Uyuni Salt Flat - Lagoons and San Pedro de Atacama (Chile)

Day 1

The tour starts by picking you up from your Hotel in Uyuni Town, Uyuni Bus Station or Uyuni Airport. If you arrive early in the morning by bus or by plane, we can pick you up from the Uyuni Airport or the bus company office that will transport you to Uyuni. We will take you then to our office in Uyuni where you can leave your luggage and have some free time before starting your tour.

For passengers requesting the English speaking tour guide service, we will provide 1 English speaking tour guide for 11 tourists. The english speaking tour guide will guide 2 vehicles.

The Shared tour begins at 10:30 a.m. The first stop of the tour is the Train Cemetery, located about 3 kms. from the town of Uyuni. These trains were purchased during the administration of President Aniceto Arce, a great visionary of the mining industry. Unfortunately the exportation of minerals from Bolivia to Europe failed due to the resistance of the natives who did not want their lands invaded.

After a brief visit to the abandoned locomotives, we will take you to the village of Colchani, at the entrance of the Uyuni Salt Flat. Here you can buy some handicrafts made from salt and observe the manual processing of the salt extracted from the salt flat.

Continuing the journey we will show you the "ojos del salar" (eyes of the salt flat), small openings where the water flowing beneath the salt is revealed. This water has some healing properties due to its high mineral content. We will extract some salt crystals formed inside these eyes.

On our way to the Incahuasi Island we will make a short stop at the former Salt Hotel Playa Blanca, now converted into a cafe. This Hotel has been closed by the authorities due to the environmental impact it had inside the salt flat. Here you will have some free time to take spectacular photos of the salt flat. Close to the former Salt Hotel is a small mound with many flags from all over the world. These flags have been left by travelers passing by the Majestic Uyuni Salt Flat.

Lunch. The lunch includes a main course, dessert and drinks (sodas, water). Vegetarian menu is available at no extra charge.

After lunch we will visit the Incahuasi Island, home to hundreds of giant cacti gracing the landscape. The island is in the middle of the salt flat, visiting it means little physical effort. From the peak of the Incahuasi Island there are outstanding views of the Uyuni Salt Flat and the Tunupa Volcano.

There will be some extra time here for resting and taking even more pictures.

Something really special during the first day of the tour is that we will wait for the sunset inside the Uyuni Salt Flat.

At the end of the journey we will transport you to the Kachihuasi Hostel (Casa de Sal) located on the southern shore of the Uyuni Salt Flat, 20 minutes away from Atullcha village. Accommodation provided: double, triple or quadruple rooms with private toilets. Hot water showers are available outside of the guestrooms, extra charge for use:10 Bs.- = 1.4 $us.-. Heating is not available.

Dinner will be served at Kachiwasi Hostel. Beverages during dinner included.

During the rainy season the access to Hotel Kachiwasi is difficult and therefore the Hotel is closed. Travelers will spend the night on the northern shores of the Uyuni Salt Flat in Hostels that feature shared rooms and shared bathrooms. Facilities at these Hostels are basic.

Day 2

The second day of the tour will start after breakfast.

The expedition will take you to Chiguana Salt Flat, a deserted spot with smaller salt concentration. From here, you will take a scenic drive through a countryside that features stunning deserts and breathtaking lagoons.

You will make a short trek to the Ollague Volcano viewpoint with marvelous panoramic views of the Ollague Volcano and other high mountains. (This tourist spot cannot be visited during the rainy season.)

Lunch. The lunch includes a main course, dessert and drinks (sodas, water). Vegetarian menu is available at no extra charge.

After lunch we will take you to visit the minor Lagoons Cañapa, Hedionda and Honda. All of them feature pink flamingo populations that share the space with other Andean birds.

Traveling south we will find the Siloli desert located at 4550 m.a.s.l. (highest and driest in the world) where the Stone tree / Arbol de Piedra is located. This rock is unique because it resembles a tree.

Before ending this day we will pass through the viscachas canyon where you will have a wonderful time watching these cute animals. The viscachas that live in this canyon love the tourist and are always in good mood for pictures.

Dinner and accomodation at Huayllajara camp. The shelter features shared rooms and a shared bathroom for all guests at the camp. A hot water shower is located outside the guestrooms at 15 Bs.- = 2 $us.- extra charge. Facilities are very basic, hot water and heating are not available due to the remoteness of the area. Huayllajara camp is located 15 minutes away from Colorada Lagoon/ Red Lagoon, inside the Eduardo Avaroa National Park.

The 6 travelers that are sharing the tour will share a guestroom at Huayllajara camp.

Day 3

The tour will start at 04:30 a.m. after breakfast.

We will transport you to visit the Colorada Lagoon. This stunning Lagoon contains borax islands, whose white color contrasts with the reddish color of its waters, which is caused by red sediments and pigmentation of some algae. James's pink flamingos abound in the area. Also it is possible to find Andean and Chilean flamingos, but in a smaller quantity.

We will continue our trip taking you to Sol de Mañana, a volcanic zone where you can see geysers. This endless supply of water is spitted out of the ground at a temperature of 90 C, through fumaroles and cracks through which sometimes even volcanic lava erupts. It is recommended for everyone's personal safety to observe this from a distance, mostly because of the sensitivity and lack of stability of the ground.

Continuing with our trip you will spend some time in the Polques hot springs where you can take a relaxing bath in a small pool of natural thermal water.

The next stop in our trip is the Salvador Dali desert, the Laguna Verde / Green Lagoon located at the feet of the Licancabur Volcano (5,868 m.a.s.l.).The intensity of the green color of this Lagoon depends on the wind in the area. If there is no wind, then you will enjoy a clear reflection of the Licancabur Volcano in the Lagoon. The Licancabur Volcano is the landmark that indicates the border line between Chile and Bolivia.

9:30 a.m. We will transport you to Hito Cajones (Bolivian / Chilean border) where you will go to the Bolivian Migration office and later will board a Shared tourist bus that will transport you to San Pedro de Atacama.

The shared bus ticket from Hito Cajones to San Pedro de Atacama is included in the tour package.

The shared tourist bus will drop you in a central street in the San Pedro de Atacama town. The arrival time is 13:00 hrs. approx.