Handstands: Salt Flats Tour Part 1

One of my biggest bucket list items is a trip through Bolivia to the salt flats in Uyani. And this week, my dream finally came true. Usually I use my words to describe a trip, but in this case I fear that words cannot even remotely describe this experience. It's something you just have to do to understand the incredible beauty of Bolivia. For those of you that are interested in coming her someday, I will walk through the things we saw each day, but mostly rely on the pictures to help tell my story.

Day 1

We started our tour in Tupiza, in the south of Bolivia after a nearly-all-night bus (click here to read about how we got to Tupiza and chose our tour company). The tour started at 8, and after a bit of stress trying to pay with 3 credit cards and ending with Paypal, we got out by 8:30. Our tour guide and cook was Elizabeth and our driver was Felipe. Our first stop was 10 minutes down the road and it was Palala where the weathered rocks created incredible shapes sticking straight up into the sky. From there our jeep climbed quickly up the hillside, gaining even more altitude. We stopped at many beautiful rock formations, cliffs, valleys and towns. Mostly Paul and I just stared out in wonder at the gorgeous changing landscape around us.

We had a chance to stop at some Inca ruins and learn a bit about the Spanish that came to exploit the mines from the town. We ended with a delicious dinner and a clear gorgeous sky bursting with stars. By 9pm we were freezing and huddled under our sleeping bags and 6 blankets. Brrr!

Day 2

This was a big day for us! We started the day by seeing the 'Stinky Lagoon' (Laguna Hedionda) which wasn't very stinky but was very beautiful and we were the only ones there. Next our jeep dropped us next to the 'Shampoo Lagoon' (Laguna Kollpa) and Paul and I got to walk around it, enjoying the peaceful quiet, flamingos and birds around the edges. We entered the national park and saw a small salt flat (Salar de Chalviri) and then entered the Dali Desert (Desierto de Dali), so called because of the multicolored mountains and strange rock structures that pop out of the ground.

We arrived first at the White Lagoon, and then crested a hill. Our guide Elizabeth turned around and said, "Are you ready to see the Green Lagoon (Laguna Verde)?" A a bright green/turquoise pool of water came into view. My jaw hit the floor, it was so gorgeous. Behind it was a volcano that sat on the border between Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia.

Next we arrived at the hot springs where I got to swim in the warm water while lunch was being prepared. The view was incomparable and even though I was loathe to get out (the wind was freezing!) you can't stay in hot springs forever. A quick lunch there and we were off!

We were to climb even higher, above 5000 meters, to see some geysers. The steam was pouring out of several holes in the ground, with bubbling pots of mud of a range of different colors across the land. Again, pictures speak louder than words.

We had one last stop on our second day, and that was the Red Lagoon (Laguna Colorado)! With sunshine and wind, the algae was agitated enough to make it a deep red. Full of flamingos and bright colors, it was an incredible sight. Paul and I walked around the lake with Elizabeth guiding us and telling us interesting facts. It was great just to be able to soak it all in. Our next hostel was close by, and we ate a quick and delicious dinner before running off to bed (about 8:30!) it was far too cold not to be snuggled under the pile of covers.

Day 3

Our first stop on day 3 was the stone tree (Arbol de Piedra). Apparently the minerals on the bottom are softer than the minerals on the top, making the bottom erode more quickly. This has caused the tree like shape that you can see in my pictures. It is estimated that the tree will erode to the point that it falls over in the next 5 years! Elizabeth and I decided to climb up some of the tall rock formations to see the view of the surrounding area and the Atacama Desert (Desierto de Siloli) which is the driest place on earth. It was beyond incredible and the view was just breathtaking as the rest of the tourists disappeared and we were left alone to wonder in amazement.

Paul on top of the world!

Me on top of a big pile of rocks. It took quite a bit of climbing and scrambling, but was worth it!

Our drive continued and we appeared to be alone, in the middle of nowhere. We passed by the rainbow mountain, so named because it looks similar to another mountain of the same name (and the rainbow colors or red, orange, yellow and purple that stripe its sides). We then drove by 4 lagoons but only stopped at 3. The first one was frozen on top and so we skidded rocks along it. The next lagoon was chalk-full of flamingos and it was interesting to watch them scrape their beaks along the bottom of the lagoon and fight each other as they saw fit. We ate lunch at the last lagoon, which had a beautiful reflection and more flamingos. Then we arrived at a beautiful rock formation (petrified lava, our guide informed us) to overlook an active volcano on the border of Chile.

Where are we? Why we're in the middle of nowhere, and it is gorgeous!

The first lagoon we stopped at for the day

Second lagoon - full of flamingos!

Third lagoon - our view for lunch!

In the background in the volcano on the border of Chile and Bolivia.

Finally, we made our way to a 'train graveyard' with one long decommissioned train and the border of Chile. We took the opportunity to stretch our legs and take a few pictures.

Me standing on the border of Chile! It is so well guarded... just look at that big ~~fluffy~~ scary dog.

What a scary train!

Our next to last stop for the day was a small shop that sold interesting flavored beer: coca, quinoa, and honey. We bought a few to share with our group, but only took a few cautious sips (still at altitude!).

Back in the trucks we went and continued on a bumpy dirt road to the prize location - Salar de Uyani, finally, for sunset. We didn't go far across the flats, but it was already mesmerizing. We took pictures and just took in the view.

Another cold night ahead of us, but it was mitigated slightly by the promise of a salt hotel. Everything, from the tables to the chairs to the walls to the floor (but not the mattress or pillows or blankets thankfully) were made of salt. It was quite a novelty, and definitely a more interesting stay than where we had been previously. And here, the most amazing thing - HOT WATER! We loved our showers then snuggled down for the night in anxious anticipation for the next day.