Salar de Uyuni are the worlds biggest salt flats which span a whopping 10,582 square kilometers in the southwest of Bolivia. It is estimated that the flats have 11 billion tons of salt! With such vast landscapes and amazing photo opportunities it’s not surprising that it’s a popular place to visit. It’s certainly one of those ‘bucket list’ places.
We had arrived in Uyuni with our hearts set on a 3 day tour of the salt flats ending in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile. Sadly (well not so sadly in hindsight) this was not to be for us. Uyuni is not the easiest place for organising a tour. Many agencies are shut for half the day, don’t reply to emails or whatsapps, and try not to tell you that the guide only speaks Spanish in the hope that you will forget you asked. That was until we messaged Paul from Got Salt and our luck changed. From the moment we spoke to Paul we knew we were onto something good. Communication was so easy since his English is great and for the first time in Uyuni we felt confident that we knew what we would be getting.
We ended up taking a ‘Sunset and Starlight’ tour and it thoroughly exceeded our expectations. Despite it being an afternoon/ evening tour, we still had plenty of time in the salt flats and did not feel rushed at all (something we were worried about taking a day tour).
So what did the tour involve:
At 4pm sharp we were picked up from our Hostel by Cristo and Liroy (our driver and English speaking guide). They whisked us away straight to the salt flats (Roughly a 30min to 45min drive depending on unique stops), stopping just to see some vicunas (Type of rare Alpaca) that Cristo had spotted near to the side of the road. Then continued our journey. The drive alone through the salt flats is pretty awesome and it wasn’t long until we stopped off at a bubbling lake where Liroy explained how the air is trapped and escapes. Then after a few more pictures we moved onto the famous flags and Dakar salt statue spot. It was a great start to the journey and what we didn’t realise was you could take your own Flag to be planted at this spot. Handy tip if people want to leave a lasting mark on this place.
Moving on from the Alpacas, bubbling lakes, flags and Dakar salt statue we continued driving through the salt flats to find a blank canvas (Somewhere noone else is) to take some fun perspective shots (5 to 10 minute drive). The guides were a great team, one was a great driver and backup photographer (Cristo), whilst the other was the professional photographer and informative guide (Liroy). Liroy couldn’t have been better. Left a little, forward two steps, arm up a bit… 3…2…1. The guides had lots of their own unique items we could use to take fantastic photos… dinosaurs, saucepans, water, packets, hats and many other things that we could use. We had a real laugh taking various pictures and were very pleased with the outcome of the photos. The guides were patient, professional, knowledgeable, and best of all they did all the hard work, carrying, photo taking and thinking for you. Just do as they say and you get some amazing shots. Or suggest an idea to them and they make it work exactly how you imagined.
After the ‘stereotypical’ but ‘fun to make’ photos from the salt flats it was now time to visit the reflective part of the salt flats for sunset (A further 5 to 10 minute drive). We got back into the 4×4 and changed into our rubber boots (provided), pleased for the chance to warm up a little on the way as the temperature started to get cooler along the flats. We arrived promptly at the reflective salt flats and OH Wow!! It was absolutely stunning! Again Liroy and Cristo were great with taking photos. We just enjoyed the scenery, fully relaxed, feet in shallow water, beauty all around us and a warm feeling of amazement whilst we studied the surroundings with wide open eyes. It was incredible to see that the floor was a completely reflective surface, there were 2 suns, 2 horizons, 2 sky’s… you get the point. Plus whilst we was taking in the views, our fantastic guides were busy snapping some incredible pictures of us and our surrounding without getting in the way of our blissful experience.
While we watched other groups disappear from the salt flats, we got back into the 4×4 to wait for the big finale… The milky way! It did not disappoint! I’ve never seen such a beautiful sky in all my life and there’s something really special about seeing the stars reflected on the salt flats floor. It almost feels like you are walking through the universe itself as the stars are below you, as well as above.
Luckily due to such a great company who hires unique and professional guides. We had the advantage of Cristo and Liroy who were able to give us amazing stories, folk tales, history, local culture and share knowledge on the stars. Not only did they share such encapsulating information they managed to capture these views on their camera so we could savour the memories. Plus as an added bonus we got to have more fun with some fantastic lighting effects- wanna be a butterfly? No problem says Liroy!
And that was that, our trip to the salt flats was finished. We headed back to Uyuni (30 to 40 minute drive), totally buzzing from the experience, photos from Cristo and Liroy in our inboxes before we had even had a cuppa.
Our Final Thoughts:
- If the main thing you are looking to see on your tour from Uyuni is the salt flats, you certainly won’t feel hard done by ‘only’ taking a one day or even an evening tour. We were able to see the flats in daytime, sunset and night time, as well as both the dry and reflective sections of the flats (often the reflective part isn’t actually covered on 3 day tours in dry season so that was an extra bonus). We didn’t feel rushed at all.
- We had the best time with Cristo and Liroy from Got Salt and would highly recommend this company to take a tour with. The guides speak great English and have some serious passion and knowledge about all things Bolivian (not just the salt flats). Liroy was an absolute pro at taking perspective pictures and had props with him and many ideas. He also encouraged and helped us to come up with some ideas of our own which was great fun. They took some AMAZING pictures of us and the milky way and sent them to us within an hour of dropping us back at our hostel.
- Still not sure? Check out their trip advisor page full of 5 star reviews – https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g317033-d10532171-Reviews-Got_Salt_Bolivia-Uyuni_Potosi_Department.html
Trip overview:
Company: Got Salt Tour: Sunset and Starz
Pick up time: 4pm, arriving back around 9pm
Cost: Between US$150-350 per vehicle (up to 6 people) depending on package chosen.
You need to bring: Yourself, some ideas for photos and warm clothes
Tours offered: Both private and group tours available. Sunrise/ Sunset/ Stars, full day programs, multi-day trips
How to book: Visit their main office in La Paz, email on gotsaltbolivia@hotmail.com, enquire via the website or contact Paul directly on +591 74076057
Final Questions?
Have you visit the salt flats in Uyuni? We would love to hear from you!
Hotel Booking Sites for Uyuni
Links below are referral links that give us a small bonus at no cost to yourself. Just click the links, sign up and book what you need as normal. As we are non profit travellers and we hope this information is useful, these small bonuses mean alot to us. 🙂
- Booking (Cheapest option) – https://www.booking.com/s/34_6/4b8b8807
- AirBnB (2nd Cheapest option) – http://www.airbnb.com/c/garys1958
- Hostelworld (3rd option) – https://www.hostelworld.com/
- Hotels (4th option) – https://refer.hotels.com/x/Imwv4N
Other Useful Sites
Links below are referral links that give us a small bonus at no cost to yourself. Just click the links, sign up and book what you need as normal. As we are non profit travellers and we hope this information is useful, these small bonuses mean alot to us. 🙂
- UBER (Safe Taxi App) – https://www.uber.com/invite/garys3406ue
- Google suite (Great cloud storage / cloud office products) – https://goo.gl/mEBYh3
Couple of Explorers 
Awesome shots you captured here!
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