Uyuni – Colchani – Salt Hostel – Incahuasi Island

Train Cemetery - This vast resting place for locomotives, known as the Train Cemetery, is so extensive it seems as if all the trains in South America have come to Uyuni, Bolivia, to make their final stop. Located just 3 km from the Uyuni train station, the site is filled with rusted, hollowed-out train bodies and other remnants. The “Great Train Graveyard” (also called Train Cemetery or ‘Cemeterio de Trenes’ in Spanish) is situated on the deserted outskirts of Uyuni, a small trading area high in the Andean plain.

Uyuni has long been a crucial transportation hub in South America, connecting several major cities. In the early 19th century, there were grand plans to expand the train network from Uyuni, but the project was abandoned due to technical difficulties and tensions with neighboring countries. The trains and equipment were left to rust and fade from memory. Visitors can freely approach the trains, often climbing atop or entering the train cars to take pictures.

Most of the trains in the Graveyard date back to the early 20th century and were imported from Britain. There are over 100 train cars with unique structures and occasional graffiti. In other parts of the world, these steel trains might have fared better, but the salt winds blowing over Uyuni, home to the world’s largest salt plain, have corroded all the metal. Without guards or even a fence, these pieces were picked over and vandalized long ago.

Colchani - Just outside the Salar de Uyuni salt flats lies the quaint salt-processing village of Colchani. This tiny village of just over 600 people is home to Bolivia’s largest salt-processing cooperative. Years ago, the inhabitants of Colchani used to exploit salt to exchange with other indigenous communities. Every year packs of llamas would travel incredible distances (up to 560km to Tarija) carrying salt, returning with coca, maize and other goods not produced in the Altiplano. This has since changed with the improvement of transport infrastructure and the salt is now sold by the cooperative in Bolivia and Brazil.

The Salar de Uyuni contains an estimated 10 billion tonnes of salt, with an impressive 25,000 tonnes of it excavated and processed at Colchani annually. During your stop in Colchani you can see handicrafts made of salt, and textile art made of llama and alpaca. This is the perfect opportunity to buy authentic Bolivian souvenirs to bring home.

The tour also includes a visit to a traditional salt factory where a local will teach you the process of extraction and refinement of salt. Despite this tour of the salt factory being free, those who take it are expected to give the local a donation for his time and effort. The tour is highly recommended if you’re interested in learning about how salt ends up on your kitchen table.

A visit to the Salt Museum is also popular among those who stop off at Colchani. This tiny yet picturesque space consists of salt bricks and a multitude of carved sculptures. It isn’t your typical museum as it takes no longer than 5-10 minutes to see all that it has to offer which makes it the perfect quick stop off for those passing through the town.

Salar de Uyuni - Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni is considered one of the most extreme and remarkable vistas in all of South America, if not Earth. Stretching more than 4,050 square miles of the Altiplano, it is the world’s largest salt flat, left behind by prehistoric lakes evaporated long ago. Here, a thick crust of salt extends to the horizon, covered by quilted, polygonal patterns of salt rising from the ground.

At certain times of the year, nearby lakes overflow and a thin layer of water transforms the flats into a stunning reflection of the sky. This beautiful and otherworldly terrain serves as a lucrative extraction site for salt and lithium—the element responsible for powering laptops, smart phones, and electric cars. In addition to local workers who harvest these minerals, the landscape is home to the world’s first salt hotel and populated by road-tripping tourists.

Dakar Monument - The Uyuni Salt Flat, one of the tourist gems of the Andes, for the fifth straight year awaits its stage of the Dakar Rally to show the world one of Bolivia’s greatest attractions when the fleet of motorbikes, cars, buggies, quads and trucks comes racing through this Saturday.

Uyuni’s salt desert in southwestern Bolivia is the world’s largest and highest, at an altitude of some 3,650 meters (12,000 feet) and covering close to 10,600 hectares (26,000 acres).

Since the world’s most famous rally set foot on Bolivian territory in 2014, it has kept its appointment with this vast white plain surrounded by mountains every year without fail. The Dakar Monument created in 2014 has become a symbol of the desert and a must-see for the tourists who arrive each year.

Lunch Stop

Isla Incahuasi - One of the highlights of a Salar de Uyuni tour is a hike around the spectacular Isla Incahuasi, otherwise known as Inkawasi. It’s located in the heart of the salar, 80km west of Colchani. This hilly outpost is covered in Trichocereus cactus and surrounded by a flat white sea of hexagonal salt tiles. It was once a remarkably lonely, otherworldly place but since the advent of salar tours it receives large numbers of visitors every day. Nonetheless, it’s still a beautiful sight if you forget the crowds. You have to pay an entry fee to climb the hill (B$30), and tour groups clamber over the hiking trails chasing the perfect photo of cacti and salt. It’s a 15-minute walk to the top of the island, with a trail that loops back, but it’s worth it. Note that during the wet season when the salar is flooded, the island is inaccessible.

Salar de Uyuni - After witnessing the sunset, we will drive to the hotel made of salt blocks where we would spend the night.

Ollague Volcano – Siloli Desert – Red Lagoon

Siloli Desert - Be properly acclimatized before visiting the highest desert in the world at a dizzying 15,000 feet (4550 meters). Dusty, barren and hopelessly isolated, many wonder if they have arrived at the end of the world.

Arbol de Piedra - A psychedelic oddity, this 22 foot (7 meter) tall stone tree lies on the edge of the Siloli Desert. It owes its rather unusual shape to strong winds which have eroded its soft sandstone stem over millions of years.

Laguna Colorada - Somewhere around 14,000 feet (about 4,300 meters) above sea level is Laguna Colorada, Bolivia’s stunning white-speckled, red lake. Part of Bolivia’s salt wonders of the altiplano, the lake, and its nearly-extinct flamingo population draw visitors to the bizarre, otherworldly landscape. Besides flamingo, the area is home to various fauna including llamas, alpacas, Andean foxes, ​cats, and pumas. The colors of Laguna Colorada stand out immediately upon seeing it. Tinged with red algae and other microorganisms, the water is a deep orange-red hue. Perfectly contrasted, the salt lake is dotted with large white pools caused by massive borax deposits on the lake’s surface. Combined with the rolling mountains and craggy rock shores, Laguna Colorada is an immaculate and beautiful wildlife area. Laguna Colorada is part of the Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve, and in 1990 it was listed as a “Ramsar Wetland of International Importance.”

Besides tourists, a rare breed of flamingo has also flocked to the area for centuries. James’s Flamingo, also called the puna flamingo, is native to the Andes and the Altiplano area. Although they seem plentiful on the shores of Colorada, they are in fact very rare. During the mid-1950s, scientists had all but written them off as extinct, until a pack was found roaming South America. Today their habitat is continually threatened, and they are classified as an endangered species.

We will spend the night in a basic accommodation.

Polques Lagoon – Green Lagoon – White Lagoon – Uyuni

Geiser Sol de la Manana - Meaning “morning sun” in English, this series of impressive geysers are best observed at first light. Pools of boiling mud abound while the strongest geyser sprays pressurized steam up to 160 feet (50 meters) in the air. There are no safety barriers in place so think twice about getting up close for a selfie.

Desierto Dali - Named after the surrealist master himself, the Dali Desert is famous for its unworldly landscapes. Hues of brown and ochre contrast sharply with the deep blue sky and the snowy peaks of nearby volcanoes. Meanwhile, random piles of rocks inexplicably scattered around the desert complete the dreamy scene.

Laguna Verde - Nestled beneath the ominous Licancábur volcano lies one of Bolivia’s most colorful attractions. Although not as green as it was years ago (a process blamed on climate change), the lagoon still boasts a vibrant hue and a dramatic setting.

Licancabur - Visitors will pass many volcanoes on the tour, but none are quite as menacing as Licancábur. This 19,555 foot (5960 meter) giant can be climbed by energetic tourists for an additional fee, but be warned, NASA has carried out experiments on the peak to prepare for future missions to Mars, so the environment is not exactly hospitable to human life.

• First Aid Kit
• Tea and Coffee
• Round Trip Transport
• Lunch
• Dinner
• Breakfast
• 02 Night’s Accommodation (basic ones)

• Entrance to Isla Incahuasi (Bs 30)
• Transfer to San Pedro de Atacama - Chile (130 Bs each))
• Parque Eduardo Avora (Bs 150)
• private rooms extra payment usd35 p/p both nights optional.
• hot springs (swimming) 6 bob p/p
• Hot Shower in the hostels 15Bs, each. To rent sleeping bags 50 bs. each. To rent towels 20bs each