar tour. Please plan this in advance with your local tour operator.
For further information and offers please send us an e-mail.
Salar de Uyuni - Isla del Pescado - Laguna Colorado - Sol de Mañana - Aguas Caliente - Dali Dessert - Laguna Verde - Valle de Rocas - San Cristóbal
The salar is located 3.660 meter above sea level and its surface area is about 12.000 square km. It is therefore the biggest salt dessert worldwide.
Between the east- and westcordillera, the climate in the dessert is very special and the temperature depends from nearly 20 degrees during the day, while in the night the temperature can fall to -30 degree.
Because of the extreme temperature variation as well as the rain between november and march the salt dessert changes its appearance all the time and the visitors will find different forms and pattern on its surface.
Usually the tour starts in the morning from Uyuni. The first stop will be at the train cemetery, which is very close to Uyuni. Here you will see lots of very old locomotives and you can make some great pictures. Till 1960 all the salt was transported by the railway to Chile and the coast. Since that time trucks are doing the transportation and all the engines rot in the dessert.
After this stop you will visit Colchani. This small village is the center of the salt production. The workers make tiny figures out of salt and break so called "panes del sal" (salt cuboids) out of the salt dessert. All workers wear sunglasses, because otherwise they would get blindfolded by the extreme reflection from the sun. In the village is also a museum and you can buy some souvenirs made out of salt.
Thereafter the tour continous deeper into the salt dessert, to the salt-hotel, which is completely made out of salt, even the furnitures. You can also refresh while having a drink and buy some souvenirs like in Colchani.
Afterwards a longer drive will bring you to the Isla del Pescado, the fish-island.
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The island lies in the heart of the salt dessert and is a popular place for having lunch, after you have visited the island with its very special biota.
Along the island is a small loop road on which you can explore this beautiful place. The path goes uphill to the highest point of the island where you will have an awesome view over the salt dessert.
On the island you will find also huge cactis which are up to 12 meter and are one of the oldest in the whole country. The talest cactuses have an age of about 1.200 years and grow per year about 1 cm.
After your walkabout you can enjoy the outlook, while having lunch, before the tour continues to the south.
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You will reach the lake colorado on the second day of the Salar Tour, after passing volcano Ollagüe and the amazing rock "Arbol del Piedra". About one hour behind the rocks you will arrive at Laguna Colorado, 4.280 meter above sea level.
The wind blows here usually strong and warm clothes are recommended.
The lake is about
60 square km wide and the colour changes from crimson, to carmine and to dark purple. The changes of the colours happens because of the photosynthesis from the different algaes, which proceeds differently.
On this lake live also three different kinds of flamingos, the andean flamingo, the Chilean flamingo and the James flamingo.
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On the third day you will get up very early, to visit the last highlights on this tour and start to return to Uyuni (400 km). Sol de Mañana are geysers which are located on an altitude of about 5.000 meter and are even higher situated then the El Tatio geysers in Chile.
The geysers will be reached at sunrise and you will have an extraordinary view over these amazing geysers. You can smell the sulfur coming out of the earth from plenty wholes and craters.
Photographers or people who like to make pictures can make some great pictures here, like on every spot of the whole tour.
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In the morning between 6 to 7 o´clock you will reach the hot springs (aguas caliente) and also Laguna Salada. At this time it is still very cold outside and who wants to take a bath in the 30 degree warm water has to change his clothes outside, but the hot springs are worth it.
Meanwhile the cook will prepare the breakfast and after your bath you can enjoy the meal while having a great view over the lake salada. After this break the tour continous to the Dali dessert and the green lake (Laguna Verde).
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Half the way to Laguna Verde (green lake) you will pass the so called "Dali dessert ". Automatically one will remind to the paintings from the artist.
In the middle of the dessert are numerous rocks, just the liquid clocks are missing to find oneself in a painting of Dali.
Who likes to visit this place closer, have to ask the driver.
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The ending point in the south will be Laguna Verde, the green lake, with its amazing volcano Llicancabur right at the border to Chile. Usually you will get there in the late morning and have enough time to have a walk along the shore and make some pictures.
The volcano is nearly 6.000 meter great and the ascent to the summit will take 6 hrs. but the ascent is not included in the regular Salar tour. Who wants to scale the volcano have to discuss this with the local tour agency.
After this stop you will return to Uyuni. To Laguna Colorado its the same way back, from here the driver will turn right and drives through Valle de Rocas and San Cristóbal to Uyuni.
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At noontime you will visit "Valle de Rocas", amazing and bizarr rocks which will remind you to different forms, like animals, heads and more. Its a good place to make some great pictures and have a break because of the long way back.
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San Cristóbal is about 85 km distance from Uyuni. It will be the last stop before you will return to Uyuni. You can visit the church and buy some foodstuff in the local shop.
The way back to Uyuni will be another one hour drive and usually you will be back in the late afternoon. TOP |
