It’s not a secret that Bolivia is one of the poorest countries in South America, but it is gifted with greatest natural treasures.
The most famous is Salar de Uyuni. Tours are advertised in every travel book and is a must see while visiting Bolivia. To be honest, this tour was the only reason we actually came to Bolivia. But the experience was far more different from what we’ve expected. Lets visit this otherworldly land where nature is still allowed to play by its own rules.
Uyuni, the town abutting the salar,is so sun-baked and desolate that you can almost hear a dust rolling around as you walk the streets. Nothing happening here apart from starting point of the tours. Streets are studded with travel agencies that offer ‘same same but different’ tour to salt flats. You can also find a few restaurants around the square and hostels with no heating.
From Bolivia’s capital La Paz it’s a 12 hours bus ride on paved and unpaved road, mostly unpaved and icy. Many companies serving this route from central station, get there early and negotiate! I need to bring one thing to everyones attention: all agencies say there is a heating in buses, no, there isn’t! Pile up with clothes, sleeping bags, towels and whatever else you have, otherwise, death might sneak upon you. We paid $12 one way. On the way back we went to La Paz and changed for another overnight bus to Santa Cruz (El Dorado bus company leaving 2pm, B.180 for cama seats, which is worth paying since you have a 20h journey ahead).
Could barely sleep on this route, as the roads were so bad, people kept falling off their seats. Let me explain- we were driving on sand and lumps of ice. Even windows got frozen from inside! You look around and all 12 hours there is nothing of nothingness around, which makes me think: ‘does anyone actually live here?!’
And when we reach Uyuni around 5am I realise that people do live here. My next question would be ‘HOW?’
Getting out of the freezing bus into even more freezing outside was the winner of a ‘torture or the month’. We haven’t looked into hostels before arriving and with a tight choice, there was almost nothing at that time of a day. No night guards to rent rooms, no cafes to warm up, all is left is to curl into group ball and pray for the sunrise.
We got the overpriced basic room with 3blankets, no heating and hot shower, but only an hour a day. Let me confess, it was the longest time I didn’t have a proper shower, I know it puts me to shame, but try to bath in -20C and we will talk about it after.
Once we settled in another mission was awaiting, to choose a travel agent. Prices vary from $80 to $180 for 3 day tours and it’s hard to make a decision, since most of them look dodgy anyway.
After the longest walk around and negotiations, we chose company called Latitude and paid B.700 and were ready to leave for the most exciting trip the next morning. That’s where everything will start to go horrid.
The Trip
Our driver packed our 4×4 with backpacks and tanks of gasoline lashed to the roof, and in the spaciously comfortable car we were all ready to start the trip. There was six of us on the tour: a couple from Germany, us (two lithuanians) and another two guys from US and Germany as well.
First stop was just 3 kilometers outside of Uyuni- Train cemetery. In the late 19th century, trains played a very important role in the history of Uyuni, as minerals were transported from here to the Pacific Ocean. And nowadays, it’s a wrecked old steam locomotives surprising the tourists in a middle of a dusty field.
Salty, white, endless… Salar de Uyuni, the world’s largest salt flat. There’s something unnerving about an optical illusion that can’t be unseen. You can prod it, squint, examine it from any angle, and still the definition doesn’t fade, the edges don’t blur. You start to question your grip on reality. The salt tends to crystallize in polygonal rings—hexagons, mostly, about a foot in diameter—which curl up at the edges, like kitchen tiles in need of re-grouting. But it’s amazing to your eyes, to your mind and to your heart. There is a Isla de Pescado nearby, an island with hundreds of gigantic cactuses in a middle of all the whiteness.
After taking tons of crazy and fun pictures in salt flats, our jeep was on the way to a salt hotel, with floors, walls, tables and our beds made from salt! Accommodation was very basic but I’ve somehow expected worse. To my readers, I licked it, and it did taste like salt:)
The following day rise and shine was before the sun got up. We had to leave early to keep up with the plan. We pass through the Chuguana desert area where the scenery includes a number of extinct volcanoes plus the semi active Ollague. As the journey continues we pass by high altitude three colorful lagoons that are home to 3 species of flamingo: Canapa, Hedionda and Honda. One was more stunning than the other. By the way did you know that flamingos live in high altitudes? Our final destinations for the day is Arbol de Piedra, which makes you feel a bit like you have just stepped on a moon and “Laguna Colorada”- an amazing red colored lagoon with red, black, white and surrounded by brown sand and a deep blue sky. Makes you feel like you’re in one of the National Geographic episodes. We got in the car and drove. Instead of people, we saw herds of llamas and alpacas.
The second night we spent in a higher altitude then the night before. Temperature got lower and the air thicker. Our group spent a night in a 6dorm bed basic room, with no electricity and an outside toilet. That night, when the main light was off, we got robbed by a drunk outsider, who got sick on our backpacks and ruined our further trip. Because while intoxicated drivers decided to take him to nearest police, they crashed the car and everyone had to go home. THE END. Not really, but with no sleep and effected by altitude we also had to squeeze in a car with two more people. To that point, no one wanted to continue the tour… So since we had to reach Chilean border to drop some passengers off, on the way we quickly saw geysers and Laguna Verde, shame we couldn’t enjoy it.
Apart from this tragic event, our guide/driver was extremely rude, not informative, ignorant and did not speak a word of english. On arrival back to Uyuni, we went to the office to express out disappointment and demand some refund. However, owners didn’t speak any english either, and even one of our team members could communicate in Spanish they were still stubborn and unwilling to accept their drivers reckless drinking. Would never recommend this company!
Uyuni highly depends on tourism and you have the feeling that the main streets only consist of travel agencies. However, travellers should take great care in choosing which tour operator to go with when visiting the salt flats. Fatal accidents due to unsafe vehicles and drunk drivers are not unheard of. Make sure your vehicles have seatbelts, emergency radio transmitters and first aid equipment, and don’t get shy from asking about guides’ levels of training and experience.
All tour operators DO NOT include the following extra fees: Entrance Isla del Pescado: 30 Bol pp and Entrance Eduardo Avaroa National park: 150 bol.
We have still seen an incredible beauty of Bolivia and it’s sad that further experience was such a fail. But if you’re planning to visit Salar de Uyuni and have any questions, please fire then straight here.
Initial plan after visiting Uyuni was to go to Potosi mines before heading to Santa Cruz, however it was impossible to pass because of a heavy storm and blocked roads. So instead we had to go back to La Paz and change bus to Santa Cruz (our final destination). All buses to La Paz leave at 8pm and needs booking a day in advance. We found Panasur to be the cheapest B.100 and it was surprisingly warm!
Till next time.
R.
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