What days of the week the tour is available?
As it is a private service, it is possible begin the tour any day of the week, every month of the year.
How much time in advance should I book the tour?
Because of the hotel high demand in the area, we recommend you to book at least one or two months in advance.
Do I need to be vaccinated against yellow fever for the tour?
The vaccine against yellow fiebe is not required for the tour to the Uyuni Salt Flat. It is only required if you subsequently plan to visit the Bolivian jungle.
What kind of car is used to do the tour?
The tour is made on a 4×4 (Toyota Land Cruiser) in Bolivia.
How is the infrastructure of every program?
The program with hotels has a similar level of structure for every accommodation. The rooms are private, single, double or triple, according to the availability, all have heating and private bathroom with warm water. The hostels, on the other hand, have double private rooms, with twin beds or queen size bed, according to availability, no heating and private bathroom with hot water. There is no internet access.
What type of sockets have the accommodations?
The accommodations have sockets type C, compatible with the types E and F. Anyway, our recommendation is that you carry an adapter to avoid any inconvenience.
How many bags or suitcases can I bring?
Each passenger may carry at most 1 bag or suitcase of 18 kilos which will go above the 4×4.
Why is it necessary to bring a sleeping bag?
The beds in Refugio Huayllajara (accommodation of the first night) do not include sheets, only include blankets and bedspread. If you don´t have sleeping bag, you can rent one directly in San Pedro de Atacama, the day before the tour. The rent has a price of CLP$ 5.000 per person, for the 4-day tour.
How is the weather along the tour?
- In summer (December to March), the temperature ranges from about 4 °C as a minimum, to 23 °C maximum.
- In winter (June to September) the temperature ranges from about -20 °C as a minimum, to 16 °C maximum.
How much money should I bring to the tour?
We recommend to bring 300 bolivianos per person for expenses not included in the tour, as entrances to parks (186 bolivianos per person), access to toilets and buying of souvenirs.
How likely is suffer “puna” or altitude sickness during the tour?
Most of the tour is made above 13,123 ft. of altitude so it is quite likely to suffer from altitude sickness specially the first day of the tour. To avoid or reduce the general feeling of discomfort, we recommend acclimate to the altitude one or two days above 8,202 ft., drink lots of water before and during the tour, eat light meals (avoid meat) the previous days, and do not drink alcohol the night before the beginning of the tour.
What is it about the meals?
The meals are varied, and includes tea, coffee, bread, cookies and fruit for breakfast, and meat, pasta, rice, soup and vegetables for lunch and dinner. In case you need a vegetarian menu, you must ask for it writing at reservas@southtreks.com at the moment you make the online booking.
What about the tour in case it rains?
In case of rain, the order of the places visited and the accommodation places are subject to change, because some of the roads might be closed. Added to the previous information, water in the Uyuni Salt Flat is an important obstacle and the Incahuasi Island (located in the center of the salt flat) remains closed. This means the Incahuasi Island cannot be visited and we enter to the salt flat only for a certain distance, so the passengers are safe.
When is it possible to see the mirror effect on the Uyuni Salt Flat?
The mirror effect occurs when there is water on the salt flat. This happens only in rainy periods (January and February) and after them (March).
Why all the restrictions to make the tour?
The tour is made in the Altiplano area, at an altitude above 9,842.5 ft. Just with this, our body is submitted to an abnormal stress, which can cause discomfort and risk in people with the conditions mentioned in the restriction’s section. Moreover, the tour does not have health insurance and there are not health centers to treat this kind of situations in a proper manner on the route.
Is it possible to do the tour in another language?
Yes. The English-speaking guide service for the whole tour, has an additional cost of US$ 162 per group and it is subject to availability when booking.
