The salt flats near Uyuni Bolivia, or Salar de Uyuni, are the largest salt flats in the world at around 10,500 sq/km. Apparently Neil Armstrong came to see them after he saw it from space.
We visited it right at the end of the rainy season and were fortunate enough to witness what is called the ‘Mirror Effect’. It is truly incredible.
The salt flats are neither cheap or convenient to get to, however when the ‘mirror effect’ is there it is worth every penny. The gateway to the flats is a town called Uyuni. Without wanting to sound negative, it is a bit of a dump. It originated as a depot town for the storage, maintenance and dispatching of trains for the mining industry, and it looks like it. Grey, dusty, and tired are the words that come to mind. It has had a rejuvenation with over 300 tour companies competing for your business.
We did a two day tour and we found it to be enough. The first day was seeing the other sights in the area. One is the train graveyard.It is just that. A collection of old rusting relics of a bygone age. It is quite striking in the intense sun. The only downside is the number of tourists there.If you time your photos and crop judiciously you can get around the crowds though.I would love to know the stats on how many injuries occur from falls from the equipment. In fairness though, they have done an amazing job of grinding off most of the sharp metal edges which would have been no small task.It was a fun stop and Karen was game for climbing about to get some shots.After the 30 minute stop it was off to the next sight. Everything in the region seemed to be ‘an hours drive’.During those hour long drives we passed numerous small fields of ripe quinoa. It is a lucrative cash crop as well as a food staple for the locals.We drove to a spot literally in the middle of nowhere for lunch. A memorial to some racers who died in the Dakar Rally race and a bunch of flags. I suppose you need spots to drive to. After all it is simply a huge flat area.In these areas they tend to default to natural building supplies. All the shelters were made from blocks of salt carved from the ground.Another required stop is this settlement which exists between 10:00 and 3:00 every day. Absolutely packed with Toyota Land Cruisers from the tour companies. Our guide told us once the last vehicle leaves at 3 the town literally just shuts down.We were herded through the salt processing demonstration and got to bag a little bit of salt.Though it involved a lot of driving, my favourite part other than the mirror effect were the wonders of nature. We visited some salt lagoons at around 4300 metres in elevation and witnessed hundreds of flamingos.Our favourite wild animal in the region are the vicuñas. The wool from these creatures is considered the most expensive fibre in the world. A pair of socks made from vicuña wool will run you around $600 USD. It is finer and softer than cashmere. We love them because they are just cute.The surprise animal that I wasn’t expecting was the Bolivian ostrich.They are nervous little creatures but we managed to see a few.The last mandatory extra sight we had to see was the field of rocks. Not too busy, but a steady flow of tour operators rolled through here.The most famous rock is the Condor Rock. The massive field of rocks is a hold over from the cataclysmic volcanic activity that shaped this area.
The second day of our tour is what we were here for. Though it is near the end of the rainy season, luckily for us it had rained just a couple of days before we got there.
It started with a 3:30 pick up from our hotel in Uyuni and a 45 minute drive out to the salt flats.Some of us were more excited than others to be out at this hour.As it started to lighten up the magic began to appear.It is a surreal environment.So worth getting up for.It is breathtaking.Mid day we did a bunch of fun photos with the group we were with.Some fun with perspective.We wrapped up the day with a glass of wine and watched the sunset over this marvel of nature.The shear seeming limitless expanse is what struck me. I loved it.
You can fly in, you can take night buses, but the bottom line is if you are within a 500 kilometres of the Uyuni Salt Flats you owe it to yourself to make the trip. One of the absolute highlights of our time here in South America.
Leave a Reply