Bolivia: Nature Lovers

In the morning, we’ll pick you up either at Uyuni Airport or Uyuni Bus Terminal and take you to a restaurant where you’ll have a brief break until the tour starts at 10am. Uyuni is the largest salt flat in the world, covering an area of over 12,000 square kilometers (7,455 square miles). One of Uyuni’s many astonishing places is the Train Cemetery, a site filled with abandoned locomotives from the 19th and 20th centuries. You’ll have time to explore here. We’ll also visit the town of Colchani, where you’ll have the opportunity to see an artisanal salt processing plant.

On the road to Incahuasi Island, you will see Playa Blanca, an old hotel made out of salt. You can stop to look around and take photos with the many flags left by visitors from all over the world, or with the Dakar Monument left by the off-road racing organization, Dakar. Have fun, but please remember not to lick anything! Lunch will be served on the salt flat for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

The next stop will be Incahuasi Island (also known as Isla Pescado), located in the middle of the salt flats, famous for its giant cactus which can grow to over 10 m (32 ft) in height!

NOTE: Incahuasi Island cannot be visited during the rainy season.

You can also use the unique landscape of the salt plains to take fun photos, playing with proportion and perspective. Show them to your friends and they’ll be sure to get jealous! Afterwards you get the chance to watch the stunning sunset on the salt flats, before we take you to your hostel in San Juan.

After breakfast, we’ll head to the Eduardo Abaroa National Reserve of Andean Fauna. We’ll first visit Valle de las Rocas, then Ollague (considered an active volcano though it hasn’t erupted in recent history). You’ll also visit some of the famous lakes (Shiarkota, Ramaditas, Honda, Hedionda, Canapa) where you can see llamas, vicuñas, viscachas, pink flamingos, as well as 80 other bird species.

Next, we’ll continue to Cañón del Sapo and the iconic Árbol de Piedra (Stone Tree), located in the Siloli Desert, one of the driest deserts in the world. Afterwards, we’ll head to Laguna Colorada, where you’ll have the opportunity to walk around and admire the snow-capped mountains, numerous Andean birds, and the James’s flamingo. At the end of the day, you’ll be taken to your lodge to rest.

You’ll stay at Huayllajara Hostel, located near Laguna Colorada, with all meals included.

After breakfast, you will visit Sol De Mañana, a seismically active area filled with geysers, mud lakes, boiling mud pools, and geothermal vents that shoot steam 50 meters (164 ft) into the air. You’ll also see Lake Chalviri, the Polques hot springs, and the Salvador Dalí Desert, named after the famous painter due to its apparent resemblance to his work. You will also visit Laguna Verde with its stunning green color, Laguna Blanca, and the Licancabur Volcano.

At the end of the day, you’ll be taken back to the bus terminal or Uyuni airport to board your bus/flight back to La Paz (transportation outside of Uyuni is not included and is the responsibility of the client).