DAY 1 – Uyuni – Colchani – Incahuasi Island – Pia Pia Island – Sunset on salar – Ajencha
We will leave Uyuni in the morning around 10/10.30 am and first visit the train cemetery where you can see the old rusting trains from decades ago. After this we proceed to Colchani and witness how the salt is processed before we arrive to the salt flats themselves and see the “Ojos de Sal” where water bubbles up through the salt plains. We will see where the salt has been placed in mounds ready to be transported, the original salt hotel (no longer used for guests) and visit Inca Huasi (Fish Island) to see the giant cacti and have great views of the salt flats all around. There will be plenty of time for taking amazing photos before moving to another island, the Pia Pia island, to watch the sunset and take some stunning photos before making our way to the salt hotel in the village of Ajencha for dinner and stay the night.
DAY 2 – Ajencha – Galaxy and Devil's Caves – Lagunas – Laguna Colorada
We awake at 7am and have breakfast before leaving to travel further south. We will first stop at a viewpoint over the still active Ollague volcano before moving towards the Galaxy and the Devil's Caves. The first is a rock fantasy that takes the visitor to another dimension. The rock formations were created when the salt flats were still a sea and the Thunupa volcano came into contact with water about 225 million years ago. They resemble strange bones hanging from the ceiling and walls, forming extraordinary figures. The second cave, Cueva del Diablo, contains a cemetery (or chullpar) with human remains. It is a sacred burial site surrounded by many myths. After the caves we will then continue our drive through the route of the Three Lagoons - Cañapa, Hedionda and Chiarkhota, where you will be able to spot the first flamingos. The drive is through a desert area where the scenery will include a number of extinct volcanoes and rocky landscapes. In late afternoon we will arrive into the desert of Siloli and the “tree of rock”. Our final destination for the day is “Laguna Colorada”, an amazing red colored lake home to three species of flamingos. Not far from here we will find the night accommodations.
DAY 3 – Laguna Colorada – Geysers – Laguna Verde – Quetena Chico
Today we have an early start at around 5am to visit “Sol de Mañana” geysers and see the bubbling mud pools and steam jets. We will then continue to some hot springs where you will have a chance to relax in the warm water pools and we will also have breakfast here. After our relaxing break we continue to see “Laguna Verde” where, if conditions are correct, we see the green mineral waters of this lake at the foot of Volcan Licancabur.
We then start making our way to the village of Quetena Chico, with a few nice stops along the way for lunch and photos. Total time to get to our last hostel is around 6 hours. We have dinner at this local accommodation and spend the night there.
DAY 4 – Salo Valley – Poronga – Huaca Huañusca – Tupiza
Today we leave in the morning and start making our way to Tupiza visiting on the way places like: Salo Valley, the Poronga, San Miguel and Huaca Huañusca, the place of the last heist of legendary Butch Casidy and the Sundance Kid. We will arrive in Tupiza at around 6 PM (please let us know if you need to be in Tupiza earlier in the day - we will try to arrange that but obviously you will skip a few stops along the way).