Day 1
UYUNI – TRAIN GRAVEYARD – COLCHANI – INCAHUASI ISLAND – AGENCHA
Start your tour off at 10:30 a.m. with a drive out to the Uyuni Salt Flats. The first stop is the haunting “Train Graveyard’, which is found on the outskirts of Uyuni. Get to see the first locomotives in Bolivia, and learn about their history, which connected several major cities. Now, corroded over time from the strong salt winds that run through this desert area, this makes for a great photo setting.
Then visit the small settlement of Colchani (salt miners’ workshops next to the salt flats), there, also find handicrafts made of salt, and textile art manufactured of llama and alpaca wool. These make excellent souvenirs to bring back home. Take photos as you cruise along the vast white expanse of salt, wade through “Ojos de Agua Salada” (salt water eyes), also visit: a hotel made completely out of salt which is currently used as a museum – restaurant, Flags of the world (Where you can bring yours and put there for free) and a Monument of Dakar racing.
After a morning of exploration, Lunch will be served near “Isla Incahuasi” (Fish Island), following that, have time to take a hike to the top of the island to see giant cacti and rock formations made of petrified coral.
Next, take time to organize your group for fun perspective- and proportion-distorted photos, set on the blinding white surface of the salt flats, playing around with the scene, you can be sure to take some funny, and memorable shots!
Finally, head to a spacious area for the unique experience of seeing a beautiful sunset over the salt flats, spreading its dazzling colors all over the Uyuni Salt Flats, and enjoying it with a glass of wine.
Arrive to Agencha town to have dinner and a night stay in the hostel.
Accommodation: Agencha Hostel – 2-beds, 3-beds, 4-beds, 5-beds, and 6-bed rooms + communal bathrooms.
* Optional: you can Upgrade First Night Hotel for 25 USD extra. (It includes: private room + private toilet + toilet paper + towel)
** The rainy season (from January to April): Hotel in Uyuni City (No access to the Salt Hostel during these months)
Rainy season is the time to appreciate the mirror effect from the first week of January to the first week of April.
Day 2
CHIGUANA DESERT – OLLAGÜE – ANDEAN LAGOONS – EDUARDO AVAROA NATIONAL RESERVE – SILOLI DESERT – STONE TREE – RED LAGOON
Start at 7:00 a.m. for breakfast. First stop, the Chiguana Desert on Uyuni salt flats Southside, surrounded by volcanoes such as Ollagüe, which is still active and can be seen from the lookout point.
Then, continue along the rocky road to visit: Cañapa, Hedionda, and Chiarcota Lagoons in which flamingoes can be seen.
After Lunch, enter to “Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve”, visit the Desert of Siloli (the highest and driest in the world), and take a picture next to the ‘Rock tree’ (a lava rock formation). Before arriving at the final destination, stop at the overlook point by the Red Lagoon to see more pink flamingos in their natural habitat and admire this intense red-colored lake. Stay the night at a hostel in Huayllajara.
Accommodation: Huayllajara Hostel shared 6-beds rooms + communal bathrooms.
**Optional: you can Upgrade Second Night Hotel for 25 USD extra. (It includes: private room + private toilet + toilet paper + towel)
Day 3
SOL DE MAÑANA GEYSER – HOT SPRINGS – DALI DESERT – GREEN LAGOON – UYUNI
Get off to an early start around 5:00 a.m. to visit the Sol de Mañana Geyser (5,000m) and walk next to fumaroles and steaming craters filled with boiling pots of mud at 150-200 Cº. then, have the opportunity to take a bath in an open air Hot Springs at a 35 Cº water.
The next places to appreciate are the Dali Desert (named after its resemblance to the surrealistic paintings of Salvador Dalí, this desert offers an impressive view with its combination of unique colors and shapes), and then explore the Green and white Lagoon (toxic copper water at the foot of the big Licancabur volcano, a few kilometers from the Bolivia-Chile border).
Then head back to Uyuni passing by beautiful scenery along the way and eating a picnic lunch along the roadside. On the way, pass by Rock Valley (Alota) and a small stop at San Cristobal Village.
Arrive to Uyuni town at 6:30 p.m.
For those who prefer to conclude their journey in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile, instead of returning to Uyuni, our Tour Guides will provide assistance for your border crossing at 10:30 a.m.
The drop-off point is at San Pedro de Atacama’s main square at 13:00 (Chilean Hour).
Option to connect to San Pedro de Atacama, Chile. You need to book this transfer in advance.
Travelers who choose the transfer to San Pedro de Atacama simply forfeit the trip back to Uyuni.
