Salar de Uyuni - Calama Private Tour

Day 1

Salar de Uyuni - Train Cemetery - Colchani - Ojos del Salar - Salt Statue of the Dakar Rally - Former Salt Hotel Playa Blanca - Incahuasi Island - Sunset inside the Salar de Uyuni

Distance travelled: approximately 185 kms

We will start our journey traveling 3 Kilometers away from Uyuni where we will find the Train Cemetery, a place that shelters dozens of old locomotives and wagons from the year 1890.

The remains of the trains take us on an imaginary journey to a time of flourishing progress, today transformed into a rustic deserted courtyard ideal for the romantic traveler who likes to photograph traces of a not so distant past.

We will then travel to the town of Colchani, a small town of salt producers located 20 km from Uyuni. In Colchani you will visit a traditional salt factory, where you can observe the way in which the salt extracted from the Salar is packed. You will have some free time to buy salt handicrafts.

Next, we will enter the wonderful Salar de Uyuni. Near the entrance of the Salar are the Eyes of the Salar which are small streams of water that flow from the interior of the earth under the salt. It is said that this water has healing properties due to its saline and acidic concentrations.

In the dry season, the surface of the Salar de Uyuni is covered by near geometric shapes formed by the salt particles agglomerated in polygons. In the rainy season (December, January, February and part of March) the Salar is covered with water and resembles a giant mirror.

During our journey we will observe the Statue of Salt erected for the passing of the Dakar Rally in Bolivia. Then we will walk to the old Hotel de Sal Playa Blanca . Next to the Hotel there is a small mound with several flags from around the world. These symbolic flags have been left by travelers visiting the Salar de Uyuni . We invite you to carry a flag of your country and leave it at this significant point.

We will have lunch enjoying the beautiful landscape inside the Salar.

We will continue our trip traveling to the Incahuasi Island , home of millenary giant cacti (Echinopsis atacamensis) up to 10 meters high. The Incahuasi Island is a genuine spectacle of life inside the salt desert.

We will climb the island until we reach the viewpoint, from where we will have a 360 degree perspective of the Salar de Uyuni and a privileged view of the Tunupa Volcano.

Our expedition would not be complete without witnessing a wonderful sunset inside the Salar de Uyuni.

Lodging in a Hotel de Sal. The Salt Hotels offer rooms with private bathroom, hot water, heating and WiFi Internet. Depending on availability, we will include lodging at Luna Salada Hotel, Hotel Palacio de Sal or at the Hotel de Sal Tayka.

Day 2

Chiguana salt flat - Observation of the Ollague Volcano - Cañapa Lagoon - Laguna Honda - Hedionda Lagoon - Vizcachas Canyon

Distance travelled: approximately 250 kms

The second day of our expedition will take us to the southern part of the Uyuni region. This region offers visitors wonderful landscapes decorated by volcanoes, lagoons and Andean fauna.

During our tour we will cross the Salar de Chiguana, which has a lower salt concentration.

On the way we will see varied rock formations and the Ollague semi-active volcano (5870 m.s.) located on the border of Bolivia and Chile.

We will have lunch in the middle of nature.

We will enjoy the beauty of the Alto Andinas Jewelry Route comprised of the Cañapa Lagoons, Chiarkota Lagoon, Laguna Honda / Corazon (4,114 m.) and Laguna Hedionda (4,532 m). The lagoons are surrounded by mountains and during the winter you can see the snowy peaks. This area is ideal for lovers of nature and photography. It is impossible to take a bad picture of these landscapes, they are all worthy of a postcard.

We will cross the Cañon de las vizcachas, where we will observe this adorable rodent, a close relative of the Chinchillas, in its natural habitat.

We will end the day at the Hotel del Desierto Tayka located at the door of the Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve in the middle of the high Andean desert.

The Hotel has rooms with private bathroom, hot water and heating until 21:30 hrs, and oxygen cylinders at the reception, if required.

Day 3

Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve: Siloli Desert - Stone Tree - Laguna Colorada - Geothermal Field, Sol de Mañana, geysers - Polques thermal springs (Chalviri Lagoon) - Dalí Desert - Green Lagoon with views of the Licancabur Volcano - Hito Cajones Border - Calama

Distance travelled: approximately 260 kms

We will start the expedition at 06:00 a.m.

We will enter the Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve. The reserve has an area of 714,745 hectares and reaches an altitude of 4000 to 6000 masl. It has an exceptional scenic beauty, so it is one of the most important tourist attractions in Bolivia.

Inside the Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve strange landscapes, basaltic rocks, ignimbrites, gigantic volcanoes, hot springs and fumaroles can be seen.

The most important basalt rock fromation is without doubt the Stone Tree. We will make our first stop at this point of interest and then continue to the Laguna Colorada, a favorite nesting place for flamingos. We will observe three species of flamingos: Chilean, James and Andino.

We will go to the Sol de Mañana fumaroles and geysers located at 4850 meters above sea level. We will see lava boiling intensely; the fumaroles and geysers emit mixed vapors of water and hot steam that reach heights of 10 to 50 meters, a product of the pressure with which they are emitted. These phenomena allow us to appreciate a landscape that seems to date back to the age of the formation of the Earth.

We will rest at the hot springs of Polques where you can take a relaxing bath. There is a small pool and changing rooms. The recommended time to stay in the pool is 20 minutes. The thermal waters are at 4500 meters above sea level.

We will have lunch in a dining room located in front of the thermal water pool.

Our adventure will continue to cross the Salvador Dali Desert and lead us to the dormant volcanoes Licancabur and Juriques. These are part of the volcanic mountain range of the Andes, in the Southwest of Bolivia. Both are the border with Chile, at their feet lies the Laguna Verde.

The intensity of the green color of the water in the lagoon depends on the wind in the area. In case there is no wind, you can see the reflection of the Licancabur Volcano in the crystal clear waters of the lagoon.

14:00 We will travel to the Hito Cajones border. You will go through the migratory procedures in the office of Migration of Bolivia. Your driver will drive you to the Chilean vehicle that will transport you to San Pedro de Atacama.

For your reference, the Chilean Migration Office is located a few kilometers away from the Cajones Hito border. You will get the stamp in your passport and then travel to Calama. Our Chilean driver will drop you off at your hotel or at the Calama Airport. In case you have planned to take a flight Calama - Santiago we will carefully plan the schedule of the border crossing.