Day tour of the salt flats

Above:  That’s me, on the salt flats of Uyuni.

We had a leisurely breakfast before our 1030 departure for our one-day tour of the salt flats, departing a few doors away. Sharing the vehicle were a very soft-spoken couple from Chicago and two French-speaking Swiss girls.

We drove past the airport and beyond and pulled into a village near the edge of the salt flat. It was a toilet and shopping stop as there were lots of souvenirs.

From thereon, it was on to the salt flats. I was disappointed that it looked a little brown and muddy but that soon gave way to bright white once we got past the edge. There was a polygonal pattern on the surface through most of it. I noticed that the edges were unevenly sized and the number of edges varied too (five to seven perhaps).

We called into a salt hotel (described by the guide as a salt museum) where a collection of flags from different countries was planted on the outside. The building was made from blocks of salt where one could see the patterns (layers). Apart from that, there wasn’t of much interest and I certainly wouldn’t pay good money to stay there. It was B5 to use the toilet here but we had been warned.

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We continued to Isla Incahuasi which was a rocky out crop full of cacti. Lunch was served there about 1400 consisting of lots of quinoa, veges and chops. We were given time to walk to the peak of the “island” but we had already made an attempt before lunch. It was essentially an expensive toilet at B30 (you can’t enter or use the toilet unless you buy a ticket).We used time to have a good look around the flats before hopping back into the vehicle.

On the way back, we stopped at a spring where salty water bubbled from cracks in the salt crust. It looked hot but it wasn’t. That was near the edge of the salt flat and we continued back to town thereafter. It had been an awesome day.

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All of us found the one-day trip adequate. I don’t think we would have seen a lot more on a three-day trip perhaps the flamingoes and some sights that aren’t strictly in the salt flats.

We finished the tour about 1700 which gave us some time to relax in our room which we had paid an extra night for. We grabbed dinner after a rest and returned to the room to freshen up and pack.

The train ticket counter opened after 2030 and we were able to collect our tickets and return to our room to retrieve our luggage and check-out before boarding the 2140 service for Villazon.

The train departed on time. We were pleased to have paid a little more to have the Executive Class seat for the 9h ride. A bottle of water and a snack pack was provided before the flights were turned down/off. On average, I reckon the train travelled at around 30 km/h and was very click-clackety. Through the darkness, I noticed some canyon-like rocks for a portion but otherwise the scenery was desert-like.