SALT FLATS
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Isla Incahuasi
Day 1: Uyuni - Colchani - Incahuasi Island – Villa Candelaria (1L;1D)
Your tour will begin at 10:30 am, from our office. The first stop will be Uyuni's 'train graveyard', to see the first locomotives in Bolivia. You’ll then visit the small settlement of Colchani (salt miners’ workshops next to the salt flats). Here, you’ll see handicrafts made of salt, and textile art made of llama and alpaca fiber. The tour will continue onto the great Salt Flats of Uyuni, which are at an altitude of 3650m. Take photos as you cruise along the vast white expanse of salt, see Los Ojos de Agua Salada (‘salt water eyes’) and then visit a hotel made completely of salt! This amazing place currently serves as a museum.
Following this jam-packed morning, after lunch you’ll carry on to “Isla Incahuasi” (Fish Island), where you will have time to take a hike to the top of the island to see giant cactu, and rock formations made of petrified coral. Make sure you and your group pose for some fun perspective- and proportion-distorted photos, taken against the backdrop of the striking white surface of the salt flats.
Then, we’ll head to Pia Pia island, to see the beautiful sunset over the salt flats. Finish off at the village of Villa Candelaria, and enjoy the unique experience of spending the night in a hotel made almost entirely of salt, called "La Escondida".
Accommodation: Salt hostel "La Escondida" in Villa Candelaria - double and triple rooms. Rainy season (from January to April): Hotel in Culpina or other location (No access to the Salt Hostel during these months)
Duration: 9 hours
LAGOONS AND EDUARDO AVAROA NATIONAL PARK
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Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve of Andean Fauna
Day 2: Chiguana Desert - Lagoons - Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve - Red Lagoon (1B;1L;1D)
Start the morning off at 7:00 am with breakfast, before going to visit the Chiguana Desert, located on the south side of the Uyuni salt flats. It is surrounded by volcanoes, such as the Ollague Volcano (5840m), one that is still active, and that can be seen from the lookout.
Next, we’ll continue along a rocky road - Pasito Tuntun - to the beautiful Andean lagoons, inhabited by 3 species of Andean flamingos. Marvel at three lagoons on the way: ‘Cañapa’ where you’ll spot the first pink flamingos, ‘Hedionda’ where lunch will be served, and ‘Chiarcota’ where you’ll see a wider variety of birds and altiplanic fauna.
We’ll then enter the Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve, and visit the Desert of Siloli, at 4550m (the highest and driest desert in the world). Make sure you take a photo next to the 'Rock tree', a lava rock formation. Before arriving to your final destination of the day, we will stop at the view point by the Red Lagoon, where you can spot more pink flamingos in their natural habitat, and admire this intense, red-coloured lake. Stay the night at a shared family lodging, "HAYLLAJARA".
Accommodation: "HUAYLLAJARA" basic lodge (dorm of 6 beds shared bathroom without light)
There is no electricity (only for 3 hours)
Duration: 12 hours
GEYSER - FUMAROLES - DALI DESERT AND GREEN LAGOON
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Salvador Dali Desert
Day 3: - Sol de Mañana Geyser -Dali Desert - Green Lagoon – Uyuni (1B;1L)
At 5 a.m. Have early breakfast. Later start with a visit to Sol de Mañana Geyser, at 5,000m. You’ll walk alongside fumaroles, and steaming craters filled with boiling pots of mud at 150-200 Cº. Continue to the open air hot springs, and take a bath in 35ºC water.
The first place to visit is the Dali Desert, where Salvador Dali found inspiration for his work from the scattered boulders in the middle of the desert. You’ll then see the Green Lagoon - toxic copper water at the foot of the big Licancabur volcano, which sits at 6000m, a few kilometers from the Bolivia-Chile border.
Finally, you’ll head back to Uyuni, passing beautiful scenery along the way, and eating a picnic lunch next to the roadside. You’ll go by the Valley of the Rocks, the Alota settlement, and the San Cristobal Village.
We’ll get back to Uyuni by 6:30 pm.
Duration: 13 hours
