Tupiza – Uyuni
4 Days / 3 Nights
1st Day:
We will leave Tupiza at 07:30 and visit the Quebrada de Palala, a spectacular jagged rock formation, formed over many years by intense erosion of the mountain side. After this you will head on to the Sillar where you will have a few minutes to get out and enjoy this dramatic landscape before we continue on through Nazarenito, a small gold mining community. Finally, you will arrive at San Pablo de Lípez (4250m- population 250). Then you will go to San Antonio de Lípez. You will head through the abandoned ghost town of San Antonio, a village once famous for its wealth in gold. After San Antonio you will pass Laguna Morejón and the area of the same name, with formations of eroded volcanic rock. You will pass through the town of Quetena Chico. Where we are going to spend the first night.
2nd Day:
We will continue traveling to Quetena Grande and arrive at your first lagoon- Laguna Kolpa. Here large amounts of raw material are extracted for making soap. If you want, you can get out and take a few photographs before continuing on through the Salar the Chalviri to arrive at the hot springs in time for a swim and some lunch. You will have about an hour stop here.
Your next stop after lunch will be the Laguna Verde (4250 msnm), it is a saltwater lake located in the high Andes National Wildlife Reserve Andean Eduardo Abaroa, Bolivia, in the Potosí highlands. It has a size of 3.7 kilometres long and 2.3 kilometres wide and covers an area of 5.2 km2. It is coupled with the White by a small lagoon close, and presents an emerald green coloration due to the high mineral content of magnesium in its waters. Coastal has a perimeter of 10 kilometres, found at the feet of Volcano Licancabur (5868m), which represents the border between Chile and Bolivia. For your interest: Laguna Verde´s rich green colour is caused by the high arsenic and magnesium content in the water.
El Desierto de Dalí (110 km2) is our next stop, a place with mountains of surrealist colours, reminiscent of the photos of Salvador Dalí and rock formations of petrified lava. Then we will spend the 2nd night in Villamar or Huayllajara.
3rd Day:
After the breakfast you will go to Laguna Colorada, the tree stone and the valley of the rocks. From here you will drive past a series of lagoons to arrive at Laguna Hedionda to have lunch. Here you will see flamingos, vicuñas and possibly even an Andean fox. Then you will go to San Juan, a small town. After lunch we will pass by volcano Ollagüe, which is classed as semi-active, as its crater is constantly releasing smoke and continue through the Salar de Chiguana, San Juan and finally Puerto Chuvica (Basic Salt Hotel).
4th Day:
Today we will start the trip around 05:00 to see the sunrise in the middle of Salar de Uyuni. We will cross the immense Salar de Uyuni (3663 msnm- 12,000 km2). The Salar de Uyuni is the largest salt plain in the world, stretching away in all directions as far as the eye can see. From here you can see volcano Tunupa impressively overhanging. The salt flats are made up of 11 separate layers with a thickness that ranges from 2 to 10m. The depth of salt is 120 meters, which is composed of overlapping layers of brine and mud lake.It is the biggest reserve of minerals such as lithium, magnesium, potassium , nitrogen, phosphorus and borax in the world. It has 14 small islands, the most important is the Incahuasi Island.
Around the island you can see the Ojos del Agua; literally translated as ‘eyes of water’, these are springs which act as pores for the salt flats. Leaving the salt bed we will visit Colchani, the village where the salt is processed. Here there are various artesanias to buy, both salt and Alpaca, which are the two main industries in the area.
Finally, after visiting the Cemetery of Trains whose characteristic are locomotives of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the tour finishes in Uyuni at around 14:00 in the central part of the city.
The tour includes: Jeep 4×4 on the tour, driver speaks Spanish and is also guide, full board on the tour, 3 nights lodging.
The tour does not include: Sleeping bag, water and snacks, admission ticket to Fish Island, park Avaroa and others.
Price per person: 249 USD (minimum 1 person – backpacker service).
For tours that start within 48 hours please send us an e-mail
