Uyuni is the name of both a town and the nearby salt flats (salar in Spanish) in Bolivia. This salar is the biggest one in the world, and an incredible sight you absolutely must visit if you’re in this part of the world. You can visit the salt flats as a day trip from town or as part of a multiple-day tour from several starting points. In this guide, I will tell you what a Uyuni Tour is like, the different tours you can join, and give you some handy tips to fully enjoy this experience to the max!
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Table of Contents - What is the Uyuni Tour like: A complete guide
- Where is Uyuni?
- What is the best time of the year to visit Uyuni?
- Do you need a tour to visit the Uyuni Salt Flats (Salar de Uyuni)?
- Which places do you visit during the Uyuni Tour?
- Where is the best place to start the Uyuni Tour?
- Crossing the border during the Uyuni Tour
- What to bring on the Uyuni tour
- Other things to keep in mind
Where is Uyuni
Uyuni is located in the Potosi Department of Bolivia, which occupies the southwestern corner of the country. It’s very close to the borders of both Chile and Argentina and can be reached by direct bus from San Pedro de Atacama in Chile. If you’re traveling from Salta or Jujuy in Argentina, you can get here by changing buses at the La Quiaca/Villazon border crossing.
What is the best time of the year to visit Uyuni?
The best time of year to visit the Uyuni Salt Flats depends on the experience you’re looking for. I’ve done this tour twice: once in November 2019 (dry season) and once in February 2024 (rainy season) and both have pros and cons.
During the dry season, good weather is almost guaranteed. Not only at the salt flats but also at the other locations you will visit during a 3- or 4-day tour. Plus, we got to see a beautiful sunset and sunrise at the salt flats and an incredible night sky. The dry season is perfect for perspective pictures and videos, like the ones above.
During the rainy season, you have the possibility to see the mirror effect if there is enough water. But days can be rainy as well. Afternoons were cloudy during our tour in 2024 and it rained a lot on the second night. So there was no sunset, and there barely was a sunrise on the third day. But, there was enough water to create a mirror effect! Note that if there is too much water, it’s not possible to drive very far on the Salar de Uyuni though. You might not be able to get to Incahuasi Island in this case.
Based on my experience, I would say the beginning of the rainy season is the best time of year to visit the Uyuni Salt Flats. While the dry salar is impressive as well, and the perspective pictures are fun to take, the mirror effect is just out of this world. But, there is no guarantee there will be the right amount of water. And it could rain during the tour as well.
Do you need a tour to visit the Uyuni Salt Flats (Salar de Uyuni)?
To visit the Salar de Uyuni, yes, you need a tour. It’s not allowed to drive here on your own, and it would be very dangerous to do so. It’s easy to get lost in this big white space. If there is water on the salt flat, it’s also easy to get stuck. The vehicles that tour agencies use are strong 4×4 cars that can handle driving in these circumstances. Drivers are experienced and know this area very well.
The other places you will visit with a multiple-day tour can be visited without a tour. You do need a 4×4 though, and make sure to bring extra fuel. There are no gas stations on the way.
Which places do you visit during the Uyuni Tour?
There are several options for tours if you want to visit the Uyuni Salt Flats, so there is more than one answer to this question.
The most popular tour is the 3-day tour between San Pedro de Atacama in Chile and the town of Uyuni. This tour can be traveled in both directions: starting in San Pedro de Atacama and ending in Uyuni, or starting in Uyuni and ending in San Pedro.
If you would like to get back to where you started, you can opt for a 4-day tour.
You can also do a 4-day tour from Tupiza to Uyuni, or vice versa. This one is comparable to the 3-day tour from San Pedro de Atacama but with an extra day. On this day you will visit some sights between Tupiza and the Fauna Andina Eduardo Avaroa reserve.
Lastly, it’s also possible to do a day trip from Uyuni and only visit the salar. While the salary is really cool, the other places you will see on a multiple-day tour are also incredible and 100% worth a visit. So I recommend a multiple-day tour for the best and most complete experience.
Itinerary Uyuni tour from San Pedro de Atacama to Uyuni
The below itinerary is the standard itinerary for tours leaving San Pedro de Atacama, which is the most popular tour. Note that some agencies might have slightly different itineraries and that itineraries might need to be adjusted due to weather conditions.
Day 1
On the first day, you will leave San Pedro around 7 am. You will be picked up by your transfer who will bring you to the border with Bolivia. Here they will prepare breakfast as you go through the Bolivian immigration and wait for your Bolivian driver to pick you up and start the tour for real.
All of the sights of today are located in the incredible Reserva Nacional de Fauna Andina Eduardo Avaroa. The entrance fee for this reserve is normally not included in the tour price and is 150 BOB for foreigners (about 20 EUR/22 USD, at the time of writing). The first stop is Laguna Blanca (White Lake) and Laguna Verde (Green Lake). These two beautiful lakes are right next to each other. You’ll get some time to wander around both of them and take pictures. If you’re lucky you’ll see some vicuñas and flamingos here as well. Next is the Desierto Salvador Dalí (Salvador Dalí Desert), a desert with rocks that look like a painting of Salvador Dalí.
Then it’s time to relax in the Termas de Polques (Polques hot springs, entrance fee 6 BOB = less than 1 EUR/USD at the time of writing) and have lunch.
After lunch, you will visit the Sol de Mañana geyser and last but definitely not least, Laguna Colorada. An incredibly brown/reddish-colored lake with lamas around and lots of flamingos! I’ve never seen so many flamingos together, or so close. While I loved all the stops of this day, Laguna Colorada was the highlight for me.
Day 2
Today starts with the Valle de las Rocas (Valley of the Rocks), a valley with several interesting rock formations. Here you’ll see rocks shaped like the World Cup, a camel, and a bunny-shaped window.
Next is my favorite stop of this day: Laguna Negra. This lake is surrounded by rock formations and a grassy area where many llamas happily roam around.
And lastly, there is a stop at the Anaconda Canyon viewpoint, which got its name from the windy river that flows through it.
Lunch today is at a restaurant on the way, and there will be a beer stop later as well. It’s a long drive towards the Salar de Uyuni today, so it’ll be nice to get out of the car, stretch your legs, use a toilet, and try one of the special craft beers here. There are beers made with cactus, coca leaves, and quinoa for example.
At night you’ll sleep in a hotel made of salt! Not every hotel is completely made of salt though. The hotel I stayed in in 2019 was, even the floor was made from salt! But the hotel of 2024 only had some parts of the wall and details made of salt.
Day 3
Today is mostly spent at the Salar de Uyuni. You’ll get up early, to catch the sunrise at Incahuasi Island. A rocky island full of cacti in the middle of the Salt Flat (entrance fee 30 Bs = about 4 EUR/USD at the time of writing). While you’re enjoying the island, your driver will prepare breakfast here for you.
Next, it’s photo session time! Depending on the conditions of the salar, your driver, who is also your photographer, will take perspective pictures (dry salar) and/or reflection pictures (wet salar) of you and your group. You’ll also visit Playa Blanca (White Beach, the first salt hotel in the area), la Plaza de las Banderas (Flag Square), and the Dakar monument.
Then it’s time to leave the salt flat and start heading to town. On the way, you’ll stop by the handicraft market in Colchani, which is a great place to buy souvenirs. The last stop is the train cemetery. This is basically just a place where old trains are left to rust. As time passes by, there is less and less left of the trains. But, it’s a good excuse to stretch your legs a bit and wait for lunchtime.
Lunch is at a restaurant in town and marks the end of the tour.
People signed up for the 3-day tour will be dropped off in the center of town. You can choose to stay the night here, or directly move on to your next destination and hop on a (night)bus.
Those signed up for the 4-day tour back to San Pedro will be dropped off at the agency and will start heading back in the afternoon. There are no sightseeing stops on the way back, it’s just driving back to San Pedro de Atacama. You’ll spend the night in Villamar again, and leave very early on the 4th day. Your driver needs to pick up the next group from the border in the morning. You’ll change to a transfer back to San Pedro here.
Where is the best place to start the Uyuni Tour?
I’d start the tour wherever is most convenient for you. There are some small differences in itinerary depending on where you start the tour, but I don’t think they are big enough to change your itinerary around. If it doesn’t matter for your itinerary, there are a few things that could help you make a decision:
- What do you want to see: The tour to/from Tupiza is the most complete one. You’ll stop by more lakes, rock formations, and a mining town between Tupiza and La Reserva Nacional de Fauna Andina Eduardo Avaroa.
- What’s your budget: Tours starting in Bolivia are a little cheaper since only Bolivian tour agencies are authorized to operate these tours. If you contract a tour in Chile, they can only bring you to the border and will need to hire a Bolivian company to do the actual tour.
- Where do you want to see the sunrise: If you end the tour in Uyuni, you will see the sunrise on day three from Incahuasi Island on the salt flats. If you do the tour the other way around, you won’t see the sunrise here, but you will have a sunrise at the geyser on day 3.
- Do you want to save the Uyuni Salt Flats for last: While there are many more incredible sights to see on this tour, it is called the Uyuni tour. Therefore, Uyuni does kinda feel like the destination, so you might want to end your tour here.
Crossing the border during the Uyuni Tour
If you start and/or finish your tour in San Pedro de Atacama, you’ll need to cross the border between Chile and Bolivia and you will need to pass by immigration. Make sure to bring your passport and if you’re traveling from Chile to Bolivia, your PDI as well.
The border crossing is rather small and mainly used by tour agencies. So it’s rather straightforward. If you go from Uyuni to San Pedro, the process might take a little while as Chile has very strict policies regarding the importation of foods and plants. They check vehicles and luggage well. If you bought snacks for on the road, make sure to eat them before entering Chile.
What to bring on the Uyuni tour
- Enough Bolivianos: Bring enough cash to pay for the entrance fees (150 + 6 + 30 = 186 Bs), toilet stops (generally 5 Bs each), and buy a craft beer on the second day. If you’re planning on buying souvenirs, bring a little extra. Agencies generally recommend about 250 Bolivianos. If you’re leaving from San Pedro, you’ll need to change money here, there is no opportunity to get cash during the tour. There are a few places to change money on the corner of Calle Caracoles (the main street) and Calle Toconao.
- Toilet paper. If you pay for toilets on the way, they will generally give you toilet paper, but otherwise, there will likely not be any.
- Bring warm clothes, even if you’re visiting in summer. It gets cold at the salt flat, especially when you get up at 5 am to see the sunrise at Isla Incahuasi.
- Sturdy shoes. You won’t be hiking a lot, but in some rocky areas.
- Sunscreen, a hat, and sunglasses. The salar reflects the sunlight, so you’ll easily burn here.
Other things to keep in mind
The places you’ll visit during the tour lie high in the Andes. Take some time to acclimatize before starting the tour if you can.
Drivers only speak Spanish, and maybe a few words of English or Portuguese. They are not guides and they won’t explain a lot about each place during the tour, but knowing a few words in Spanish will be helpful. If you don’t speak or understand Spanish at all, download these languages in the Google Translate app before leaving. Just in case. Hiring an English-speaking guide is also an option, enquire at the agency if you’re interested.
Accommodations during the tour will likely not have (working) wifi. If you’re afraid friends and family might worry about you if you’re offline for a few days, let them know beforehand. Bolivian sim cards from Entel will get signal at some places during the tour.
Take your PDI with you if you’re starting the tour in San Pedro de Atacama. They will ask for it when you leave the country.
If you’re doing the 4-day tour, save your ticket for the Reserve. Park rangers might ask for it when you leave.
And lastly, the agency in Uyuni told us that they might ask us to pay a fee when leaving Bolivia. This small fee of 15 Bs is not an official fee though, and there is no mention of it anywhere (that I could find). They didn’t ask us to pay anything but do be aware that someone may try to get you to pay this fee at the border.
This was What is the Uyuni Tour like: A complete guide
