Salar de Uyuni, Laguna Colorada and Laguna Verde
3 days

The magnificent Salar de Uyuni, with its 10,582 square km (4,085 square miles) is the largest salt flat in the world. It is located in the department of Potosí, in southwestern Bolivia, near the crest of the Andes, at an altitude of 3,650 meters above sea level.

About 40,000 years ago, the area was part of Lake Minchin, a gigantic prehistoric lake. When the lake dried up, it left as its remains two lakes, Poopó and Uru Uru, and two large salt deserts, Salar de Coipasa and the larger Uyuni, which is about 25 times larger than the Bonneville Salt Flats in the United States of America.

Difficulty: Moderate
Schedule: Subject to change.

Details

Salar de Uyuni, Laguna Colorada and Laguna Verde
3 days

Group
Minimum 2

Difficulty
Moderate

Travel Details

Highlights

It is estimated that the Salar de Uyuni contains 10 billion tons, of which less than 25,000 tons are extracted annually.
Every November, the Salar de Uyuni is the breeding ground for three species of South American flamingos: Chilean, James and Andean.
In the middle of this sea of salt is a desert oasis, La Isla Pescado (Fish Island), so called because of its fish-like shape, covered with giant cacti. It is the only sign of life for miles.
The Verde Lagoon, the Colorada Lagoon and the hot springs can also be visited during the tour to the salt flat, when we enter the Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve.
The Verde Lagoon is a beautiful lagoon with green waters located towards the border with Chile and at the foot of the Licancabur volcano at an altitude of 4,300 meters above sea level (14,000 feet). Its color is due to copper mineral sediments.
The Colorada Lagoon is a lagoon with carmine-colored waters, also due to the presence of minerals in its waters. Flamingos live in these lagoons, creating a unique scene of spectacular beauty!

Itinerary

Day 1: Visiting The World's Largest Salt Flat (Uyuni - San Juan).

We start our adventure visiting the Train Cemetery to see the first locomotives of Bolivia. Then we make a tour of 30 minutes approx. to the town of Colchani, where we observe the processing of salt extracted from the largest salt flat on the planet, we can also appreciate handicrafts made from salt and cactus in the region, we visit the famous Salt Mounds and Salt Eyes, then we arrive at the Salt Hotel (museum) located inside the Uyuni salt flat, where you can appreciate the full magnitude of the salt flat and taste our lunch Finally we arrived at the heart of the salt flat, the Incahuasi Island.

From there we head to the shores of the salt flat towards San Juan, where we will spend the night.

Day 2: Variety Of Colored Lagoons (San Juan - Laguna Colorada).

After enjoying our breakfast we head towards the Ollague volcano viewpoint (active), after contemplating the view of this volcano through its natural viewpoint we head to a variety of lagoons: Laguna Cañapa, Chiarkota, Honda, Ramaditas and Hedionda, where we can observe a large number of flamingos and other birds such as gulls and Andean geese in their natural habitat and we will also enjoy our lunch.

In the afternoon we arrive at the Eduardo Avaroa Reserve Protected Area, crossing the Siloli desert and observe the vizcachas in the place called Viscachitas.

Later, we arrive at the Stone Tree, a beautiful formation caused by the strong winds of the region, and to finish our tour we arrive at the Laguna Colorada and its Mirador de Aguas Calientes, where we finally spend the night in the basic lodging settlement in Huayllajara or Laguna Colorada.

Day 3: COLORED LAGOONS - UYUNI (Laguna Colorada - Uyuni).

We will start our day very early heading to the "Sol de Mañana" Geysers to observe this spectacle in all its magnitude: accompanied by the first rays of sun at an altitude of 5,000 meters above sea level and accompanied by an intense cold, noisy fumaroles of a peculiar color that resemble the beginnings of the formation of the earth.

We continue our journey into the wonderful desert of Dali and its beautiful rock formations caused by the wind, we arrived in the morning hours and at the right time to the Laguna Verde, at the foot of the Licancabur volcano adjacent to the Laguna Blanca, where we observe the change of water from emerald to a more opaque green with the help of the wind.

On the way back we head towards the Polques hot springs where we can take a bath in its warm waters, then we continue to the town of Mallku Villamar, where we will enjoy lunch prepared for the day.

After this stop we head towards the Valley of the Rocks, near Alota, where we appreciate beautiful formations in the rocks, a place where we let the imagination create beautiful images in stone.

After crossing these beautiful landscapes we will go to the town of San Cristobal, where we appreciate its beautiful church.

Finally, in the afternoon, we will arrive to our starting point Uyuni.

Includes / Does not include

What is included?

Professional driver.
Transportation in Toyota Land Cruiser 4 X 4 vehicle, equipped for emergencies.
SOAT of public transportation.
First aid kit.
Food on route.
Entrance fees to visited sites.
Incahuasi Island.
Eduardo Avaroa Reserve.
Polques hot springs.
Private hostal, single or double occupancy.
Transfer IN/OUT Uyuni Airport or Bus Terminal.

What is not included?

Expenses of personal nature, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and meals not explicitly mentioned in the program.
Travel insurance.

Recommendations

The route to the Salar is very cold, windy and with high solar radiation. During the day it is generally sunny and the temperature is pleasant. It is recommended to bring: