PERLA DE BOLIVIA SALT FLATS TOUR 4 DAYS - UYUNI TO TUPIZA

Price
$319.00
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This is our 4-day salt flats tour option including English-speaking guide operated by Perla de Bolivia, starting from Uyuni and ending in Tupiza. First night in a salt hotel. This tour is only available as a private tour. A great option if you are planning to head south/to Argentina after your salt flats tour.


OVERVIEWOVERVIEW

Trips to the Salar de Uyuni are an unforgettable experience but unfortunately the general standard of facilities and services are not very high in this remote area. We would like to make it clear that things are not as reliable, comfortable and professional as we would like on these tours so for this reason we do not promise more than what you will receive for your money. The accommodations and food will be basic. Due to the harshness of the terrain vehicle breakdowns are common. Still interested? Good, you should be because if you can put up with a bit of hardship you should have a great time. Take some extra snacks, plenty of warm clothes and a sleeping bag (included for this tour - ask for one before departing) and the accommodations won’t feel so bad. The drivers are used to breakdowns and are pretty adept at fixing their vehicles, they are always willing to help each other out and you are usually not stuck for long - so a bit of patience is often all you need. We believe if you are informed truthfully about the possible negative aspects of the tours you can prepare yourself better and will have a more positive experience.

The following is a typical tour but sometimes some things are omitted from a tour, sometimes additional things are included so this shouldn’t be seen as a rigid itinerary, although the most popular main sites are always included conditions permitting. If there is something you really want included your group should stress this to your driver at the start of the tour so he can plan accordingly.

This is our 4-day salt flats tour option including English-speaking guide operated by Perla de Bolivia, starting from Uyuni and ending in TupizaFirst night in a salt hotel. This tour is only available as a private tour. A great option if you are planning to head south/to Argentina after your salt flats tour.

ITINERARYITINERARY
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).

INCLUDED / NOT INCLUDEDINCLUDED / NOT INCLUDED
INCLUDED
  • Transportation in 4x4 vehicle 
  • English-speaking guide and driver
  • Sleeping bag
  • Meals during the tour (take extra snacks as food can be quite plain)
  • 1 night accommodation in a salt hotel (double/triple/quadruple rooms, most of them with private bathroom, some with shared - depends on availability)
  • 2 night accommodation in basic hostel (private room with private or shared bathroom - depending on availability)
 
NOT INCLUDED
  • Transport to Uyuni
  • Entrance fees – 30 Bs + 150 Bs + 20 Bs + 6 Bs = 206 Bs total for the 3 days minimum (some itineraries visit some small attractions with small entrance fees)
  • Water - you recommend you purchase 2 liters per person, per day to take with you
  • Breakfast on first day, dinner on last day
  • Sunglasses and sun cream 
  • Additional snacks and beverages
  • Torch - recommended
  • Tips

IMPORTANT INFORMATIONIMPORTANT INFORMATION
  • This tour starts in Uyuni and DOES NOT include the cost of transport for getting there. We can arrange flights, buses and trains for getting to Uyuni - see them all in our Transport section.
  • This is a private tour so the price will be per car. You will need to pay for the whole amount of seats regardless of how many of you are on the tour. This means that the larger the group, the cheaper per person it gets, up to a maximum of 5 people. If there are 5 to 10 of you then a whole second car must be paid for. For this specific tour we have arranged price to be shown always per car and not per person, so you will have to put 1 in the Quantity Box regardless of the amount of people.
  • This is a private tour so it is more flexible than the other options that we offer. This means that we can adjust departure/arrival times according to your needs. If you arrive on an overnight bus and then have a connection from Tupiza, for example, we will make sure you don't miss your connections. Pickup from accommodation/bus terminal or also airport is provided (as long as you provide clear details on how and when you will get to Uyuni).
  • Accommodation - The accommodation for the first night will be in double/triple rooms in a private room in a salt hotel (salt hotel only in dry season, otherwise it will be in a regular accommodation). Room type is assigned depending on availability on the day. Most of the rooms (but not all of them) have private bathroom and showers (otherwise they will be shared). The second and third night will be in a private room in a basic refuge. There will be bathroom (shared or private depending on availability) but no shower.
  • Luggage - Big bags can be stored on top of the car but you will not have access to them until the evening. You will need to carry a small daypack with you during the day.
  • Important - Please note that for safety reasons, we won't be accepting bookings for tours starting between December 23rd and January 6th. You can read a more detailed explanation of why we don't do salt flats tours over Christmas/New Year period HERE.
  • These tours visit very remote areas that have very limited facilities. If you are ill or there is an accident there are no medical facilities other than Uyuni town and even these are basic. If things go wrong you are faced with the reality of travel in a remote area of a developing country. 
  • Altitude sickness - The salt flats tours travel to altitude of around 5000 meters so the majority of people will feel some effects. we recommend that you should be acclimitized to above 3000 meters before going on these tours and that you take headache tablets, altitude sickness: "soroche" tablets and any other medications that you may require.

Frequently Asked Questions

Please read through these common questions & answers - if you cant find what you want to know send us your questions using the Ask a Question button

Why don't you do salt flats tours over Christmas/New Year period?

We do not sell any salt flats tours from Dec 23rd through to Jan 6th because of safety concerns. 

Specifically this is due to the high number of incidences of drunk driving that occur on salt flats tours during this time. Some of the companies we work with, for example Red Planet, also completely stop tours during this time for the same reason. We still don't sell tours with any company that we work with that does not stop completely during this period as whilst they are likely to be safer options the fact is there could be drunk drivers from other companies making the area less safe. From experience we think it is best to avoid the dangers and problems that occur this time of year.

Please do not ask us to recommend any companies for tours during this time as we do not recommend anyone for the reasons stated. If you must do a tour (and we understand this is a highlight and it would be bad to miss) we would suggest you do a one day tour only as the 3 day tours are more problematic for the drunk drivers (drivers tend to celebrate in the evening with friends in the local villages near the accommodations). Also keep a close eye on the condition of your driver if you do end up on a tour.

Can I pay to upgrade hotels on the salt flats tours?

In our standard tour offerings we do not offer people the option to be able to upgrade hotels because this would involve taking one part of the group to the standard hotels and others to the upgraded hotel in a different area and therefore two different routes and too much additional driving. We can only offer hotel upgrade options if you are doing a private tour for this reason - please contact us for pricing if you are interested.

What time do salt flats tours start?

Salt flats tours in Uyuni usually start "approximately" 10.00 am to 11 am but this can vary. The reasons it can vary, apart from punctuality not being very common in Bolivia, can be for a number of different things. For example there is only one fuel station in Uyuni and it can be hard to get fuel quickly so drivers might have to queue for long periods to get fuel and this can affect preparations.

We usually request you to be at the local office at 9 AM to do your check-in, but if for example if your flight lands at 9 AM then no problem simply take a taxi to the office and be there as soon as you can - we will let the office now about your flight time and this will be taken into consideration. Also buses or flights arriving to Uyuni late (more common in Rainy season) can affect departure times - if someone in your assigned group is on transport that is late then the operator will try to wait as long as is possible to accomodate that so they can get on the tour that day - obviously there are limits to this and they dont want to wait too much as it effects the rest of the groups tour time. Tours starting in San Pedro usually start earlier around 8-8.30 am.

Where do the Salt Flats Tours start from?

This salt flats tour starts in Uyuni and it does not included the price of getting to Uyuni. We can arrange transport (buses, trains, flights) from La Paz to Uyuni also – please visit out transport section HERE to see some popular options.

How does rainy season affect the Salt Flats Tours?

The Salt Flats (salar de Uyuni) tours leave year round including during the rainy season and in fact many people try to visit during the rainy season in order to see the "mirror effect" of the water sitting atop of the salt flats and reflecting the sky which is an incredible sight. This is caused when the water table below the salt flats has risen enough to cause the water to sit on top of the salt. It is fine to visit the area when there is a certain amount of water but when it becomes too deep (after long sustained periods of rainfall in consectutive days) some places can become inaccesible such as Isla Incahuasi and these must then be omitted from the tours but they can usually continue visiting other parts of the salt flats and the area to the south (the colored lakes, geysers, hot springs etc) are usually not affected so tours are not cancelled completely.

The road between La Paz and Uyuni usually becomes a bit problematic with potholes and other damage caused but the constant rain and is worst in Mar/Apr time. The buses are sometimes cancelled due to this and other forms of transport such as train or flights are recommended or alternatively you can travel via Sucre / Potosi to Uyuni which is a better conditioned road that is less affected.

What altitudes do the salt flats tours visit?

The town of Uyuni and the Salt Flats themselves are around 3700 meters (12139 feet) so 1 and 2 day tours are usually around this altitude only.

For 3 day tours you will visit much higher altitudes with the second nights’ accommodation near the Laguna Colorado area being at around 4300 meters and the Sol de Mañana geothermal field that is visited at around 4900 meters (16076 feet). You may also drive over a pass at  5000 meters (16404 feet), depending on the exact route taken, which will be the highest point.

How many people will be in the vehicle?

On 2,3 and 4 day salt flat tours there will be a maximum of 6 travellers in the vehicle (1 in the front passenger seats, 3 in the  center seat row and 2 in the rear seat row) plus the driver/guide.

On 1 day tours there can be up to 7 people in the vehicle (although usually 6) as the group gets out of the vehicle much more often and comfort is not an issue like it is for the long driving distances of the multi day tours.

Will we stay in a salt hotel?

The planned schedule for this tour on the first night is to stay in a salt hotel and this happens for the majority of the year. During periods when the local conditions are bad (salar too flooded, deep snow in area etc) then a change of route / itinerary might be required and a stay in a salt hotel might not be possible. This would only be known closer to or actually on the departure date

I want to take perspective photos – will there be lots of time & items for me to use?

People enjoy taking the interesting perspective style photos on the salt flats and of course there will be some time to stop and do this.  The exact amount of time is impossible to say as it will depend on a variety of factors such as how long you have taken at previous stops, weather conditions, the group dynamic etc and you also need to bear in mind there is a schedule to keep to so the driver will only allow the amount of time he can in order to keep to the schedule safely.

As for items to use in your photos, some drivers do have some fun items but some wont have anything especially for photo props. The best advice is to take something interesting things yourself so you can get unique shots – let your creative side go crazy!

Can you pick me up from a Colchani salt hotel?

Yes this is possible by prior arrangement, but if you wish to be dropped off back at Colchani after the tour , there will be an extra charge (please ask) as it is not on the standard route as tours return to Uyuni some 30 minutes drive away.

Also, as the train cemetery is near Uyuni town then you would miss this visit out as it takes place before arriving to Colchani

Booking Form

HOW TO BOOK

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IMPORTANT

You must provide details for each passenger that you are booking for and also ensure that you change the qty box to show the correct amount of passengers that you are booking for.

  

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