Back to Uyuni in 2024, One-Day Tour of the Flooded Salt Desert (Bolivia)
Our visit to the Uyuni Salt Flat (Salar de Uyuni) when it was completely flooded remains one of the most extraordinary experiences of our first round-the-world trip. We timed our visit to return exactly mid-January.
Part 1: Travel Journal
Part 2: Practical Tips
Part 1: Travel Journal
We took the bus between Copacabana and Uyuni (prices and tips here). The travelers we met on Isla del Sol told us they hadn’t seen “a single drop of water” two weeks earlier, which worries me a bit. We arrive at 6 a.m. and indeed, the whole town is completely dry.
This time, we arrive at the new bus terminal (https://maps.app.goo.gl/RN8wEtvGYPGvp9rd9), farther from the city center, and we have to walk 15 minutes to the hotel I’d spotted (Yokoso Hostal). What was supposed to be a quick one- or two-night stay turned into seven nights, because in the meantime we changed our plans. This hotel can’t be booked online; they only put one room on Booking even though they have about twenty rooms. Don’t hesitate to show up unannounced and ask to see the rooms; they have rooms with shared bathrooms and ones with private bathrooms. The shower water is lukewarm, but if you time it right, you can get it hot.
We anxiously follow the weather forecast, and when it rains cats and dogs in Uyuni that very evening, we’re relieved. We contact agencies on WhatsApp and ask them for “proof” that they’ll take us where there’s water… and no agency dares to guarantee there will be water, which isn’t reassuring at all. We wait another day for a huge rain before booking a one-day tour with an agency picked at random on the street. Unfortunately, this agency “sells us” to another agency, which is very good, but I don’t like the fact of contracting with one agency only to be handed off to another.
As I explained 7 years ago, I can only do day tours because I suffer from altitude sickness. Even on this route (Uyuni – Sud Lipez), there are moments when we cross 5,000 meters, and given the altitude sickness I get whenever we change by 200 meters, I’d rather not. Day tours are made for people like me, or for Bolivians and Chileans who can’t afford 3-4 days in a jeep. We stay only in the salt desert, and the altitude is the same everywhere.
Train Cemetery
Like all tours, we start by visiting the old trains.
Since we’re the last to get into the van, I’m seated in the middle with JB to my right. It’s very uncomfortable because there’s a hole in the backrest and it moves a lot, hurting my back. I notice a child in the back with his mother; there’s plenty of empty space, so I move there. Surprise: the mother looks disappointed and resigns herself to taking my spot in the middle because she wants to leave as much space as possible for her son in the back. I’m shocked by her response because the kid and I don’t take up much room. Why would she sacrifice herself to that extent? Is he a little prince or what?
Sometimes I think we’re responsible for our own misfortunes; no one victimizes us if we become victims ourselves. There’s a Korean series recently aired. It’s about a woman who, after living a life of misery, goes to heaven. In heaven, she’s given a second chance to redo her life, and is sent back to exactly the moment she was about to get married. This time, she (No. 1) decides not to make the same mistakes, not to marry her husband, and it’s another woman (No. 2) who ends up marrying him. We see that with the same man, No. 2 managed to live a pleasant life because she doesn’t let her husband walk all over her, whereas No. 1 had suffered a lot with the same man because she didn’t respect herself and completely effaced herself before him. So even if there are bad people who mistreat us, if we let them beat us down, it’s also our fault. There’s an English saying: “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.“
When we stop for a bathroom break, I don’t let it go and ask the lady again why she doesn’t sit in the back with us; there’s plenty of room. She tells me the little one needs room to sleep (he’s not sleeping). I’m dumbfounded and don’t know what to say until the guide, who heard everything, suggests another arrangement: JB and I can sit in the back, and the whole family (the lady, her son, and the father who had isolated himself by sitting next to the driver) can sit together in the middle. Everyone agrees, and afterward, the atmosphere became much more cheerful. The little one is surrounded by his parents and can’t stop showing his enthusiasm and asking questions; the mom seems happier too because she’s with her family. The solo traveler enjoys the view from his seat next to the driver. Everyone is happy.
Since our agency was resold to another one, I have to stay alert to find a more reliable agency for JB, who will explore Sud Lipez on his own. At the “pit stop” rest area, I spot a jeep that catches my attention. I don’t know why, but I felt that the tourists inside were particularly cheerful and well settled. The car wasn’t that new or nice, but the roof was neatly packed. And unlike other jeeps, this one parked in a particularly accessible spot, which shows the driver’s attention to detail. I note the agency’s name (Skyline Traveller), and my intuition will be right: it’s good, JB will really enjoy Sud Lipez with that agency; I’ll let him explain the why’s and how’s in his own article.
Back to our one-day tour. We’re taken to see medicinal water springs, super salty but beneficial for arthritis and the digestive system. JB has to drink some, it’s mandatory! (JB’s note: only take a tiny sip; it’s so salty it’s disgusting!).
The guide (who is also our driver) explains that we need to be very careful driving around here. When it rains and the water rises, you can’t see these springs well and risk getting stuck here because it’s quite deep (up to your knees). The guide also says that the salt flat is made of layers of salt and water, not just salt as one might imagine.
We then visit a place with salt sculptures. I’m happy because it’s a nice change from the tour we did 7 years ago. This place wasn’t on the program last time. The entrance costs us 10Bs extra, but since we babble a few words of Spanish, the guide takes the initiative to make us pass as Bolivians (which is physically very plausible!) hahaha, so we only pay 5Bs.
We spot two motorcyclists. I’m very surprised to see them here because it’s always discouraged to drive in the salt flat alone without a guide; the place is immense and easy to get lost. I learn they’re from Brazil and they’ve ridden all the way up from Chile to get here. I ask them how they don’t get lost in the desert, and they reply “GPS”. The network must have improved significantly since then, because even our driver has a bit of 4G to share with us (he says we have to take Entel).
You can see that there’s not just salt beneath us:
Unlike last time, we have lunch in the middle of the salt flat. The table and chairs were stored on the roof of the jeep. The meal is simple but super tasty. The roast chicken is very tender. JB, now without his gallbladder, doesn’t dare eat much when we’re on the move, and regrets not being able to enjoy it more. At one point, a tourist asks why the mayo is spicy, and the guide replies that his agency works with many Korean agencies. Koreans eat spicy food and want their kimchi even in the desert, along with their metal chopsticks. Koreans must be the new Chinese: unable to adapt or take an interest in other countries’ cuisine, even when traveling, as JB recounted during his climb to Everest Base Camp. Even on the way to Everest they had their kimchi…
The guide now sets up to take our photos. Since the salt flat is flat, immense, and with no vegetation, we can play with perspective.
What we see:
What it looks like in the photo:
We even did a little choreography:
We’ll see a few holes in the ground, and digging a little, we’ll find some earth mixed with the salt. A red jeep passes by and asks our guide where the salt sculptures are. After hearing the answer, they head in the opposite direction. 10 minutes later, as expected, we see it again, still going the wrong way hahahaha. So even though GPS works in the middle of the desert, some people know how to use it and others don’t. Our guide explains that he doesn’t need GPS; the mountains all look different, so he just looks at them to know which way to go.
We stop at a hotel entirely built of salt for a pit stop. Usually, agencies come here with their meals, and tourists have lunch here, but I think it’s too crowded, which is why we had to eat in the desert.
I spend 10 minutes queuing in front of the women’s toilets and don’t even have time to see the “Dakar” sculpture or the flags. But I saw them last time, so no regrets.
We can finally move on to the flooded part. I’m so excited I forget we skipped the cacti, again. But I don’t care about the cacti since we’ll get the great pleasure of seeing flamingos.
We first stop at a very windy spot. Because a storm was coming and would whip our faces. It feels weird to be in this kind of storm. Since there’s no sand, it’s not dirty; there’s just a lot of wind, that’s all.
The agency provided boots, but they don’t have JB’s size. Luckily, I had anticipated this scenario and advised him to bring flip-flops. Another tourist notices and finds it much funnier; he also puts away the boots and walks in flip-flops like JB.
Then we go to a place with more water to take nice photos. There are too many clouds for a proper sunset, but no regrets. Compared to our visit 7 years ago, it’s much less impressive; the “mirror” effect is almost absent due to the wind, but we’re happy because we know that what we experienced last time was exceptional.
At one point, JB hands me something while I’m sitting in the car. I close the car door and hear JB scream. It takes me a few seconds to realize the door closed… on JB’s wrist. He’ll have a huge bump for a week. Oops.
JB will return to the salt desert a few days later for his Jeep tour (2 nights, 3 days). He’ll have more water than me, but it’s not exactly a flood like we had 7 years ago.
While JB is away, I’ll stay alone in Uyuni. Since I’ve regained energy and enthusiasm, I coded non-stop and managed to translate several books (from Chinese to Vietnamese) thanks to OpenAI. I worked so much that JB thought I had sent him off to explore on his own so I could geek out in my corner, haha.
If you don’t suffer from altitude sickness like JB, take the 3-4 day Jeep tour (900Bs). The first day will look exactly like what you do on the one-day tour.
I can enjoy a few barbecues, but the food in Uyuni isn’t amazing either. It pours rain every evening, there’s a big storm, the streets get super dirty, and there’s dust everywhere during the day. I really like Uyuni at first, but I’m relieved to leave after a week too.
There’s a restaurant I really like called Bouquet Du Vin Vinoteca, run by a Bolivian woman who speaks French. She offers a very hearty lunch menu for 25Bs (soup + main course) that’s delicious. I highly recommend it!
Part 2: Practical Tips
- One-day tour with agency ArielMagic Tours: 200Bs/person + 5Bs to see the salt sculptures
- For the 3-day, 2-night tour, JB went with agency Skyline Traveller (900Bs)
- Restaurant: Bouquet Du Vin Vinoteca, 25Bs for the daily menu
- Accommodation: Yokoso hostal: 180Bs/night, room with private bathroom
- Everything must be paid in cash; they easily take 5% commission for any card payment
- You can withdraw money without fees with your Boursorama Ultim card at Banco Fie. Beware, the banks aren’t visible on Google Maps, so you’ll need to ask locals
- Laundromats in Uyuni are very expensive; we often pay 15€ each time, maybe because the salt ruins the washing machines, hence the exorbitant price
- Bring with you:
- lots of sunscreen
- a hat
- sunglasses
- flip-flops
- a towel to wipe your feet (or wet wipes like baby wipes)
- water
- a power bank because you’ll take many photos
- bring a sweater; it gets cold in the evening
- some small change to pay for toilet access (5Bs/person)
