Don't bring your open wounds to the Salar de Uyuni

Next Stop: Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia (April 30 - May 2, 2011). One of the biggest attractions in Bolivia is crossing the Salar de Uyuni (salt flats) in a 4x4 vehicle over 3 days. (Because of the dangerous terrain, it is in your best interest to experience this part of Bolivia with an organized tour.) We chose to depart from San Pedro, Chile and end in Uyuni, Bolivia. (The only other departure points for the crossing are Uyuni and Tupizia, Bolivia). Luckily, in San Pedro there are numerous tour agencies that offer these trips - unfortunately, each one has mixed reviews. We visited a few agencies and essentially based our decision on the company that gave us the best "feeling." That's about all you can do, hope for the best. Hope that you get a good driver and a good 4x4, and hope that someone on your tour speaks Spanish, if you don't, because your driver won't know any English besides a few basic words. We chose Expediciones Estrella del Sur and we're glad that we did. Our 4x4 was in great condition, our driver, Andreas, was excellent, and our trip overall was AMAZING.

Saw: The Salar de Uyuni is the world's largest salt flat, covering approximately 11,000 sq km and it lies at about 3653m above sea level. If altitude sickness doesn't take your breath away, the stunningly beautiful landscapes surely will. It is such an otherworldly place that trying to describe it in writing hardly does it justice. I'll leave it to the pictures to re-cap the 3 day adventure.

The first stop was the Bolivian border crossing, definitely the
most rustic immigration stop I have ever come across. 

 

Everyone "does their business" behind this broken
down bus at the border



                          

                             Laguna Verde



Polques Hot Springs (The water was about 38C - the air maybe 5C)



Morning Sun Geyser - such a cheery name
 for something that emits toxic sulfur

                 

             Red lagoon with pink flamingos. The flamingos are pink because of
       the red algae they eat. Who knew?!

Do as the flamingos do

Our sweet ride

Desert lovin'

Rock tree - this is a natural formation



Volcano Ollague - it is active as you can see in
the tiny plume of smoke in the picture



Such risk takers! 



               

         Andreas concentrating on the risky water crossing (the salt flats were still a little flooded).
Our group was actually the first group to make the crossing this season since
the plains were still somewhat flooded from the rainy season.



A little less water, a little more salt

A salt island amid the flooded salt plains

                                  

                                   Isla de Los Pescadores (Fisherman's Island).
                                  A totally out-of-place island in the middle of the salt flats covered in cacti.
                              Some are thousands of years old.



Is it just me, or is this bizarre? A sea of salt, a desert island full of cacti and a mountain in the background...
what planet is this?



And now for the fun perspective shots on the salt flats:

Met: We had an awesome time in our 4x4 with Anthony and Claire (France) and Christina (USA) and of course, our amazing and loveable driver, Andreas. I can't thank him enough for keeping us safe and for ensuring that our trip was one that we'll never forget.



Stayed:

Hostal Huallajara - Our accomodation on the first night. I won't sugarcoat it, it was basic...and freezing!



    Hotel Candelaria - Our accomodation on the second night.
It was a salt hotel, entirely made of salt bricks. The staff
were so lovely and the rooms were very cute...albeit salty.