Description

3 days group tour to the Uyuni Salt Flat and Colored Lagoons, beginning and ending in Uyuni. It includes basic accommodation and meals.

In the heart of Bolivia within the Department of Potosí in southwestern Boliviano is Uyuni at 3670 m, in the high plateau, its history is basically linked to the time of beginning of the trains, to the height of many nearby mines.

Today, with more than 12,000 inhabitants, its main attraction is the famous Salar de Uyuni, increasing the offer of quality tourist services day after day, making the visit of each one an unforgettable experience both for the arid place and for the beauty that this tourist attraction has.

Beginning: Day 1 at 9:30 am in Uyuni’s downtown.
End: Day 3 at 7:00 pm in Uyuni’s downtown.

Prices

Price per person in 2019:
- High season, from January 1 to March 31: US$ 155.
- Low season, from April 1 to December 31: US$ 145.

3 days group tour to the Uyuni Salt Flat and Colored Lagoons, beginning and ending in Uyuni. It includes basic accommodation and meals.

*The high season corresponds to tours that begin between January 1^st and March 31^st. Low season, meanwhile, is for tours that begin between April 1^st and December 29^th.

RESTRICTIONS

Minimum age required of 7 years old.
Not recommended for people suffering hypertension, heart failure, asthma or similar, for whom visiting places above 4000 meters of altitude may present a risk for their health (the tour is made mostly above 4,000 meters of altitude, even reaching 4,850 meters of altitude one of the days of the tour).
Passengers with more than 65 years of age must present a medical certificate that authorizes them to travel to an altitude above 4,000 m.
Not allowed for pregnant women.

Flexible cancellation
Flexible rescheduling

You are checking a tour that begins in Uyuni. If you want to see tours that begin in San Pedro de Atacama, click

Itinerary

Start: Day 1 at 06:30 am at your hotel in San Pedro de Atacama.
End: Day 4 at 1:00 pm in the bus station or downtown San Pedro de Atacama.

Day 1 ■Blanca & Verde Lagoon – Colorada Lagoon

We will pick you up at your hotel and travel in a minibus from San Pedro de Atacama to the border of Bolivia, passing by the border-control stations of Chile and Bolivia. Once we reach the border, we will switch to a 4×4 vehicle for 6 people.

On this first day, we will visit places in the Bolivian Altiplano such as the Blanca Lagoon and Verde Lagoon located near the Licancabur Volcano. Next, we will visit the Salvador Dalí Desert, the Polques Hot Springs to take a nice dip, and the Sol de Mañana Geysers, intermittent sources of water that flow at a temperature of 90 °C (194 °F).

We will end the day at the Colorada Lagoon, a major nesting site for more than 30,000 flamingos. We will stay overnight at the Refugio Huayllajara.

Day 2 ■Siloli Desert & Stone Tree – Cañapa Lagoons

In the morning we will go to the Siloli Desert. Here, we will observe the “Stone Tree,” a volcanic rock that, as you can imagine, is in the shape of a tree.

Next, we will visit the Chiarcota, Honda, Hedionda, and Cañapa Lagoons, followed by the Chiguana Salt Flat and the town of San Juan del Rosario. We will stay overnight at the Hostal de Sal San Juan del Rosario.

Day 3 ■Incahuasi Island & Perspective on the Salt Flat

We will begin our last day of the tour very early in the morning with a view of the sunrise in the Uyuni Salt Flat.

After this we will go to the Incahuasi Island, a limestone formation located in the middle of the salt flat where we will be able to explore and get another perspective of the Salt Flat.

We will then continue on to the Salt Museum and the town of Colchani, which are outside of the salt flat. From here we will go to Uyuni, passing by the train cemetery, where we will make a short stop to take pictures.

In Uyuni, we will say goodbye to our driver/guide who accompanied us during the previous three days, and then we will have some free time to eat lunch and tour part of the city.

Then, we will meet up with the driver who will take us on the return trip, with a stop-over in Villamar to eat dinner and sleep.

Day 4 ■Sunrise on Uyuni Salt Flats & Train Cementery

We will begin our last day of the tour very early in the morning with a view of the sunrise in the Uyuni Salt Flat.

After this we will go to the Incahuasi Island, a limestone formation located in the middle of the salt flat where we will be able to explore and get another perspective of the Salt Flat. We will then continue on to the Salt Museum and the town of Colchani, which are outside of the salt flat.

From here we will go to Uyuni, passing by the train cemetery, where we will make a short stop to take pictures. In Uyuni, we will say goodbye to our driver/guide who accompanied us during the previous three days, and then we will have some free time to eat lunch and tour part of the city.

Then, we will meet up with the driver who will take us on the return trip, with a stop-over in Villamar to eat dinner and sleep.

FAQ's

Does the tour has daily departures?
Yes. The tour has confirmed departures all days of the week, the whole year.

How much time in advance should I book the tour?
Due to high demand of the tour, we recommend to book at least a week 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 in a group of 6 people each.

How is the infrastructure in every shelter?
All shelters have a similar level of infrastructure. They have shared mixed gender rooms, with 6 beds and have no heating. Bathrooms are shared and the first night there is warm shower, and the second has no shower. None of the shelters has internet.

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 and one sleeping bag, which will go above the 4×4.

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.

It is necessary to bring sleeping bag?
It is not essential, because the accommodations have blankets. Anyways, consider the information about the weather according to your trip’s date, and if you believe that you will feel cold, we recommend you bringing your own sleeping bag with a temperature rating of 32 ºF.

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 of rain?
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).

Is it possible to do the tour in private service?
Yes. To request rates, write to reservas@southtreks.com, indicating departure date and number of people.

Is it possible to do the tour staying in hotels instead of refugios and hostels?
If you want to do the tour with superior accommodation plase check our tour.

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 with an english-speaking guide?
Yes. The English-speaking guide service has the following prices:
o 1 person: US$ 55 in high season and US$ 65 in low season.
o Group of 2 people: US$ 45 per person in high season, and US$ 55 per person in low season.
o Group of 3 peopler or more: US$ 30 per peson in high season, and US$ 40 per person in low season.

The service must be paid after the booking, after asking for availability at reservas@southtreks.com