Salar de Uyuni Day Trip Review: La Paz and Back

Thinking about heading out to Salar de Uyuni from La Paz for just a day? It’s almost like you’re picturing those unreal pictures of the salt flats, but wondering if squeezing it into one day from La Paz is actually doable and worthwhile. The thing is, lots of companies provide that kind of trip, and it feels important to look at what that particular type of visit means.

What to expect on your Salar de Uyuni one-day visit

First, this trip, as you can guess, begins early. Very early. Expect a pickup from your La Paz accommodation somewhere around 3 AM. Yeah, 3 AM. Now, this is generally when the bus takes off toward Uyuni. This overnight bus journey, it’s something else too. It really gives you the opportunity to either catch some sleep or simply appreciate how incredibly bumpy Bolivian roads are.

Upon reaching Uyuni, possibly around 7 or 8 in the morning, that’s almost when the true tour starts. That is, when you jump into a 4×4 that’s geared to travel those extensive salt plains. Usually, there’s a group of around six or seven other travelers. So it creates this immediate, mini-adventure squad. The program usually covers highlights that give a feeling of what Uyuni brings. The first destination? Think about the Train Cemetery. That spot features rusted, antique locomotives. That graveyard setting creates the mood with stories regarding Bolivia’s mining past.

Must-see Spots: Train Cemetery and the Salt Flats

Next? It is always Salar de Uyuni. Actually, it starts off with a stop at Colchani village, the place that features “gateway to the salt flats.” Local artisans show their salt crafts, and very small souvenirs made out of the stuff they pick from the ground can be purchased there, too it’s like an informal pop-up market. Once that’s out of the picture, it gets real, as you enter those blinding white flats. The horizon stretches forever. It could be you don’t actually recognize the ground you are on any more. It could be a different planet. Photographers have real fun there with shots using the warped perception. The crew and driver of your 4×4? Usually, they’re on hand to take cool photos. It also commonly involves eating lunch out there on the salt, so expect a packed meal and stunning views.

Sunset over Salar de Uyuni

Those afternoon hours tend to fly by, particularly, when you happen to get really mesmerized at the vastness that surrounds you. As the day closes out, seeing the sundown over the Salar is almost among those unique moments that you want to have in South America. You’ll get some of those orange colors reflecting over that flawless surface of salt, particularly when there’s a layer from rainfall; seeing this sort of landscape offers unparalleled photography potential.

Right after dark, you get yourself ready to head back to Uyuni. That’s almost where the bus back toward La Paz is going to be. Prepare yourself for another nighttime trip.

The Trip Back: Is It Worth the Time?

The thing is, a huge thing to consider for the one-day trip? It’s going to be the journey back. After that full day on the flats? That is, considering you woke up before dawn, you will face a long trip during the night. Most people just simply attempt to get themselves relaxed, yet the high altitude paired with the bumps causes one to feel it the next day or so. Now, when you add this up: journeying nearly 12 hours over just one way is a quite big dedication only to experience those salt flats only for part of one day.

Is the One-Day Salar de Uyuni Trip Worth It?

Therefore, with everything taken into consideration, must one even do this type of trip? Okay, here are thoughts. When you are just short on the days available, then witnessing Salar de Uyuni even on this somewhat compressed schedule is possibly superior to simply skipping it totally. Yet, when it is actually achievable, you can extend to 2 or 3 days. That way it gives one much better value to witness. That sort of experience gets incredibly richer when not needing to hurry up that much.

Consider, those longer travels? Often they feature additional sites which are around that southwest of Bolivia. Sites include lagoons of color, rock formations of surreal structure, plus possibly observing flamingos from afar. Furthermore, taking into consideration the elevation effects, spreading a travel similar to this out a bit provides the opportunity to get more used to this altitude instead of putting it on a one-off, truly quick travel. Regardless? Experiencing Salar de Uyuni ends up extraordinary, as its singular landscapes stick to the memories even after some pretty hard trips to access them.

Pros:

• Fits in tighter timeframes
• Provides brief insight towards that magnificence regarding Salar de Uyuni

Cons:

• Seriously extended bus journeys cause exhaustion
• Just scrapes top sites, and skips neighboring appeals
• Could potentially feel like travel just goes fast and is very tiring given length and elevation shift

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