There are few places on earth that make you wonder if you’ve somehow been abducted by aliens and transported to a far off planet.
The Salar de Uyuni is one of these otherworldly places.
Fish Island is covered in cacti and has some of the most stunning views of the Salt Flats.
At one point in history, this region was a massive saltwater lake. The water eventually evaporated, leaving a thick layer of salt that stretches as far as the eye can see. Commonly known as the “Salt Flats”, this area is one of the most visited places in Bolivia.
There are two seasons in the Salar de Uyuni – wet and dry. Each year during the wet season, water covers the earth, turning the land into an all-encompassing, dreamlike mirror.
We were there during dry season, when you are able to venture into the middle of this strange, salty land.
City of Uyuni
Our journey to the Salt Flats started with a night bus that brought us to the sleepy little town of Uyuni. Situated on the corner of nothingness and oblivion, there really isn’t anything to do in this town… well, besides drinking wine, of course.
The only other thing to do in Uyuni besides drinking wine? Playing with Tonio, the adorable little boy who was the son of our hotel’s cleaning lady.
I guess the fact that the only other people in the restaurant was a table of three sleeping Bolivian men, made them eager to close up shop.
Salar de Uyuni Tour
The next morning, we embarked on our three-day, two-night tour.
There are somewhere around 80 companies in Uyuni that provide tours of the Salt Flats. Some of the companies are legit, and others… well, not so much.
We did our research and talked to other travelers, and the company name we kept hearing was Red Planet. At just $20 more than the cheapest of the companies, it was an easy choice.
And again, we were not disappointed with our decision to go with one of the “nicer” companies. While some of the other tour guides we saw along the way didn’t talk to their groups at all, our guide was incredible. He shared a lot of history and gave us insight on what it is like to live in this region.
Our first stop was at the famous train graveyard. Years ago, Britain sent trains to Bolivia so they could export all the silver they were mining. What they didn’t realize though, was that the altitude of Bolivia is much, much higher than that of England, and eventually the trains all died – leaving them useless.
To read the rest of this article from the author, please click here.