From the Salar de Uyuni to San Pedro Atacama

One of the most touristic place in Bolivia is the Salar of Uyuni. Uyuni is a town next to the biggest salt lake in the world (according to bolivians). In Uyuni, I said goodbye to my friends Sarah and Kiko who are now on their way to brasil, which means our ways will not cross again. We had a great time in Uyuni, hanging out, eating Pizza, drinking beer, visting the train graveyard, enjoying the incredible sunset, and drinking lots of freshly made fruit juice. Sarah and Kiko left for Potosi and I left on my trip through the salar. We were 6 people, marie and sophie from france, olivier and harold from france, and carey from australia. Our driver was Javier. Off we left for a 3-4 day trip to the Salar and the Lagoons.

Day 1 - At the Train Cemetary in Uyuni

Day 1: Travel across the Salar (salt), Colchani Salt pans, explore Isla del Pescado, an "island" in a sea of salt and stay at the salt hotel. The salt hotel is built of salt block and beds, tabels and chairs are made of salt blocks. It's a rather cozy place with salt on the floors, nice beds, clean bathrooms with hot showers and great food. Three of us opted to sleep outside under the stars which was incredible.

Day 1 - The vast expanse of the Salar

The Uyuni Salt Pan is located on the Bolivian high plateau at altitudes of over 3,600 meters above sea level. Several rivers empty into this area, mainly the Rio Grande de Lipez, originating a floodplain area with very shallow water cover.

This salt pan is considered a source of national pride in Bolivia. It constitutes a major reserve of lithium, potassium, boron and magnesium. The Colchani Salt Pan processes a large part of the salt consumed in Bolivia. The extraction by traditional methods is worth watching. The buildings in this town are mostly streaked with dry salt deposits. It is 21 km from Uyuni.

Day 2: Day of lagunas (lakes). We saw a vareity of flamingos (three types of pink flamingos congregate around the lagunas) and beautiful colours of the Laguna Chiarcota, Laguna Canapa, and Laguna Hedionda. Visited the Arbol de Piedra (Rock Tree)and rocks of Dali and stopped at a place that features the cute little creatures called Vizcacha, a cross between a rabbit and a squirrel. They are about the size of a big rabbit, but have a long curly tail. We spent the night in a refugio at an altitude of 4800 meters, near the Laguna Colorada.

Day 2 - Arbol de Piedra

Day 3: Woke up at 5am, then we visited steam vents, hot springs, and more lagunas. Went for a dip (feet only because of time constraints) in a natural hot spring. Visited Laguna Verde and Laguna Blanca. Then we had to hurry up to get to the Bolivian border checkpoint as three of us left for Chile. A minibus took all the passangers from the Jeep tours to the chilean border town of San Pedro de Atacama. Continuously inhabited for some 10,000 years, San Pedro de Atacama was coveted by the Tihuanaco and Inca empires for its mineral wealth and importance as a crossroads of desert commerce. Today, dozens of archaeological sites, and excellent museum, and nearby access to the Altiplano, massive salt flats, the Valle de la Luna and pre-Hispanic communities of the río Loa make San Pedro northern Chile's top tourist destination. Here I stayed two days in the Hostal Florida and left today for Salta, Argentina. San Pedro is an overprized tourist town, catering to tourists coming from Bolivia or the south of Chile.

Day 2 - Isla de Pescadores

Day 2 - Vizcacha closeup

Day 3 - Painted Hills

Laguna Canapa Flamingos

Laguna Hedionda