Introduction
Day 1 of my 3 day Uyuni tour was an absolute blast. If you only have 1 day to spare in Uyuni, then this itinerary is for you! Combine the cool steampunk environment of the train graveyard & the mind boggling sights in the salt flats, and you get a year’s worth of instagram photos. I kid you not. Even if you are not into social media, these places emit a bizarre vibe that is sure to leave you in awe.
Take a break from Altitude - Salar de Uyuni
The Train Graveyard
I started off my 3 day tour with Red Planet agency by visiting the famous train graveyard. The first locomotives in Bolivia, they were abandoned in the 1940s after a decline in interest in the region’s mining opportunities. Faced with salt filled winds, the trains have decayed over time, leading to a rather eerie vibe (if you get away from the crowds). No safety rails or ladders have been added to the trains for tourists, allowing the place to retain a highly authentic feel. I crawled through several of the small hatches and openings, which mind you were designed for that exact purpose. I guess comfort was not a top priority back then.
Tip: while most tourists flock to the front part of the train due to its more complete structure and photo opportunities, if you stray to the back, there are plenty of hidden gems to be found.
Colchani Village
After the train graveyard, we visited the small village of Colchani. Famous for salt production, we got a demonstration of how salt is produced and packaged in the village. Several buildings are also made of salt, with different marks being left on the buildings each time rain hits the blocks (it rarely rains, thus making salt a viable building material). For those in love with cultural handicrafts, a street full of local shops sell a variety of items, ranging from headgear to bags to toys. I don’t actually have photos of the village as I left my camera in my bag at this point. But, managed to catch a couple of shots when leaving.
Kids playing with this broken down truck.
This is not part of the village, but rather a structure outside it.
The Salt Flats
Alright, and now on to what we all have been waiting for. 99% of tourists who travel to Uyuni, do so to enter the salt flats. Out here, due to how flat the land is, light tends to work differently. The horizon stretches endlessly, creating a cool feeling of vastness of the land. Everything is magnified, allowing you to take perspective photos. Additionally, given the right conditions, you get magical full mirror/heaven shots (i will elaborate on this later). If this were Hollywood, then certainly heaven/afterlife would be depicted just like this. Endless white and blue, strange lands in the distance, kind of felt like a scene out of Davy Jones locker in Pirates of the Caribbean.
I was really lucky to have a highly enthusiastic group coupled with an excellent guide, which led to us taking several whacky photos and videos.
Tip: bring small objects and toys!
Perhaps one of my wow moments of the trip, which I failed to capture on camera, was when we were just outside the salt flats. In the salt flats, several hills/mountains exist. However, because we were not yet on the salt flats, the mountains appeared to be floating on thin air. Basically, light that was reflected from the base of the mountain could not reach us. This was such a strange sight, and the perfect introduction to the alien like environment, that is the Salar de Uyuni.
Salt Crystal!
Isla Incahuasi
The main attraction of Salar de Uyuni, though not as social media famous as the perspective photos, is undoubtedly Isla Incahuasi. This ‘island’ sticks out in the middle of the salt flats and is a reminder as to the fact that the entire salt flats were once a water body during ancient times. Just like the salt flats, this island is completely surreal and boasts awesome views. Filled with cactus, some of which are almost a thousand years old, it towers over the salt flats and gives visitors a feel of flotation at sea.
A word of caution - a little hike is required to reach the top of the island, at which point altitude does start to kick in. So do take your time when walking up, and besides, pausing to catch your breadth is made so much easier by the opportunity to take in the sheer beauty of your surroundings.
Sunset
Ok, just when I thought I had seen it all and was completely satisfied with the day, Uyuni had one more gift. Salt flats - Cool!, Sunset - Nice!, together - O.M.G. I can’t even begin describe how we all felt standing before sunset. If I could come close to succeeding, I would probably say that at this point, everything felt right in the world. Additionally, we managed to find a body of water with minimal wind. Thus we somewhat got our reflection shots.
Captivating beauty, I think dreamed of this all night.
Other stuff
When to go to Uyuni:
Ok so this is probably going to be the most difficult choice you will have to make with regards to planning your trip. There are 3 possible versions of the trip that you will likely encounter.
1. Wet season - you get full reflection shots that will likely lead your friends to believe that somehow you went to heaven but then decided to rise from the dead to haunt them. However, due to the high levels of flooding, you may not get to Isla Incahuasi. Additionally, you will not have the opportunity to stay overnight in the salt hotel.
2. Dry season - you do not get the full reflection shots but are still greeted by the surreal environment of white and blue. Additionally, you are likely to be able to go to Isla Incahuasi and be able to stay overnight in the salt hotel.
3. Inbetween - I tried to get this timing. If you are lucky, you would land your trip between the two seasons, with enough water and no wind to get the mirror shots, while also being able to drive to Isla Incahuasi. For the record, I semi-succeeded on this, some partial reflection shots but could not stay in the salt hotel.
*Caution - apparently during winter, some roads which are not maintained well are completely blocked, meaning that you will have your trip cut short.
Up Next
This was only day 1 of my tour, crazy I know. But, 2 more days in Salar Uyuni, and plenty more to show! So stay tuned!
