The Big Trip: Bolivia Part 3: Uyuni and Beyond

After a long, bumpy but incredibly scenic journey from Potosi we finally arrived in Uyuni, the starting point for a three day tour across the Salar de Uyuni towards the Chilean border.

Uyuni is a dull and depressing town so after booking our tour and having bought supplies we wasted no time in visiting the local drinking establishments for a couple of swift ones before bed.

The trip didn't start well. Not only do we leave late but the driver, guide and cook promised for the trip all turn out to be the same person who as it soon transpires cannot drive, guide or cook.

So, our first stop was the salt flats themselves, the largest in the world, a stunning white sea of salt stretching as far as they eye can see. The edge of the sea is peppered with rows of salt pyramids recently 'farmed' from the flats by itinerant workers. After tarping the bottom of the Toyota to protect it from the salt we made our way across the lake for about 4 hours to a beautiful cactus adorned island complete with a shoreline still visible from a time before the sea dried up. We took lunch here then drove for another few hours to San Juan, a small ramshackle town on the far shore of the lake where we spent a cold night in a dormitory.

The next day, after another late start, we travel through some stunning landscapes stopping at bizarre rock formations and a flamingo lake. Our driver seemed to resent his guiding duties and would only speak when spoken to, thus we found it easier to resort to our guidebooks to tell us what we were looking at. We finally rocked up at another camp for the evening where after more decidingly dodgy food we drank rum in a vain attempt to warm ourselves up from the cold desert air.

The best of the tour was definitely saved for the last day. An early start saw us drive to some spectacular geysers and steam vents. Then whilst lunch was being prepared we took the opportunity to bath in thermal springs before heading off to our last detsination before the border, the Laguna Verde, a beautiful lake tinged green by algae and dominated by a perfect coned volcano.

At the border with Chile , a dusty outpost in the middle of the desert with one small building and a pointless road barrier, we said goodbye to the others and also to Bolivia which has to be one of the most varied and fascinating countries in the world, and certainly my favourite so far.

Click here for all the Uyuni photos.

Click here for all Bolivia photos.

Stuff:

Excusion $75 from Uyuni with Oasis Tours who I would not recommend. A four day tour takes you back across the side of the salt flats to Uyuni visiting a train graveyard amongst other things.