Salar de Uyuni is the world’s largest salt flat, located in Southwestern Bolivia at 12,000 feet in elevation. We traveled by Jeep from Chile through spectacular landscapes in the Altiplano to reach it.
Best Thing I Ate This Week
Hamburguesa con Papas and Cuadril de Parrilla in Uyuni
Uyuni is the closest city (a population of about 30,000 people) to Salar de Uyuni, and was our last stop on our journey from San Pedro de Atacama through the Bolivian Altiplano. Upon arriving, it was nice to return to paved roads, cell service, and the other comforts of modern life after a few days traveling through rugged nature.
Walking around town in the evening we were impressed with how lively Uyuni was with various people of all ages hanging out, street vendors cooking up food, and school bands playing before sporting events. The street vendors caught our eyes and the first that we visited was located in Parque de Uyuni called Hamburguesas La Paz. They had a long line all night and were constantly preparing their signature burger topped with french fries and your choice of condiments. The burger was so good that my only regret was not ordering more than one but the line was too long to wait for a second.
Luckily, nearby were other restaurants that were preparing delicious meat street-side on large parrillas (grills). La Chapaquita Churrasqueria Restaurante stood out to us, so we went there to split a main dish. Initially, we wanted to share a sampler platter but the waitress let us know it was much better to order a premium cut of beef and recommended we split a Cuadril. Normally, I don’t enjoy large steaks but she was not wrong to recommend this one. It was cooked to perfection and delicious. The meat also came with french-fries, rice, and a salad bar while traditional Bolivian music videos played on a TV in the restaurant.
An Interesting Fact I Learned
Rainy season transforms Salar de Uyuni into the largest mirror
Salar de Uyuni is the world’s largest salt flat measuring approximately 4,000 square miles and is located in the Potosi region of southwestern Bolivia. The salt flat was created tens of thousands of years ago when the lakes in the region dried up. Today, due to its otherworldly appearance, it is a top tourist destination in Bolivia and is a filming destination for movies such as Star Wars the Last Jedi.
We were excited to visit the salt flat because of the amazing optical illusions that can be created due to the flat white salt that stretches for miles in every direction. Additionally, we were looking forward to exploring Isla Inchahuasi, which is an island that juts out in the middle of the salt flat and is filled with giant cacti.
One of the most amazing features of Salar de Uyuni is that, when it rains, the ground transforms into the world’s largest mirror. Water pools on top of the salt flat which creates a natural mirror that is breathtaking to see. In particular, when the sun starts to go down, the colors reflect off the mirror resulting in unforgettable views. The rainy season lasts from November to March, and our visit coincided towards the end of April so it was not certain if there would be any water during our visit. Luckily our guides knew where to go to find the remaining wet spots, and we were able to experience this incredible mirror phenomenon during a perfect sunset.
My Travel Tip of the Week
Acclimate to altitude before touring at high elevations
Altitude sickness can be a serious problem for people of all ages and varying levels of fitness. While visiting high-elevation places in Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia, we were constantly reminded of tips on how to combat the effects of it. Some of the most common advice included drinking lots of water, avoiding drinking carbonated beverages or milk, limiting alcohol consumption, and avoiding eating large meals. Additionally, locals swore by chewing on coca leaves or sucking on carmelitas de coca which may not be common in all countries of high elevation but was prevalent in this region of the world.
Besides these tips, the most concrete advice that we received was to spend a few days acclimating to altitude and to gradually work your way up to higher elevations, if possible. Luckily for us, our travel worked out so that we gradually were making our way up to higher elevations over time, and normally we were sleeping at a lower elevation in the evenings than the highest places we visited during the day which is also said to help reduce the risk of sickness. The biggest impacts that we felt during our travels was shortness of breath and slight fleeting headaches.
However, not everyone followed the tips above, and we saw firsthand how debilitating altitude sickness can be as other travelers needed to be put on oxygen, were so unwell they couldn’t walk, and some even had to be taken away in ambulances. If possible, follow the advice above to try to limit altitude sickness, especially when traveling in the Bolivian Altiplano. A trip through the Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve will be common to spend the majority of time above 14,000 feet in elevation, and the last thing you want is to miss out on all the incredible landscapes due to illness.
My Additional Anecdote This Week
A great guide and group make for a more memorable tour
In order to make the most of the journey from San Pedro de Atacama to Uyuni most tourists choose to participate in a 3 day, 2 night tour through the Bolivian Altiplano rather than take a normal commuter bus to Calama and then Uyuni. We chose the tour option and the trip resulted in some of the most incredible landscapes I have ever seen.
The tour goes through the Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve, home to white, green, and pink lagoons filled with vicunas, llamas, and flamingos. Also, on the tour, you experience numerous aspects of geothermal activity such as relaxing at Termas de Polques, walking near lava pits at Sol de la Manana, and exploring Italia Perdida, volcanic rock shaped by wind over centuries. The end of the trip is the main attraction as you spend sunset at Salar de Uyuni, sunrise at Isla Inchahuasi, and plenty of time taking fun photos around the salt flat.
