enesfr

Uyuni journal

Practical notes on the salt flats, written from the road.

The train cemetery on the edge of Uyuni

Getting there

How to get to Uyuni: from La Paz, Potosí, Sucre and Chile

Every route into the town the tours leave from — night bus, plane, train — and which one still lets you depart the same morning.

Laguna Verde below Licancabur volcano, near the Chilean border

Routes

Uyuni to San Pedro de Atacama: crossing at the end of the 3-day tour

How the border transfer works, what it costs, what customs takes off you, and the altitude drop nobody warns you about.

Incahuasi Island and its giant cacti on the Uyuni salt flats

Budget

What a Uyuni tour really costs: prices, park fees and cash

The advertised price, the fees that are never in it, and how many bolivianos to have in your pocket before you leave town.

The Siloli desert on the three-day Uyuni circuit

Planning

What to pack for a Uyuni salt flats tour

A list built around three facts: the sun is doubled by the salt, the second night is below freezing, and there is no shop after you leave town.

Photography on the Uyuni salt flats

Planning

When to see the mirror effect on the Uyuni salt flats

The months, the water depth and the one trade-off nobody warns you about.

The Sol de Mañana geysers at almost 5,000 m

Health

Altitude on the Uyuni tours: how to arrive ready

The real numbers, what acute mountain sickness feels like, and the three days that decide it.

Laguna Colorada, reached only on the 3-day route

Choosing a tour

1 day or 3 days: which Uyuni tour is right for you?

What each one covers, what the three-day route costs you in comfort, and who should pick which.