Have you ever felt nostalgic for the present moment? Like you’re having such an amazing experience that you start to miss it before it’s even over? That was the Bolivia Salt Flats tour for me, 3 days that became some of my favourite days and best memories.
Admittedly, Bolivia wasn’t one of the countries high on my radar before arriving in South America. In fact, I had zero expectations because I had kept the research to a minimum. I began my travels in Argentina and within a couple of weeks I was already hearing incredible stories of this Bolivia Salt Flat tour that was a must-do for every South American travel itinerary.
So what is the Bolivia Salt Flats tour?
There are a variety of lengths but the tour I took was 3 days and 2 nights crossing from San Pedro de Atacama (Northern Chile) to Uyuni in Bolivia or the same in reverse. It’s actually a really great way of doing the border crossing between Chile and Bolivia, as well as seeing the astounding landscapes that Bolivia has to offer.
Each day you are driven from site to site whether that is a lagoon to see the flamingos, canyons and rock formations or the sunrise on the Bolivia Salt Flats. It is 3 days of incredible nature, wildlife and people! You really get to know the people you are on the tour with, those in your car and also the others making the same tour as you. I made so many friends and the people really did make the experience incredible.
What company did I choose?
I went with the company Estrella del Sur as it was recommended to me and I would recommend this too as a great all-inclusive option. The exact tour I did can be found here. The price for shared dorms and shared bathrooms was really good at $220 USD per person which included all food, drink, accommodation and travel.
What do you do each day of the Bolivia Salt Flats tour?
Day 1-
An early start to the day in order to arrive early at the border crossing to Bolivia. You get picked up at your hostel in a minivan and once you have entered Bolivia you will meet the people you will be in a car with and have breakfast. This breakfast was honestly the best of the whole tour, so yum! And then you’re off!
Your first day consists of Lagunas, geysers, flamingos, thermal pools and volcanoes, making lots of stops in the 4×4 for photos and to explore. At the thermal pools, you pay to swim and then have a lunch break at a nearby restaurant. Accommodation that night is a simple hostel (if you choose the same tour) and you can shower, have a hot drink and then dinner is provided.
Day 2-
I should warn you, there are no lie-ins on this trip. Just early nights and early mornings so be prepared! It’s well worth it though. Groups depart at various times after breakfast and then you have a day full of rock formations, canyons and llamas.
On this final night of the tour, you will stay in a salt hotel! I had in mind some kind of igloo… I was highly disappointed when it was a normal hotel with a few salt walls but it was super comfortable and we got lots of wine with dinner.
Day 3 of the Bolivia Salt Flats tour-
The earliest wake-up of the tour, but this was my favourite day and a highlight of my backpacking trip. You get up at 3 or 4 am in order to drive in the pitch-black to the Bolivia Salt Flats. It feels like you’re driving on a flat surface for hours, and to be honest we probably were. Just as you can begin to see your surroundings, the car pulls up away from any other car on the salt and you wait to watch the sunrise.
I can’t quite explain how cool this experience was… and extremely cold so take lots of layers! You have breakfast at cactus island, an island in the middle of the Bolivia Salt Flats with over 2000 cacti, and you can explore the island for a fee (well worth it), before or after you eat. The views here were amazing.
Then you’re off to take the perspective photographs that you’ll see all over Instagram. This part is fun for a while but honestly, after a couple of photos it got quite repetitive, but our guide loved it so we continued for quite a while. Your day finishes with a visit to the original salt hotel (more igloo-like), a train graveyard and then your final lunch in Uyuni before you finish up!
What to know before doing the Bolivia Salt Flats Tour:
It gets quite high. Spend at least 2 days in San Pedro de Atacama before you begin your tour. The company delayed our start date by a day because they wanted us to acclimatise to the altitude a while longer before we began, and we’re glad we did! When we reached the border control we began to feel our heads from the new altitude.
To add to this take lots of layers as at times you will be very cold and at others it can be quite warm. Don’t forget that the sun is still super strong even when it’s cold so have sun cream to hand!
Have extra cash
I believe the company advised us before we left how much extra cash we’d need for extra little activities but don’t forget money for tipping your driver at the end too.
Snacks
You might want to take some snacks for the longer parts of the car journey or if you don’t enjoy the food they cook. We were really impressed with the food on the whole, but sometimes we wanted some snacks in the car to get us through the day.
Music
Our driver let us take over the aux which made the car ride much more enjoyable when you don’t fancy talking to your fellow tour mates anymore…so download some playlists.
No wifi
Finally, you won’t have much opportunity to connect with the outside world on this tour so bear that in mind. We personally loved that we could disconnect for a few days but just make sure you have the next stage of your travels booked/accommodation in Uyuni so you’re not stuck when you arrive.
I could not recommend this trip more highly to anyone planning on visiting South America. The Bolivia Salt Flats tour remains a highlight of my 3 months in the south and left with me so many wonderful memories.
Check out all the other Articles we have on South America HERE.
Leave a Reply