What’s exactly the Uyuni’s Salt Flat?

Located in the southwest part of Bolivia, the Uyuni Salt Flats is the largest know salt desert on the planet.

With an area of over 10.868 square kilometers, this salt flat is bigger than New Jersey (U.S.A.) and Kosovo or Cyprus (Europe). And it could also be seen from the space as a white spot in South America.

Besides its size, Uyuni has various characteristics that make this destination unique. According to the Bolivian authorities, Uyuni contains 10 million tons of lithium making Bolivia the country with the most abundant lithium reserves.

In the past, Uyuni used to be part of Lake Minchin. A big lake formed by the movement of the tectonic plates that was considered to be one of the largest and highest in the continent. According to different researches, the real size of this lake used to connect Lake Poopo in Oruro and Salar de Uyuni in Potosí. So we could say that it was bigger than Lake Titicaca in La Paz.

Lake Minchin existed 45.000 years ago and the proof for this theory relies on the uranium found deep into the big Salar de Uyuni.

The uranium helps to determine the age of calcium carbonate materials such as speleothem or coral. Coral is found all around and inside Salar de Uyuni so it’s also a sign that the water covering the Salt Flats was once full of marine life and salty water.

All tours to Salar de Uyuni come with additional tour attractions to make the experience even better. But here we’d like to tell you about what’s exactly to see within the Salt Flats.

Depending on where you start the tour you might see the following attractions in a different order, but let’s assume you started in Uyuni town.

The first thing to see is Eyes of Water (aka Ojos de Sal), a type of groundwater generated by underground rivers inside the Salt Flat that connect in one point with oxygen pressure that makes them pop out of the surface through cracks and fractures in the giant salt stones with a boiling effect. 

Do not panic if you think these waters are boiling they are not. In fact, they are very cold and salty so if you get your hands inside, you’ll most likely have salt in your skin for hours as it’s difficult to wash it off.

After seeing the Eyes of Water you’ll already be impressed by the white bright color surrounding you.

Not far from the last attraction, it’s located the Dakar Monument. A representation (not natural) of the Dakar Rally that took place in Bolivia between 2014 and 2018. This rally was considered one of the deadliest and most dangerous in the world.

Many people agree that it’s good the rally doesn’t run across Bolivia because the big and small machines eroded virgin ground and there were several video documentation of wildlife being hit and killed by the cars.

Just a few meters away we find Flag Square where travelers from across the world left flags from their favorite football team, region or country. This is one of the very few places on the planet where you will see so many nationality flags waving together in one place.

Right next to it, believe it or not, you’ll see the first hotel made out of salt. The walls, the ground, the furniture, and the decoration were built on salt in 1998. This hotel is still running but the services are very basic since the Bolivian government wants to preserve the authenticity and quality of the region, and because it’s very hard to put basic services in the middle of a salt desert. The style of this hotel is similar to the architecture of the region. They even use cacti in their furniture but that’s something you’ll need to see in person.

Lunch may take place in different places of the big Salar. After it usually there’s a cool photo session playing with the panorama that the salt desert brings us. You can fight against dinosaurs, literally eat your boyfriend or girlfriend. Hide into chip cans, dance over a hat, etc. etc. etc. It’s all about creativity and imagination. See our Instagram profile to get inspired with the best ideas to make the most out of this experience.

If you think that this wouldn’t get any better, wait until you see the famous Incahuasi Island. With a size of 0,24 square kilometers, this island is considered the largest in the salt flats. Travelers perform a trek to the top which may take 35 minutes where a stunning panoramic view awaits.

This island is also interesting because you’ll find giant cacti and ancient coral fossils from the Pleistocene era (aka Last Ice Age). 

From the top you can see the Thunupa volcano, considered a sacred place for the indigenous communities.

The entrance ticket to this location is 30 Bs per person and it will allow you to use the bathroom.

Also, make sure to bring small bills as this place has a small store to buy beers and candies.

Everyone loves sunsets and certainly, sunsets have something special that blows our minds away. The scattered effect of light occurs because the atmosphere acts as a prism. The cleaner the air the better sunset we get.

But let’s talk about what’s makes a sunset special when you are in Uyuni. During the summertime (mid-December to mid-April) water covers the surface making a natural mirror effect of the sky. With the reflection, the brightness in the warm colors hitting the ground increase creating a more unique view of the sunset with vivid colors.

In Uyuni, when the sun goes down. The horizon turns into pinkish blurred color. A gift of mother nature.

Now is time to continue our journey and discover this magnificent piece of land named Bolivia.

Ready to experience only the best of Uyuni? Let us handle it or choose your favorite Full Daly tour with daily departures.