Uyuni: Salt Flats

Getting to Uyuni

At our lodges on the salt flats there was no Internet and although now in a town the internet at our hotel isn't great and we can't upload any photographs yet to this website.

We travelled from Potosi to Uyuni. It wasn't the longest journey but an old bus with no seat belts and the scariest driver going up and down the windy roads at a ridiculous speed. Thankfully, we made it to our hotel in what was basically a one street town. In the afternoon we had our first trip into the salt flats.

On the Salt Flats

This is an amazing place around a 100km square of hexagonal shaped flat salt structures. They are famous with tourists for their photo opportunities. We started with a few in the light, taken by ourselves and the guides. Then had some snacks and wine on a set out table on the salt flats, totally unique experience. We were in the slushy flats as better for reflection pictures but today was cloudy. We all had company wellies provided for a very sexy look. All around were ominous storm clouds with thunder and lightening in the distance. It's very hard to get your head around it being slushy salt and not slushy snow, especially when we knew snow expected at home.

Light Fantastic

After this as it got dark the guides took some pictures of us all, using light effects. It was great fun and the pictures looked good on the camera will be good to get the downloads for a proper look. Early on there were a lot of other 4X4s on the flats but most went before it got dark so didn't feel over crowded.

Towards the end of this it started to rain heavily but they carried on to ensure everyone was photographed.

We then went back to our hotel via a pizza shop but by then it was 10pm so we weren't particularly hungry.

A second day on the salt flats

After a lay in we set off at 10am for the salt flats again. This time we set off on a 3 day adventure in 4x4s. We made a stop at a train cemetery which as the name suggested has rusting trains which we could climb over. There was also a place at the side that had created sculptures from the scrap. After this we had lunch next to where the Dakar Rally crossed for a few years after 2016. It must have been amazing seeing those cars race across the salt flats. We had lunch in a building built of salt and sat at salt table and chairs.

After lunch we had fun with perspective defying photographs. The pictures on Facebook show these better, but it was art imitating life with one of Karen's foot standing on a mini-Matthew. This was great fun and we finished with a few group pictures and videos. This area was all dry salt but laying for pictures etc did mean our clothes got covered in salt, let's hope the next laundry sorts them out.

We then drove to the floating island and stopped at an island on the flats. Driving to them they look like they are floating on the horizon. The one we went to seemed to mainly made from coral which makes sense as the salt flats were originally a massive lake. Now lots of cactus on it.

Our accommodation tonight is a lodge just outside the salt flats. These are amazing little huts with a thatched roof. Luckily they aren't full so the three married couples had a hut each, despite the warning that we might be sharing with others. It is another lodge supported by G adventures which helps provide jobs for locals.