Tupiza was to be our base for our Southwest tour of Bolivia and four day three night expedition into the Salar de Uyuni, the largest salt flats on the planet.
Day 1
We departed with La Torre tours (which we can highly recommend) in a group of 5 plus our driver and guide Pedro, and cook Aaydi. Our fellow tourers included a a couple of French ski instructors and a young English teacher from Bangkok. With an age group of 26-30 we had a good group... Although the day before we were told we were going with an Australian couple and a solo male called Sebastian. Not knowing the group till the day seems to be the norm for most agencies in South America!
We made ourselves comfortable in the jeep which was to more or less be our home for the next 4 days. We set off through true wild west territories with sprawling dusty red mountains and plenty of cacti. After several hours of driving (a few inca bano stops on route) we stopped for lunch in some old ruins. A first chance to test out Aaydi's cooking, in which she did herself proud! After lunch we pushed on hard and decided not to sleep at the first rest point (4pm) but to keep going for another four hours. It was the right decision but it took some masterful driving from Pedro through the desert hills driving into the sunset to get us there. Arriving at first basecamp was a pleasant experience and a welcome chance to stretch the legs. Aaydi again excelled herself with dinner but after a long day it was a long wait for dinner! Settling down for the night we slept in standard 5 bed dorm with decent enough accommodation (Bolivian bathrooms that include toilet paper are on the nice side).
Day 2
A change of scenery. From the off it was clear Day 2 was to be changeable, the dry rock gives way to water (and even some spikey grass) with extraordinary effect. The resulting landscape is one that is dotted with stunning laguna's that provide a home for thousands of flamingos.
The lagoons are sprung from natural mineral reserves so some of the more famous take on an a stunning but almost eerie colour. The most outstanding being the reflections in Laguna Blanca, the glow of Laguna Verde and the awe-inspiring reds of Laguna Colarada.
The action packed second day also gave us a chance to test the waters of the thermal hot springs whilst reaching out highest highs yet, home to the Geyser Basin. At 5,100m above sea level the Geysers are bubbling and steaming at the same time and provide an alarming heat that can only be tolerated for a few seconds if you are brave enough to put your hand in! The landscape is almost lunar with craters containing bubbling rock that you would do well to stay clear of.
The second evening had us cracking open the rum and banter over a few games of cards and dice.
Day 3
More lagoons and plenty of climbing. We were stopping every 30 minutes or so to admire either a sprawling lagoon or naturally shaped novelty rock formation. The highlights of which being the rock shaped like a tree (and impossibly standing), the clearest and stillest laguna's imaginable, and being joined by a pair of Bolivian rabbit-like-creatures for lunch.
The evening of Day 3 has us arriving at the edge of the Salar and our not so basic accommodation... A Salt Hotel! Ok more like a salt hostel, but still a big step up. All the walls, floors, beds, tables, chairs.... in fact anything that could be made out of salt was. A great experience heightened only by the excess of alcohol as we enjoyed several bottles of wine and the rest of the rum on our last night together.
Day 4
Early start.... 4.30am.... shouldn't of finished the rum...! Departing the salt hotel at 5am pre-breakfast had us cruising along the Salar in the moonlight. 5.30am a bit more awake and taking in the most amazing sunrise from the Salar. The salt flats rest at 3,650m above sea level and cover over 12,000 sq km, at which the height of the plains varies by only one metre. It's a surreal experience thats difficult to describe.... imagine being an ant in the middle of a massive piece of white paper...
In the middle of the Salar is Isla Incahuasi, a small 'island' rising from the Salar and home to thousands of cactus. Many stretch to over 10m tall and several have been around for nearly a thousand years. Our chance for breakfast and a look around whilst all the Bolivian drivers played an impromptu game of football on the salar.
After breakfast was what we'd all been waiting for, novelty perspective photos on the Salar! Cue A LOT of 'back, back a bit, a bit more, a little bit more, no too much, forward, stop'. After a few hours of messing around, and with flat batteries in the cameras it was time to finish our four day tour with a view of how the salt is used by the economy, extracting, processing, etc.
An awesome trip worth every penny, and a must do for anyone who visits Bolivia. La Torre Tours and starting from Tupiza (as oppose to the tourist town of Uyuni) is a must. We we're one step ahead and felt as if we had the entire southwest to ourselves at times.
A quick thanks to Adams brother Paul for sponsoring the trip with his three month late birthday present ;)
Ciao
A&G
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