The salt flat, the mirror and the high lagoons, combined with Machu Picchu and the Atacama Desert
The Salar de Uyuni in southwest Bolivia is the largest salt flat on Earth: more than 10,000 square kilometres of white salt at about 3,650 metres above sea level. In the dry months it is a dazzling crust of hexagonal tiles, and after the rains it becomes a mirror that reflects the clouds so perfectly that the horizon disappears.
We include Uyuni in our Peru and Bolivia journeys with private transfers, a 4x4 with an experienced driver and a guide, nights in salt hotels and stargazing on the salt flat. Most travellers fly to Uyuni from La Paz after Machu Picchu, Cusco and Lake Titicaca, so they arrive already used to the altitude. From Uyuni you can return to La Paz or continue overland across the lagoons to San Pedro de Atacama in Chile.
| Place | What you will see | Altitude |
|---|---|---|
| Salar de Uyuni | The largest salt flat on Earth, more than 10,000 km² of white crust, with perspective photos and sunset on the salt | About 3,650 m |
| Train Cemetery and Colchani | Rusting locomotives outside Uyuni, then the village where salt is still cut and processed by hand, with a crafts market | About 3,700 m |
| Incahuasi Island | A rocky island in the middle of the salt covered in giant cacti, with a short trail to the summit | About 3,700 m |
| Laguna Colorada | A red lagoon in the Eduardo Avaroa Reserve where Andean, Chilean and James’s flamingos feed, passing the Árbol de Piedra rock on the way | About 4,280 m |
| Sol de Mañana | A geyser basin with bubbling mud pots and fumaroles, followed by natural hot springs | About 4,850 m |
| Laguna Verde and Licancabur | A green lagoon beneath the almost 6,000 m cone of the Licancabur volcano, on the border with Chile | About 4,300 m |
Uyuni can be visited all year, and each season shows a different salt flat:
| Season | The salt flat | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| January to March: rainy season | A thin layer of water turns the salt into a giant mirror that reflects the sky | After heavy rain some areas, sometimes Incahuasi Island, cannot be reached, and we adapt the route |
| April to November: dry season | A white crust of hexagonal salt tiles, with the whole salt flat and the lagoon route open | June to August brings the clearest skies and the coldest nights, well below freezing at the lagoons |
| December | Transition month, often dry with the first storms | A good choice if you want warmer days and the chance of an early mirror |
Read our guides to the Uyuni mirror effect and the best time to visit Bolivia, month by month.
| Programme | What it covers | Our tours |
|---|---|---|
| One full day | Fly from La Paz, the Train Cemetery, Colchani, Incahuasi Island and stargazing on the salt, then fly back the next morning | Peru & Bolivia Discovery (14 days) |
| Two days | The salt flat on the first day, then the mining town of Pulacayo, the Tomave hot springs and the high lagoons of Warmy Kasilla and Orqo Kasilla | Peru & Bolivia Discovery (16 days) |
| Three days to Chile | The salt flat, the lagoons of the Eduardo Avaroa Reserve, Sol de Mañana and Laguna Verde, ending in San Pedro de Atacama | Peru, Bolivia & Chile Expedition (21 days) |
One full day shows the salt flat itself. Two or three days add the high lagoons and their flamingos, which many travellers find as memorable as the salt. See our Bolivia itineraries for 7, 10 and 14 days.
| Hotel | Where | Style |
|---|---|---|
| Palacio de Sal | On the edge of the salt flat near Colchani | A hotel built of salt blocks, with views over the salar |
| Luna Salada | On a hillside above the salt flat near Colchani | Salt hotel with panoramic rooms and glamping domes |
| Cristal Samaña | Near Colchani | A small salt hotel, close to the salt flat |
| Tayka del Desierto | In the desert on the lagoon route | Simple hotel in a remote area, where the choice is very limited |
On the three-day route to Chile, the night near Laguna Colorada is spent in simple lodgings: there are no luxury hotels in this remote part of the altiplano, and we choose the best available. The salt hotels near Colchani are the most comfortable in the region.
The Bolivian lagoons end at the Chilean border, a short drive from San Pedro de Atacama. Crossing from Uyuni to the Atacama Desert joins two of South America’s great landscapes in one journey, as on our Peru, Bolivia, Chile & Argentina Must-See Gems (30 days) and the Explorer (35 days). Read our complete Salar de Uyuni guide.
Sixteen days from Lima’s food scene to Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca and the Uyuni Salt Flats, with the PeruRail Titicaca train, Tiwanaku and stargazing in Uyuni.
Five weeks from the Peruvian Amazon and Machu Picchu across Uyuni and the Atacama to Mendoza’s wineries, Bariloche, Buenos Aires, Iguazú Falls and Rio.
A month-long journey from Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca across the Uyuni Salt Flats to the Atacama, Chile’s lake district, Bariloche and Buenos Aires.
Lima and Paracas, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca, La Paz and Uyuni, then Buenos Aires, Iguazú Falls and Rio de Janeiro.
From Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca to La Paz, across the Uyuni Salt Flats and coloured lagoons into Chile’s Atacama Desert, ending in Valparaíso and Santiago.
Five countries in one journey: the Galápagos Islands, Paracas, Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca, the Uyuni Salt Flats, Buenos Aires, Iguazú Falls and Rio de Janeiro.
Two weeks through the heart of the Andes: the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu, the PeruRail Titicaca train to Puno, La Paz and a stargazing night on the Uyuni Salt Flats.
Every Uyuni Salt Flats itinerary can be adapted to your dates and pace. Plan a tailor-made trip →
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Everything you need to know before traveling to Uyuni Salt Flats.
It depends on what you want to see. From January to March the rains can create the mirror effect; from April to November the salt is dry and white, and the whole salt flat and the lagoon route are open.
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