www.kanootours.com

There are many tour operators in Uyuni and booking a tour can be a bit of a lottery. You may hear one company is good and on the day you go with them they end up being bad as they choose a bad driver. Many operators will make promises they don't or cant keep to try to get your business. As a general rule do not believe these promises and dont go with the cheapest operators - they are cheapest for a reason. They will often use bad drivers with drink problems, and cut as many corners as possible to save costs. At best this will result in a bad experience for the tourists and at worst it is dangerous.There were several accidents in 2008 that could have been avoided.

We have never had a complaint about any of our drivers and we encourage our customers (by providing information slips requesting they contact us) to report problems with drivers to us. We will stop using any drivers that are reported and have informed the drivers of this.

Whoever you choose to go on a tour with (there are a number of responsible operators) try to ensure your driver drives safely and does not drink during the tour.

The Salar de Uyuni or “salt flats” is a one of the highlights of a trip to Bolivia and shouldn’t be missed as it is a unique place in the world. Tours generally range from 1 to 3 days (or more if a custom trip is arranged) and visit some of the most stunning landscapes anywhere on the planet. The terrain in this area is harsh and conditions are basic so you should not expect a lot of comfort but if you can rough it for a few days the rewards are well worth it.There are more comfortable options available apart from the budget options - please see the "Explorer Plus" tours for more info.

The Salar de Uyuni itself is a seemingly never ending expanse of white which during the dry season is covered with naturally formed hexagon shaped patterns. During the wet season the salar can be covered with a layer of water creating a huge mirror that reflects the sky. Driving across the salar in these conditions is surreal and can seem almost like flying. It doesn’t matter what season it is, visiting this area is stunning and a memorable experience year round.

No one knows for sure how much salt makes up the salar but it is estimated at many millions of tons. During tours you will see areas where the salt is being dug and taken away for processing. Some enterprising locals even make handicrafts purely from salt that can be bought and make good souvenirs. There are even entire hotels made from salt - one of which will be included as a visit during a tour and in some tours you even get to stay in a Salt Hotel.

This area of Bolivia is home to many fascinating sights and a multi day tour gives visitors a chance to see some amazing things. There are several colored lakes that can be visited including the incredible bright red Laguna  Colorada and the  changing shades of Laguna Verde which is a deep blue when calm and rich green when windy and the water is disturbed.

Also during these tours you will visit hot springs, steaming geysers and see rock formations that seem more at home in a Dali painting than in real life.

The area is a protected area and is home to the Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve (named after 19th century Bolivian war hero). There are 23 species of mammal to be found in the area including pumas, vicuñas, Andean foxes and rabbit like animal called a viscacha. Due to the vastness of the terrain sightings of these mammals are not common as they will generally stay away from the areas tourists frequent.

The lakes in the area are nesting sites for 3 of the world’s species of flamingo - Chilean, Andean and James – all of which are common to see during trips. There are also several interesting species of plants that are unique to this environment including Yareta which looks very soft but is rock hard and used as fuel by locals.

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