Uyuni Salt Flat

Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia is a mesmerizing wonder that surpasses all expectations. Despite the challenges of reaching it, the surreal landscape and endless salt flats make every obstacle worth it. Standing amidst this natural marvel is an unforgettable experience that will leave you in awe of the beauty of our world.

Come here for the wet season to get some amazing reflection photography.

I heard about it for the first time on TV and thought I'd like to go. It was extremely far away, time consuming, and difficult. However, it is the best scenery in my life that erases all the hardships. It's a very mysterious scene where you don't know where the boundary between the sky and the horizon is.

One of the craziest places on the planet. If you go when there is a layer of water on the salt, the sky reflects off the water and blends ground and sky together, so you feel as if you are walking in the clouds. A very surreal experience!

Great experience. 👍
This is probably (and most likely) the only thing that you will do in Uyuni 😀
A few notes:
- in my opinion 1 day tour is enough (if you decide to do more than 1 day, make sure you ask about the accommodation and heating at night in the accommodation, and also electricity as some of the salt falts don't have electricity and mainly operated by a few hours of fuel generators a day)
- the weather can get quiet cold and harsh so I recommend have proper warm clothing.
- bring a blanket or two from your hotel if you can
- take a warm hat, scarf and gloves. The cold wind is not forgiving.
- take 50+ sunscreen and apply generously if you don't want to suffer the day after. Don't forget to put sun protection on your lips and your ears, if you don't want painful and brittle cracks on them the day after.
- Altitude won't be in your favour, so if you are not used to it sooner or later you will feel it, best remedy drink lots of water and chew on coca leaves (locals swear on its remedial power for altitude skiness)
- the main attractions of 1 day tour are:
1 Train cemetery (this is actually only 5 mins drive from Uyuni itself),
2 driving on the salt,
3 salt hotel (generally that's were tours have their lunch there, but there is no cooking as there is no electricity),
4 pictures with some dianasuer toys (have fun you will be suprised with the results),
5 cactus island (30 BOB cash entry fee which includes moderate hike of 40 to 60mins return, plus you can use tye bathrooms unlimited, rare case in this area)
6 Sunset (this one was the highlight for me)
- if you are going by yourself make sure take some rain boots as towards the end and depending on the season there is a pool of water on the salt.
- if you are going by yourself make sure ask locals on how to get there, apparently on the map there seems to be some short cuts which may end up in a disaster based on what I've heard from locals
- the shared day tours generally cost between 30 to 50 euros which include, food, 4WD transport, an English tour guide, and rain boots.

The Salar was formed as a result of transformations between several prehistoric lakes that existed around forty thousand years ago but had all evaporated over time. It is now covered by a few meters of salt crust, which has an extraordinary flatness with the average elevation variations within one meter over the entire area of the Salar. The crust serves as a source of salt and covers a pool of brine, which is exceptionally rich in lithium. The large area, clear skies, and exceptional flatness of the surface make the Salar ideal for calibrating the altimeters of Earth observation satellites. Following rain, a thin layer of dead calm water transforms the flat into the world's largest mirror, 129 km (80 mi) across.

One of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. Recommend doing at least a complete day tour, and also the night star tour.

Breath taking view and atmosphere. However, a 5"11 Japanese man started running towards me whilst screaming and turning into a demon then back into a human over and over again. I was a bit taken aback, but it was a great location nonetheless.

Please come! I was preparing a nice review about this amazing place, but is better you take your time and visit it.

It’s extreme. The cold is annoying, the sun is impressively bright (please wear sunglasses), but totally worth it!

It will make you feel like you’re literally in another planet.

The infinitum white view since you get into the Salt Flat is beyond imagination.

Incredible place. Unique experience. I visited the salar while traveling in peru. Unfortunately I was not feeling very well and I was not able to fully live the experience. It is an hard tour, it lasts 3 days, but it allows you to see breathtaking places. We took part to an organized tour, with jeeps, which made it more adventurous. Highly recommended

Great tour. Of course well known and touristic at some hot spots during the trip but the total park where the dried salt lakes are part of is so immensely large and so diverse that most of the time you just gaze from or next to your group Jeep to nature's best sights with no one nearby.
Shared some pics of the things aside the salt lakes you will see during the trip.

Absolutely stunning, even without water. We woke up before dawn to see the sun rise in the flats, which is an absurdly amazing experience. Then we went to Isla Incahuasi to have breakfast, and then we saw the flats with the shining sun. Their vastness is breathtaking.

This place is absolutely surreal an stunningly beautiful. The salar de uyuni is the biggest salt flat in the world. Make sure you bring warm clothes to protect yourself from the cold winds and also bring sunglasses to not get snow blind (salt blind?). The salt can be quite wet and stain your clothes, so be careful when taking pictures.

Located at 11,995 feet above sea level, Salar de Uyuni is a mystifying salt flat in Altiplano, Bolivia that has a reflective nature when covered with water. The briny layer of land, created through the rainy season, transforms the otherwise plated pockets of dry salt into a giant mirror, giving the illusion of walking on water. Though the salty desert is quite beautiful when left alone, the introduction of water leads to an unbelievably surreal result. It is especially exquisite on cloudy days where it looks as though visitors are taking a stroll in the sky

Lots of fun to explore and take photos. Great for sunset and sunrise. Best in dry season. Recommended if in Bolivia. Short flight from La Paz. Respect the place and don’t destroy it like some tourists.

A magical place. I went in February during the rain season and was lucky to have a sunny day with a line layer of water that made a nice reflection of the clouds. Our guide said January, February, and March are the best times to go for the nice reflections.

I almost did not want to come here after Machupicchu since I saw some blogs said that it’s just so so. The truth is it is super awesome. The Uyuni town is scary, not much to see and not much to do, you have to eat in the hotel all the time. But the salt flat is super crazy. We hired a full service car by walking around and asked for price. Lucky us, our driver is super nice. The weather is fine too. I think our group of 4 people took 1000 photos in total.

Absolutely loved it! I just wish I went with someone I knew to take photos with as it’s a great back drop. People on the tour were nice but better if you have someone. In saying that, if you’re flying solo - still go and hope you meet some nice people.

Very plain but at the same awesome place on earth. These salt flats are so large that in some places it is hard to see anything in almost any direction. Great place to play with perspective while capturing photos.
During rainy period it might not be possible to access everywhere by car due to standing water and soft salty ground beneath, but at the same the surface will look like a giant mirror.

I did a 3 day tour to the Salt Flats from Uyuni in Bolivia to San Pedro de Atacama in Chile. Great tour, definitely a Must-Do in South America!