An Altitude Trip to Bolivia Part 4 - Salvador Dali Desert, Green & White Lagoons & Enchanted

Introduction

The last day of my 3 day Uyuni tour. On paper, my itinerary basically stated that we would be visiting a couple of little attractions in the morning before heading back to Uyuni (or onto Chile for half of our team). Basically, it would mean an entire day in a car driving as fast as possible back. However, thankfully, our guide brought us to the Enchanted Valley, which I inferred to be his favorite place on the trip (he was constantly smiling in contentment).

The End - Day 3

Sunrise

I guess no matter where you go in Bolivia, you are probably going to get a great sunrise view. So despite the wind and cold, I decided to brave them both and took a walk around the surrounding area.

Salvador Dali Desert

The Salvador Dali Desert boasts an area of mountains and rocks that look as if they had been painted. From what I understand, Salvador Dali (the painter) did not actually visit this place. Rather, the desert was named after him as they found that the mountains were similar to that of one of his paintings.

Tried my best to capture a photo from an angle that gives off the paining vibe

Green & White Lagoons

So this was to be the last attraction on our itinerary as our group splits, half to Chile and half back to Uyuni. Will definitely miss my group somewhat, though we only had 3 days together, they did kind of grow on me. I guess one of the beauties of travel is the chance to meet people of such diverse ages, nationalities, jobs, backgrounds and on different travel itineraries.

Unfortunately, owing to rotten luck, with no wind, neither lake appears green or white. But the volcano in the photos below is actually claimable, though only from the Chilean side.

Enchanted Valley

So basically after splitting up, we began our long car journey back to Uyuni. On paper, there was pretty much nothing to do. So it was really a pleasant surprise when our guide took us to the Enchanted Valley for a picnic lunch and mini hike. Basically, in the midst of the desert, and within a valley of large rock structures, a lake, stream and grass patch play host to many llamas! It was absolutely gorgeous, and probably was my favorite picnic spot of all time thus far. We spend some time after lunch exploring the terrain, doing little climbs and visiting the Black Lagoon.

The story of the Enchanted Valley goes like this: Way back, a man with his herd of llamas, was trying to find a village for the night. He stumbled upon this place, and saw many lights. He thus left his herd outside the area, and went in to find a village, which was presumably the source of the light. He was never seen again… later people found his herd of llamas and thus named the place, the Enchanted Valley.

Back to Uyuni

We spent the rest of the day working our way back to Uyuni. Along the way, we stopped a couple of times in little mining towns to get refreshments. Sitting in the shade, with a drink, I could not help but wonder what if I had not being born in Singapore. Rather, what if I had grown up in one of these little mining towns. Far from the big city. What would my path be like? Would I become a gold or silver miner? Would I ever go far away from my hometown or travel the world for that matter? So many questions, so few answers.

Concluding Bolivia

So basically after reaching back to Uyuni, what was left of our group had a little farewell dinner of our own. Thereafter, I caught another 10 hour overnight bus back to La Paz in order to catch a morning flight back to Lima.

Bolivia was a crazy amazing experience. It was one thing to see many of the landscapes online when I was researching, actually being there and feeling everything took it to a whole new level. Really wished I had more time to explore other parts of Bolivia, but those 5 days were well spent!

If you are reading this blog post from Singapore, or for that matter from any part of the world, you really gotta pack your bags and get down to Bolivia some time.

Up Next

With the Bolivia trip over, I will be preparing for my next destination. A trip to Arequipa & the Colca Canyon.

Till next time, cheers!