Salar de Uyuni is without a doubt the most unearthly place we have ever traveled. Also known as the “World’s Largest Mirror”, the Bolivian salt flats are just something else! Imagine a horizon so magnificent that you wonder what’s actually sky and what’s earth. Salar de Uyuni is truly a place worth visiting!
In this blog post, we’ll guide you through how to visit Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia. we’ll share our knowledge of how to get there, where to stay, when to visit, what tours to go on, and much more.
Glenn and I learned so much during our trip to Salar de Uyuni because it. was. horrible. We didn’t have a joyful visit at all, and that’s why we’ll also share how NOT to visit Salar de Uyuni at the end of this blog post. We did it wrong, so you can do it right!
Not all journeys go as planned, however, we were a lot at fault for our own bad experience, and it only made us realise how important good planning is when you visit Salar de Uyuni – and that, we can now hopefully help you with.
All right, let’s head to the Bolivian salt flats!
*DISCLOSURE: Dear Reader, this blog post contains affiliate links. If you click on them, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend tours, hotels, and products which I use myself or find worthy to recommend.*
Planning a trip to Salar de Uyuni
All right, let’s start by planning your trip to Salar de Uyuni. In this section, we’ll go through how you can plan your trip step-by-step from when to visit, how to get there, where to stay, and how to find a good tour to the Bolivian Salt Flats.
When to visit Salar de Uyuni
There are two ways you can experience Salar de Uyuni – during rainy season and dry season.
- Rainy season: December – March
If you visit during rainy season, then you get to experience the incredible mirror effect, which blends sky and earth together. The mirror effect is only possible to see during the rainy season because the salt flats are covered in a thin layer of rain water, which reflects the sky, and creates the mirror.
- Dry season: April – November
If you visit during dry season, then you get to experience Salar de Uyuni as it is – a big field of salt flats. The ground is covered in white, dry salt, and it stands in sharp contrast to the (hopefully) blue sky.
How to get to Salar de Uyuni
The Bolivian salt flats are located only a stone’s throw away from Uyuni City. So if you just head towards Uyuni, then you will be very close to the salt flats themselves.
You can either fly in to Uyuni directly from Cochabamba, or you can take the bus from basically anywhere in the country. The bus from La Paz to Uyuni takes around 9 hours, and you can book your seat online here.
It’s also possible to take a direct bus from the Atacama desert in Chile to Uyuni in Bolivia – this is actually what we did during our trip.
Where to stay in Salar de Uyuni
We booked 3 nights in a hotel in Uyuni, and we had enough time to both explore Uyuni City and the incredible salt flats. Unfortunately, I cannot find our hotel on Booking.com anymore, but I’m not sure I would recommend it anyways. Instead, I found some other great accommodation options that you can have a look at depending on your budget (notice that prices below are temporary and always subject to change)
Hotels in Uyuni
- Piedra Blanca Backpackers Hostel: Want something cheap? This hostel looks like the most basic hostel you can find in the city. Yet it has some really great reviews and free breakfast is included! Prices start at $11 for a single bed in a shared dorm.
- Casa de Sal – Salt Hotel: Want to stay somewhere nice? Check out this hotel that’s located in the middle of the city center of Uyuni, it has super good reviews, and breakfast is included. Prices start at $65 per night for a double room.
- Hotel Palacio de Sal: Want to stay somewhere extraordinary? Check out this luxurious hotel that’s mostly built out of salt and is located at the edge of Salar de Uyuni. It also has an indoor pool, a spa, and a restaurant on site. Prices for a deluxe double room start around $170 per night.
How to find a Salar de Uyuni Tour
Mon 31/10 2022: Dear reader, I’m in the middle of editing this planning section, please come back later…
Our story: How NOT to visit Salar de Uyuni
All right! Now that we have talked about how to plan your trip to Salar de Uyuni, it’s time for us to share how you should not visit this amazing place on earth. This is our story of how we actually had a pretty bad day at the Bolivian salt flats – and funnily enough it all leads back to us being cheapskates and choosing a bad tour.
So I cannot stress it enough when I say this: Please plan ahead! Salar de Uyuni is so amazing, you don’t want to go here and have a bad time like we did. So here it is, our story from our day trip to Salar de Uyuni – enjoy!
1. Booking a salt flat tour in Uyuni
We arrived in Uyuni on a late evening in February. We had spent all day in a bus going from San Pedro de Atacama in Chile and were now finally in Bolivia! Uyuni was our first destination in the country, and we were excited to be here.
We had booked 3 nights in Uyuni.
We were not in a rush, so the first day we slept in and went to go look for the perfect day tour to take us to the salt flats in Uyuni. First stop was TripAdvisor. We found some good rated tours and decided to go visit some of the tour companies in Uyuni.
We chose the first one we visited.
The staff was really friendly, and I honestly don’t want to give them sh*t for our bad experience because they don’t deserve that. They didn’t make bad tours, it was the people in our tour group that inspired me to share this post on how not to visit Salar de Uyuni.
Anyways, they offered two different day tours, one in Spanish and one in English. The only problem was that the English tour was double the price, and we didn’t want to spend that amount of money, so we prepared to leave.
That’s when she convinced us that the Spanish tour would be okay, because the guide doesn’t tell much about Salar de Uyuni anyways.
Red flag.
Then she showed us the list of the people attending the Spanish tour from the day before: A mix of 5 different nationalities.
Green flag.
It looked like there was a lot of different nationalities, so we might be able to make some friends and have some fun. We decided to go ahead book it. And you know what? We should have just paid the money and gone with the English tour. But we didn’t.
2. Getting Picked up and meeting our tour group
It was the day of our departure. Our tour guide was already half an hour late but it didn’t bother us since we were used to waiting around after nearly 8 months of travel.
We looked around and hoped that some of the people standing around the office was our tour group. There was a lot of young people, but sadly for us, no one was waiting for the day tour.
Our driver finally came, he picked us up and put us in the back seats of his jeep. Glenn’s legs were crammed up, there was no room for him, but like I said, traveling for 8 months gets you used to these situations, so we just laughed at it.
Then we waited. And then waited some more.
All of a sudden a family of 3 (mother, father and son) came to join our jeep, and they had a little Chihuahua-looking dog with them. They were from Bolivia and only spoke Spanish, which makes sense since they booked the Spanish tour.
However, we kind of felt like we were the tourists in the back, joining in on a family trip to the salt flats. But we gave them a chance and tried to establish some bonds by speaking to them and trying to be friendly in our broken Spanish.
3. The first stop was the train cemetery
Our first stop of the day was the train cemetery.
We got out of the jeep and Glenn was happy to stretch his legs. We were both excited to start the tour! The guide gave us half an hour to go around and take pictures at the train cemetery in Uyuni.
The place was swamped with other day-tourers but it didn’t really bother us.
We joined the 500 other tourists and started climbing the old rusty trains. I must admit, we had a lot of fun and took some good pictures. Turns out that the train cemetery isn’t far from the city center of Uyuni, so you could actually do this by yourself.
Anyways, our time was up, and we went back to the jeep. Our guide asked us where the family was and we said we didn’t know. So we got back into the back of the van and waited again. After 15 minutes of waiting, they finally came back.
4. The second stop was a market
We were so excited to finally go to Salar de Uyuni!
However, first the family had to make a stop at the toilet. They talked to the guide and referred to us as the “Gringos” in the back. I found this a bit rude. I mean, we do have names, and we were going to spend the whole day together. Why not get to know each other a bit?
We felt a bit like we were outsiders, like third-wheeling a family trip.
After the toilet break, the tour continued to a market full of cheap stuff. Here you could buy dinosaurs and other things to use in pictures at Salar de Uyuni. You could also find magnets, drinks, ponchos, and much more!
Apparently, every jeep stops here. I guess it’s okay with an extra stop, so we can support the locals who own a shop. Glenn supported by buying a morning beer. A drink wasn’t for me since I didn’t feel super well.
As a result of the beer hunting, we met a nice German guy who gave me some coca-leaves for my altitude sickness, so that was really nice of him. Thank you!
Anyways, our time at the market was up, so we got back into the back of the jeep. And waited. Again. Then the family eventually came back. But then they left again because they had to go to the toilets. Again.
I was starting to get a little impatient. It didn’t really feel like the tour had started yet. Almost 2 hours had past and we still hadn’t seen the Bolivian salt flats.
5. Finally going to Salar de Uyuni – So we thought
Finally! We were on the way to Salar de Uyuni, two “gringos” crammed in the back intruding a Bolivian family vacation. What a sight.
I decided to just let it go, continue smiling, and being friendly. Stay positive!
Then they ordered the driver to stop because they wanted to look at some salt figures. We said we were okay to stay in the car, but they insisted we got out too.
So we did.
We looked around for a few minutes and went back into the jeep. At this point, our guide was starting to be a bit annoyed, I think he was behind his own schedule. I couldn’t blame him.
We got back into the jeep.
AND FINALLY, what a sight! In front of us was nothing but white planes of salt flats. I couldn’t wait to get out of the car and explore. Nothing could stop us now!
Except for the family.
The mother started looking around her bag with a bit of panic. She threw the little dog that was on her lap at her husband, and she kept looking. It was obvious that she had lost something. I couldn’t understand what. Maybe it was her wallet or something important?
Our jeep suddenly turned around. And drove away from the salt flats.
Aaaah we had been so close! This is when I started to get a little bit annoyed.
I just wanted to get to Salar de Uyuni, and we had spent most the day stopping anywhere else and waiting around. Come on! Let’s go already!
So we went all the way back to the market, and the mother and the son left the car in a hurry. I was still thinking she was going to get her wallet. But no, she came back with an umbrella.
I told myself to breathe and stay positive, I don’t know how well I succeeded. All that for an umbrella.
6. Going to Salar de Uyuni – for real this time
At this point, our excitement is pretty much gone.
I was feeling weak from the altitude sickness and Glenn couldn’t feel his legs anymore. Apparently, it was more important that the Chihuahua had a good seat than my boyfriend.
The dad feeds the dog candy while Glenn can’t feel his legs – This video still makes me laugh today
Nonetheless, we decided to try and keep a positive mindset because now was the time to go explore the Bolivian salt flats, and let’s be frank, when would we ever be back? So let’s get the most out of it!
We finally had some time to go around and take pictures.
And I must admit, this place is freaking AMAZING.
I had never seen anything like this place on earth. The sky was literally melting into the ground and the horizon was just gone. We were visiting during rainy season, so we were lucky to get the mirror reflection of Salar de Uyuni.
I was completely in love with the oddness of this place!
We went around by ourselves and tried to make some nice shots for our travel vlog for our YouTube channel Worldwide Walkers. It was nice just being the two of us, but all the other jeeps were full of young backpackers, and we wished to be part of the fun.
Anyways, can’t have it all. We just had to make the best of it.
Lunchtime came around, and our guide had provided a nice Bolivian meal for us. I could even eat a vegetarian omelet. Thanks! Lunch was actually really good but the whole situation was just a bit awkward.
We tried to talk to the family. But honestly, I don’t know, there was just a lot of awkward silence, which normally never happens when I have Glenn with me.
After lunch we were supposed to meet at the jeep.
But we waited. Again. At this point we were just used to it.
7. Epic photoshoot fail
Now, if you have Instagram, then you’ve probably seen some pictures of people running away from a dinosaur in the middle of big white planes. These pictures are taken in Salar de Uyuni. Everyone who visits wants to take some funny pictures.
And now was our time to shine.
…
I’m not gonna lie, it was awkward.
…
Nobody said it out loud but we obviously didn’t want to be in their family pictures, and we didn’t want them in ours either. Because let’s be honest, we were never going to see each other again – there was no chemistry between us and the whole trip was just a bit awkward.
They (of course) immediately grabbed the dinosaur our guide provided and started doing their photoshoots. We just kept out of their way and tried to enjoy magical Salar de Uyuni by ourselves.
After a while, the guide came to us with the dinosaur (I think he had enough of the demanding family), we gave him our camera and he tried his best to take some pictures of us.
Our Bolivian guide was super friendly, and we liked him a lot. He really did his best. However, this may be the most hilarious Salar de Uyuni photoshoot fail ever!
What a fail. I still can’t stop laughing when I look at these pictures. At least they are super funny.
Anyways, when I just started to get my spirit back, something happened. And I completely lost my mind.
8. Dog poop on my seat
We were wrapping up the photoshoot and made ready to finish the tour and return to Uyuni city center. That’s when I saw a brown mass of something in the back of the jeep. On my seat!
It could’ve been vomit or poo. I’m not sure.
The dad had been feeding the dog chocolate and candy… Yes, I know, poor dog. So it probably had a bad stomach. Plus, the salt flats are covered in salt water. The dog cannot go anywhere to poop or pee during this trip. So I’m really not mad at that dog.
But I refused to go back into the jeep.
As a result, the family panicked… and they gave Glenn a piece of paper.
WTF?!
Their dog “goes” on my seat and my boyfriend has to clean it? NO WAY.
Glenn refused to clean the seat.
Consequently, the guide stepped in and took care of it.
Poor man, I think he just wanted to wrap up the tour at this moment. It was just unbelievable. If my dog would do that, I would personally clean it! I certainly wouldn’t demand other people clean it, I mean… Whaaat?
I was speechless by the situation and their bad behavior.
After the guide cleaned it, the family wanted me to go back to my seat.
I still refused. I could not believe that they would want me to sit there.
They didn’t offer us to switch seats at anytime during the 8 hours tour, we were crammed in the back the whole time, their dogs poops on my seat and they still don’t offer to switch?
I got so mad.
They put the dogs snuggle-blanket over the seat and wanted me to go in. I still refused. I wanted one of them to sit there. It just couldn’t be right that I had to, when it was their dog who did it. I still don’t understand why they didn’t offer that.
In the end, Glenn caved and went to sit on the seat. He was done with the whole tour and he just wanted to go home.
I was still furious.
I might have overreacted but at this time I was just done with the day.
Glenn’s comments on the day tour
“I almost felt like I was part of a sitcom but instead of the usual apartment where the various characters go through their life, we sat in a cramped van, and this wasn’t a 20min episode.. this was an 8 hour compilation.
And the conflicts created that day never got resolved, instead we didn’t even know how to speak to each other. In the end, I was waiting for the applause, the grand finale of acting through the day, as if you didn’t care about what happened, instead we got a big poo on our seats”
My comments on how not to visit Salar de Uyuni
Today, I’m not mad anymore and neither is Glenn. We laugh at it when we tell the story.
I think we were just unlucky and had a bad experience with our group tour. You might say we shouldn’t have gone for the Spanish tour, and yes we shouldn’t, but we did.
What I didn’t like was the treatment we were given. Like they were superior and had a “never mind the gringos in the back”-attitude. Be kind to the people around you, please.
Not once in the 8+ hours did they offer Glenn to switch seats even though he is much bigger than all of them. I mean, it can’t be right that a Chihuahua gets a better seat than Glenn?
They didn’t care that we were there at all.
They were very demanding and rude. Even more, we saw them push other people away who were taking pictures, so they could swoop in and take the spot.
That being said, they weren’t bad people, I just dont think they cared about anyone but themselves. Sorry for judging.
We paid as much as them but didn’t get a nice experience.
It’s our own fault for booking it. But next time, I will definitely do it differently.
How to visit the Bolivian salt flats the right way
These are my recommendations on how to visit Salar de Uyuni on a one day tour. We did it wrong, so you can do it right:
- Check out more than one tour office! Dont get talked into the first one. I’m sure that you can find cheaper English tours at other companies if you don’t speak good Spanish.
- Make sure you go there with some nice people! Ask around at your hostel or hotel to see if anyone wants to join your one-day trip. Remember that every tourist in Uyuni is there to see the salt flats.
- Book a private tour! If you have more money and you dont want to share the experience with other people, then pay a bit extra and look for a private tour. I believe this is what the family should have done.
- Rent a jeep! Get your own car, then you can do whatever you want at your own time. Just don’t get lost in the salt flats. Trust me, it’s hard to find your way when the horizon is gone.
I hope you enjoyed this disastrous blog on how not to visit Salar de Uyuni. I hope I wasn’t complaining too much, my main point was to make you laugh and show you that you can’t always control what happens.
We were in one of the top bucket list places on earth and we didn’t enjoy it as much as we should have. If this happens to you, remember to stay positive and remember where you are! If you want to read more stories from the road, then check out my top 10 compilation of funny travel short stories.
Did you ever visit Salar de Uyuni? Tell me about your experience in the comments. Thanks for reading!
What a great excursion – I’ve seen it only on instagram and it looks like it’s worth the hype. You guys got some great shots. I’m running out of room on my bucket list, the travel situation needs to open up soon 🙂
Haha I agree! Just find the right company for you, so you don’t end up as third wheels on a family trip 😂
I love Glenn’s reaction in the video .. his expression says it all! What a bloody nightmare, you did really well to keep you cool. But seriously, the dog sh*t on your seat would have been too much for me too. Good for you for standing your ground and refusing to sit on it, and you both deserve a medal for keeping your spirits up .. but it was the right thing to do. Like you say, you weren’t planning a return trip so you had to make the best of a bad situation … but the up side is, you’ve got a fabulous story to tell, and armchair travelers love those horror stories, as it makes them feel better that you’re have a shit time (literally!!) while they’re stuck at home – Thanks for the laugh .. now I have to go and watch that video of Glenn’s reaction again 😉
HAHAHA Thank you so much for your uplifting comment! I know, they were absolutely the worst. I’m a very non-violent, polite person who loves animals! But I’ll tell you I could have kicked that family and their dog. Of course I didn’t!
I think all travellers have their nightmare-stories, this was one of ours, and it was so funny that I felt like sharing it. Like you say, it’s always funny to laugh at other people’s disasters. I’m so glad you had a good laugh! 🙂 Glenn and I also laugh at the video and the pictures today. What a mess haha. Take care!
It seems you had quite an interesting and eventful adventure! The photos are amazing! Thanks for sharing them with all of us and thanks for also sharing some of the negative experiences. Sometimes it’s really refreshing to read a review of a destination that’s not all sunshine and rainbows. Traveling can be challenging at times and not always perfect, but it’s great to learn from some of your experiences. I would still like to visit this place, but after reading this I feel much more prepared! Thanks for your honesty and candor!
Hi Michelle, you should definitely go to Salar de Uyuni! It’s a very special place on earth, I haven’t seen anything like it. I’m glad you appreciated my honesty, I just felt like I couldn’t write a post about how great this place was, when I actually didn’t have a very good time. Well, I see it as an advantage because it just means I have to go back and do it all over again someday 😉
Hahaha. It sounds like quite the adventure and something to look back on and laugh at for quite some time to come. Firstly, I can’t even believe that somebody would take their dog on a tour with them, never mind expecting a stranger to sit where it s**t lol. I would have been more than a bit ticked with the guide, as they are suppose to control and direct the tour. He could have handled this family differently in order to keep them in line.
Hi Kelly, it was definitely one of those adventures I’ll never forget. I know the guide should have done more, I was really furious about the whole situation but I had difficulties expressing myself in Spanish to him, plus I’m bad at handling conflict… Something I have to work on I guess. I feel like I have to go back some day so I can do it all over again, just without dog shit haha. Salar de Uyuni is truly an amazing place on earth!
This is the reason I love travel blogs, it has opened my eyes to places I haven’t heard of and I had to quickly google the place. This is truly a bucket-list destination and the pictures are absolutely stunning. You really captured my imagination of Salar de Uyuni.
I’m glad you got inspired! I hope you get to go there one day, it is worth it. I want to go back someday and have a better experience, maybe rent my own jeep and get lost in the salt flats (not literally haha).
Oh my gosh, what an experience! I really dislike rude people and feel like I would have lost it at some point – you did really well to stay friendly and positive! And what a fabulous place to visit!
Haha yea I know. Thanks! felt like I had to try and stay positive because the place is just so amazing! 🙂
hahaha – I loved your story! What an entire mess (the typical South American experience!!!). lol I love those stories when you think something is bad then it just gets worse and worse and worse. I can totally relate backpacking in South America as well. I got sick from altitude sickness in Bolivia too!! I actually swore off Bolivia in general because of all the mishaps I had. Although, looking back it was so beautiful and unique and I think I might dare to go back some day. I’m happy you guys have a funny story and gorgeous pictures! I feel like Bolivia shapes people and nothing is quite as bad after that. lol Cheers!
Haha I felt exactly the same. I told Glenn “I’ll never be back here”, but come to think of it, I’m actually excited to go back and give it another try. I guess the typical South American experience gets you hooked after all 😉 I’m glad someone can relate, and that you enjoyed reading my travel mess. Cheers!!!
I love that you’re sharing the negatives. We’ve all had them, although this was over the top. So sorry. But your pictures are amazing!!
Yes, we all have bad stories! The best we can do is turn them into funny memories and share them 🙂 Thanks!
You should have thrown the shit at the chihuahua owner.. HAHAHAHAHA they deserved..
Haha! Well I get your point, but I preferred not to touch it…
Hey! Thank you for your feedback on the Salt flat tour, always helpful. Would you mind sharing the name of the company so that we know which one not to go on?
Thanks!
Hi Annabel, I’m glad I could be of help! Unfortunately, I don’t remember the name of the company anymore. However, I think our bad time was due to the overall experience not just the company itself. Definitely just go with an English tour if you don’t speak any Spanish. That way, you’ll at least get to speak with your guide and fellow explorers 🙂 Looking back, I think we just had bad luck this day, but at least Salar de Uyuni makes up for it all. It’s such an incredible place on Earth, enjoy it!
Best, cecilie
Hello! Thank you for sharing your experience, its amazing that you were able to stay positive throughout your journey. I’m glad to see you also got some incredible pictures! I appreciate this post as I would like to go here one day and will definitely take some of your tips for going 🙂
Thank you again! Also have a wonderful trip in Sri Lanka!
Hi Christine,
Thank you so much for your lovely comment! Yes, we just had to remind ourselves that we’re in this amazing place on earth, so why not try to get the best out of it – with or without dog poop haha. I really hope you will go to Salar de Uyuni some day, it’s one of the most interesting places we’ve ever been. It truly felt like we had left earth!
Thank you so much! We’re still in beautiful Sri Lanka – can’t wait to write about it.
All the best, Cecilie 🙂
I really enjoyed reading your adventure. I felt your roller coaster feelings, happy for being in such an unbelievable place and annoyed for being there with that kind of family. And what a heck with the umbrella, the poo, the chihuahua, you endured a lot, I don’t know if I would have made it. Nonetheless, your photos and your story are amazing and your attitude was so great!
Thanks for sharing!
Ooooh it was such an adventurous day. In a way, we wouldn’t change a thing because this day turned into such a fun memory! We’re really happy you enjoyed reading it and left such a nice comment 😎 All the best to you Eduardo!