Salar de Uyuni (Uyuni Salt Flats)

The scenery in this south-western part of the country is truly beautiful, weirdly wonderful. Without doubt, Bolivia’s greatest natural wonder, the Salar de Uyuni, at 3,500m above sea level, is the largest salt flats in the world.

All at the same time they are spectacular; eerie, ‘other-worldly’, unique, freezing by night, boiling by day and whiter than snow always. This is an inhospitable environment, not easy to reach, but with the right vehicle and guide we can arrange for you to visit this windy and out of the way place. The sensation of standing in the middle of this salt desert is truly incredible and something you won’t forget for a long time. Nor is sleeping in a hotel made of salt! If you can put up with some bumpy roads and windy conditions then this stark landscape will reward you.

Visit the Uyuni Desert as part of our suggested itineraries: 

Peru, Bolivia and Rio, 20 days from £3,929 pp excluding international flights! Find out more... 
Bolivia, Iguazu Falls and Rio, 19 days from £2,596 pp excluding international flights! Find out more... 

Please contact our advisors for more information. Phone: 0207 622 1116. Email: info@imaginelatinamerica.co.uk

Originally a salt lake, stranded inland by the collision of tectonic plates which formed the Andes, it is thought that the Salar dried out around 10,000 years ago.

A visit here combines well with Chile and/or Argentina and we can easily help to plan a trip to visit both countries. Remember that you are high up here and so don’t over exert yourself. You should drink lots of water and the locals also swear by the coca tea made from coca leaves. If you are en route to Chile then you should really make time to visit the stunning Green and Red lagoons. Both are very remote, but beautiful and home to many types of flamingo which strut around the lakes.

The best time of year to visit the salt flats at Uyuni is in June and July. This is when the skies are clearer and the sun is hot (but the nights are cold).

It is unlikely that you will have ever stayed in somewhere like the Luna Salada Hotel for one very good reason, because it is a hotel sculpted entirely from salt. Salt makes good building blocks and although the outside has to be resurfaced after each rainy season, the building is extremely solid (we assure you!). More…