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Information On City of Uyuni, Facts About Tours in Uyuni, Bolivia

Uyuni and Salar de Uyuni Tours

About Uyuni

Located in western Bolivia are the famous salt flats, the Salar de Uyuni. These expansive flats have become quite a tourist destination over the years, both for their uniqueness and their beauty. You can't find any other place in the world that is quite like the Salar de Uyuni.

It is the world's largest salt flats, measuring in at more than 4,085 square miles. The area was not always made of salt, however. 40,000 years ago, there was a huge inland sea called Lake Minchin. As time wore on, the lake began to dry up. When it did, two lakes were left behind –Uru Uru Lake and Poopo Lake. In addition, there were two salt flats, the Salar de Coipasa and the much larger and far more famous Uyuni.

The salt flats have been a great boon to the people living in the area as well. Many people work to mine the salt, pushing it into huge piles so that it can be dried before it is brought to processing. About 25,000 tons of salt are removed each year, but with more than 10 billion tons of salt in the desert, there is no chance of running out of the stuff!

Besides just mining the salt, the people have realized just what a great tourist opportunity the salt flats could be if marketed correctly. Thus, a number of tours have grown up in the area, taking people to the salt flats as well as areas beyond, including the foothills of the Andes. It is for this reason that Uyuni is growing each year and becoming more and more popular with vacationers – and not only the adventurist that would have frequented the area in the past.

Nowadays, the area is a place that is friendly to tourists of all ages and nationalities. One can find lodging at incredibly low prices, as well as local goods and handicrafts at reasonable prices.

This is an incredible place to visit. Besides just the salt flats, you can visit a number of "islands" in the sea of salt, as well as the salt hotel. Another draw for quite a few tourists is the flamingos that congregate for breeding in certain areas around Uyuni. One can find Andean, James's, and Chilean flamingos.

If taking a tour of Bolivia, you may want to think about stopping and seeing the salt desert. It is unlike anything you've ever seen.

How to Get There

More and more travelers are deciding to take eco-holidays, trips that bring them to different parts of the world so they can see all the natural wonders it has to offer. One of the most popular destinations, especially in recent years, is Uyuni, Bolivia.

Many might be wondering what this small city (population around 14,000) has to offer, and the answers that most people would give are the salt flats, the famous Salar de Uyuni. While this is true and the 4WD tours are probably the most popular tourist destinations in the area, there are other things to see, such as the archaeological museum and the train graveyard.

Getting There

How does one go about getting to such a seemingly remote spot? Well, you can find a number of different way, including plane, train, and automobile.

You could take a bus. Depending on where you board the bus, the time that it takes to reach Uyuni will differ greatly. From La Paz, the trip is about twelve hours, from Oruro it is about four hours, and from Potosi it is around seven hours. You will always want to make sure you have your tickets in advance and that you don't miss your bus. If you do, you might be waiting for a few hours before the next bus comes through.

Trains leave daily on trips back and forth from Oruro and Tupiza, and you might even be able to catch a flight from Cochabamba. The flights only arrive about once a week however, so it might not be the most convenient way of getting to your destination.

Perhaps the best way of getting to Uyuni is by renting a car in another one of the cities. You can drive at your own pace, and even sleep in the car if it comes down to it. You can leave the car in Uyuni when you take your tours and then pick it up again when you get back. It certainly is convenient.

Staying There

When you finally get to Uyuni, there is a good chance that you will be staying there for a day or two before you take off on your tour of the Salar de Uyuni and the surrounding wilderness. This means that you will need a place to stay.

Main Attractions

The Salar de Uyuni, the famous salt flats that are comprised of several thousand square miles, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Bolivia. The flats are located near the small town of Uyuni, and many tours depart from there. When embarking on a journey to the salt flats, you can expect to see a variety of interesting sights.

The following is a list of places that most travelers to the area want to see. When booking a tour, see if they stop at these different locations so you can get the most out of your trip to Uyuni.

Train Graveyard

To visit the train graveyard, a place just on the outskirts of town, you don't need a tour guide. All you need to do is walk out to the trains and start snapping some photographs of the rusted out behemoths, locomotives from the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. They seem out of place in the desert, almost as though they were forgotten and left to rot. It is a strange place for sure, but one that you will definitely want to spend some time at.

The train cemetery is within easy walking distance from the town, but like all hikes, you should make sure that you have plenty of water. Take a camera as well, because the cemetery makes for a unique photo opportunity.

This is often the first (or last depending on his or her schedule) place a traveler stops at in Uyuni.

Arboles de Piedra

The Arboles de Piedra or the Stone Tree is a strange rock formation that seems to grow out of the ground, and does bear something of a resemblance to an actual tree. Like many of the places on your tour, this is something that you need to photograph just to show people back home how unusual it really is. Words do not do it justice.

The Lagoons

You will find several lagoons on your tour, and some of the most interesting are the Laguna Verde and the Laguna Colorada. Located on the Chilean border, the Laguna Verde (green lake) is a gorgeous salt lake colored green. The reason that it is green is due to the high arsenic content in the water. The Laguna Colorada (red lake) is colored as such because of the red sediments and the pigmentation of the algae. Many flamingos of varying species live at this lake, including James's, Chilean, and Andean. These two lakes represent what looks like the landscape of an alien planet – it is quite surreal and beautiful.

Isla del Pescado

Fish Island, as Isla del Pescado is also called, is a unique ecosystem located in the middle of the salt desert. The "island" is filled with cacti, some of which reach a massive thirty feet in height. You won't find any fish here, however. The reason the island got this name is it looks like a fish from a distance.

The Markets

On certain days of the week (Thursday and Sunday), you can find a street market that begins at the clock tower near the town center and stretches for several blocks. You can find a number of local handicrafts here, including locally made items such as woolen blankets and salt sculptures.

You should be able to pick up everything you need from the different stores in town, as well as the market – and that includes souvenirs to bring home with you.

Mummies in and out of Town

While not located within the town itself, you can take a tour that brings you up close and personal to see some of the mummies found in caves in the nearby hills. They are buried in a traditional fetal position, and while it is impossible to tell what they died of, it is believed that they were victims of either starvation or exposure. Some of the local guides can give you a great deal of information about the mummies, as well as some of the former inhabitants of the land, including the Incas. These caves are a must see as long as you aren't squeamish!

If you don't wish to travel to the caves out of the town, you can still see mummies, as well as skulls and other artifacts at the local archaeology museum. If makes for an interesting way to spend a few hours.

The above are only a few of the different sights you can see while on your tour. Bring warm clothes, sunscreen, and a camera, and you are sure to have a great time.

 

  

 

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