Salar de Uyuni

No visit to Bolivia is complete without visiting the salt flats in the south of Bolivia, in the region called Salar de Uyuni. We didn´t know what to expect and certainly weren´t prepared to see some of the most stunning landscapes on our trip so far.

Beginning in the town of Uyuni, the trip occured over three days and two nights, in a 4x4 jeep with two lovely couples from Ireland and Russia, along with our driver Jose. The journey from La Paz to Uyuni was an adventure in itself, as rains in central Bolivia resulted in a 5 hour detour. We travelled overnight, with a 2am stop in some outpost in the middle of nowhere for a bathroom break and the chance to purchase a greasy egg and french fry sandwhich. Yum.

The first day of the trip took us to the salt flats, where we were greeted with endless miles of white salt covered in a thin layer of water from recent rains creating a beautiful reflection of the sky above. It was in this dreamscape that the latest male/female pop sensation ¨Sexy Nasty¨ was born! A glorious beginning to a career that has surely already met its end.

The next two days took us through even more stunning landscapes: lagoons in blue/red/green dotted with pink flamingos at the base of snow covered mountains.

We were extremely lucky with the weather and did not meet rain throughout the trip. At night we stopped in very basic accomodations where tea and dinner were served and we enoyed the company of our fellow travellors with many beers and cards to pass the time.

After a night under vivid stars our 4:30am wakeup was rewarded with rolling red dunes in the sunrise, a clear moon in a blue sky and steaming geysers which created the feel of a trip to Mars.

The drive passes close to the northeastern region of Chile where we were to part ways with our new friends and cross the border into our fifth country of the trip. But before saying goodbye, what better way to cap off an incredible three days than in a thermal bath in the sunshine surrounded by yet more natural beauty.