Frozen
in the depths of winter, the world’s largest saltwater lake is transformed in
to a giant, sky-reflecting mirror during rainy season.
Salar
De Uyuni salt flat with an area of 10,582 sq.km and is located at a height of
11,995 feet above sea level. Salar means salt in spanish and Uyuni is the name
of the city in the southwest of Bolivia which serves as the gateway to the salt
flats. During the rainy season, a thin layer of water settles on the surface of
the salt flats thus producing a mirror image of the sky above.
Geology
The salt flats are a result of the gradual
transformation of a giant prehistoric lake that existed about 40,000 years ago.
The crust is a composed of a mixture of salt and other minerals such as
potassium, magnesium and lithium, with approximately 50% of the world’s lithium
reserves coming from this place. Lithium is used in almost everything from
medicine, to batteries, ceramics, rocket propellants, nuclear weapons and in
the polymer industry.
Animals
The Salar has a number of animals such as the
Andean goose, Andean hillstar, Culpeo, Horned coot, Bolivian vizacha and during
the month of november even pink flamingos can be seen.
Flamingos
seen here in the day time is most common during the month of November.
Vegetation
The only vegetation seen on the salt flats are
giant cacti, certain shrubs and quinoa plants.
Best Time To Visit
There are basically two seasons during which
you can visit Salar De Uyuni, the dry season and the wet season.
Wet Season
If you would like to catch the mirror effect in
which the sky is reflected off the surface of the salt flat, then you should
visit the salar during the wet season. The wet season extends from
December to around the second week of April with January receiving the most
amount of rainfall. In the other months during the rainy season, the number of
days of rainfall is less than 5 per month.
Dry Season
During the dry season which extends from mid
April to November, the mirror effect is not visible but the salt flats still
look incredible. Also, the salt flats are easier to navigate during this season
thus enabling you to visit all the attractions in the area such as the
Incahuasi Island, Tunupa Volcano, Train Cemetary, Laguna Colorado, Laguna
Verde, Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve, Palacio De Sal and many more.
Altitude SIckness
Altitude sickness does seem to be a problem for
a number of travelers, so you might want to get acclimatized first. Coca leaf
tea is also said to be helpful in dealing with altitude sickness.
Camping
If you would like to camp, there are some
decent camping sites such as the Isla Del Pescado and Jiriri. It is a good idea
not to camp on the Salar though as at night time drivers might be drunk and
things could get dangerous.
Tours
There are a number of tour operators and most
people would recommend Red Planet which is generally regarded as the preferred
tour operator to go along with but they are also the most expensive. Other
popular operators include Brisa Tours, Quechua Connections, Blue Line Tours and
Your Travel. A 3 day/2 night tour might cost you around 800 bs per head
for a 6 person group or 1000 bs per head for a 4 person group.
Getting There
Plane
Flights are available from La Paz To Uyuni.
By Bus
Buses are available from La Paz, Oruro and
Potosi.
By Train
Trains are available from Oruro and Villazon.
Self Drive
You also have the
option to rent a car from La Paz and self drive but that can be a bit dangerous
and road signs may not be clearly visible.
Location
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