Uyuni Salt Flats Bolivia 3 Day Tour
US$ 245 per person
Uyuni Salt Flats Bolivia 3 Day Tour is a group trip with English speaking guide that starts and ends in Uyuni town. You'll explore the largest salt flats, lagoons, geysers, Volcano viewpoint but staying the night in basic accommodations.
You're about to take the trip of a lifetime and discover everything the Uyuni Salt Flats and Bolivian highland offer.
Uyuni Salt Flats: the legacy of a prehistoric lake thar dried up, leaving behind a desert-like landscape of bright-white salt rock formations and cacti-studded islands.
Andean Lagoons: see the beautiful Laguna Colorada. Although wildlife is rare in this unique ecosystem but it does harbor hundres of pink Flamingos, home to three species of Flamingos.
San Pedro de Atacama: your Uyuni Salt Flats Bolivia 3 Day Tour can end at San Pedro de Atacama (Chile), without extra payment. It's included on the tour price!
What you'll do (overview)
DAY 1: your day begins by visiting the Train Cemetery, Colchani souvenir shop, salt refinery then after head to Incahuasi Island but stopping by the Eyes of the Salt, Dakar Statue, Playa Blanca (the first salt hotel built) on your way to the Cactus Island. At the end of the day you will arrive at Atulcha (Villa Candelaria) for dinner, hot drinks and overnight in basci shared accommodations.
DAY 2: after an early breakfast you’ll be heading out to the Southern side of the Salt Flats. This day, you’ll pass through and stop at the small Chiguana Salt flats, valley of volcanoes (Ollague volcano lookout), the Altiplanic lagoons (Red Lagoon), Siloli desert (Stone Tree). By the afternoon enter the dormant Sol de Mañana geysers and fumaroles. You’ll arrive at Polques village for dinner, overnight and optional bath in the hot springs.
DAY 3: This day, after an early breakfast, you'll drive to Hito Cajon border and pass through Dali desert and White and Green Lagoon. As this is a group tour some people will go to Atacama. After they are dropped off at the border you'll make your way back to Uyuni through the direct route with stops for bathroom and lunch.
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Uyuni Salt Flats Bolivia 3 Day Tour Features
DURATION: 3 days
GROUP SIZE: Maximum 6
TOUR TYPE: group trip (+ guide)
STARTS AT: Uyuni Town, Bolivia
START TIME: 10:30 am, first day
ENDS AT: Uyuni Town, Bolivia (or Atacama)
END TIME: 6:00 pm, third day
PHYSICAL LEVEL: Low
Uyuni Salt Flats Bolivia 3 Day Tour Itinerary
DAY 1: Uyuni to Altucha
DAY 1 2 3
This first day you’ll visit the following places on the route to Altucha village (if time and weather permitting).
- Train Cemetery
Have your camera fully charged for some cool pictures.
- Colchani Village
Bring BOB cash for purchasing handicrafts (optional)
- Eyes of the Salt
Water
comes from beneath the ancient dead lake under the Salt Flats
- First Uyuni Salt Hotel
The only hotel allowed on the salt flats
- Incahuasi Island
You’ll get 360 degree view of the landscape
- Perspective Photos
The craziest and funniest pics
- Atulcha Village
Stay the night at a salt hostel
Now, let’s take a close look at the step by step
described itinerary:
Train Cemetery
10:30 from the office on Av. Cabrera (between Uruguay and Peru) or from your hotel, you will be picked up and depart in a 4x4 Toyota Land Cruiser (or Nissan Patrol) towards the Train Cemetery to see and take pictures of the first steam pawered locomotives in Bolivia.
Colchani Village
After some cool photos, your driver will take you to the small village of Colchani, located near the Salt Flats, the salt miners’ workshops. You’ll walk inside the local factory and see the traditional means of table salt production.
Colchani is, by the other hand, the only place where you have the opportunity to purchase salt carvings, embroideries, Alpaca sweaters and more souvenir items.
Eyes of the Salt
You will then head to the great and blinding Salar de Uyuni or the Salt Flats of Uyuni. Here, you will see the salt mining and the piles of salt (pyramids of salt). Then after, you will go to see the big holes in the salt flats: the Eyes of the Salt. From which bursts out water at high pressure, this water comes from beneath the prehistoric dead Lake Minchin.
First Uyuni Salt Hotel
Following that, on your way to Incahuasi Island, you’ll stop at the First Uyuni Salt Hotel. Playa Blanca is the name given to the first salt-made hotel ever built before on the Salt Flats, the only one allowed although not an operating hotel nowadays due to environmental concerns.
Here, you’ll have plenty of time to peek inside to explore the various rooms, the hotel’s lobby, salt sculptures and use of toilets.
At this
place you’ll have a tasty lunch served by your driver and guide.
Incahuasi Island
After the food, you will move to Isla Incahuasi (called Fish or Cactus Island as well), located in the center of the salt flats. This piece of land is actually the top of an ancient volcano that was submerged about 40,000 years ago when the area was part of the prehistoric Lake Minchin.
On
the Island while hiking up, you’ll see the giant cactus and the coral-like
structures. This is a neat to get an elevated view of the Salt Flats.
Perspective Photos
Later, there’ll be plenty of time to stop for having a lot of fun with your camera to take some of those funniest and craziest perspective optical illusion pictures the Uyuni Salt Flats are famous for.
Your guide might come up with some of the most of the photo ideas. By the way, you’ll see, right in the middle of the flats, the unusual hexagon and pentagon-like formations.
Atulcha Village
The village of Atulcha will be the final stop of the day to spend the first night. Just on arrival, you’ll enjoy some hot coffee or chocolate and later have dinner.
Inclusions of the day
- Shared 4x4 vehicle
- English speaking tour guide
- Lunch
- Basic accommodation
- Dinner
You’ll pay in BOB cash
- 30 BOB per person: Entry tickets to Incahuasi Island
- 10 BOB per person: Hot shower at Villa Candelari Hostel
- 10 BOB toilelt and washroom on the route
- Other extra expenses
What to bring for the day
- Sunscreen
- Sun glasses
- Hat (cap)
- Warm clothes
- Gloves
- Scarf
- Extra water and snacks
- Fully charged camera batteries
- Fully charged mobiles
- Toys for perspective pics (optional)
DAY 2: Atulcha to Polques
DAY 1 2 3
This day you'll visit the following places on the route Polques village (if the time and weather permitting) the order of places to visit are:
Chiguana Salt Flats
Have your camera fully charged for some cool pictures.
Ollague Volcano Lookout
Enjoy the view of the Valley of the Volcanoes
Siloli Desert
The highest desert in the world
Stone Tree
A giant
rock taking the form of a tree
Laguna Colorada
Redness colored lagoon home of hundreds of Flamingos
Sol de Mañana
Volcanic activity: fumaroles and geysers
Polques Village
Where you’ll spend the second night
Chiguana Salt Flats
7:00 am start your day with an early breakfast then get ready for the next off-road
adventure. At the moment of packing up your belongings make sure you're not leaving anything in the room. Your first stop of the day will be at the small salt desert of Chiguana, located in the Southern side of the Uyuni Salt Flats, widely known as the valley of the volcanoes.
Ollague Volcano Lookout
At the Volcano Lookout, you’ll be able to appreciate the semi-active Ollague volcano, at an altitude of 5,840 meters above sea level, including other dormant and extinct volcanoes surrounding the place. Best of all you’ll spot the steam that still comes out from the top.
Siloli Desert
You’ll keep going through ethereal landscape further south. You’ll find yourself traversing the big Siloli Desert, which sits at 4550 meters high. Siloli is considered as the highest and driest desert in the world.
Stone Tree
Once you cross this desert, you will see the lava-cooled rock formation, locally called, Stone Tree sitting on the left side of the dusty road.
Laguna Colorada
Your off-road journey keeps heading south. Later this day, you’ll reach Laguna Colorada (Red Lagoon) which is one of the several Andean or Altiplanic Lagoons where Flamingos can be seen hanging around looking for food in the redness of the water. They can be found in their hundreds among the three of species of Flamingos that live here only according the season of the year.
Sol de Mañana
Afterwards, your next stop will be at the top of a big volcano called Sol de Mañana. Your 4x4 car will park a few meters away from the Fumaroles and boiling mud pots. , The volcanic activity produces sulfur small.
Polques Village
Following the volcanic activity sightseeing, you’ll be driving down the hill towards your shelter point to stay the second night. Hot chocolate drink or coffee will be served just after your arrival and enjoy of a tasty dinner.
There is
no light pollution at this isolated place, take advantage of this and watch the
stars in the darkness or dip in the nice, clean and 35 C° hot springs (100
meters away from your accommodation).
Inclusions of the day
- Shared 4x4 vehicle transport
- English speaking tour guide
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Basic accommodation
- Dinner
Exclusions of the day
- There is not hot shower
Other Expenses
- Hot shower at Villa Candelaria: 10 BOB per person
- Entry tickets to Hot Springs: 8 BOB per person
- Use of toilet
What to bring
- Sunscreen
- Sun glasses
- Hat (cap)
- Warm clothes
- Gloves
- Scarf
- Extra water and snacks
- Fully charged camera batteries
- Fully charged mobiles
DAY 3: Polques to Uyuni Town
DAY 1 2 3
This day you’ll visit the following left places on the route to Hito Cajon border (if time and weather permitting). The order of places to visit will be:
Dali Desert
Short stop for pictures
Green & White Lagoon
A Lagoon with two different colorations
Hito Cajon border
You'll get to Chile Bolivia borderline, if there are people going to Atacama
Return to Uyuni
