Laguna Colorada

This trip is usually a private one of 3 days and 2 nights (this is the agency I used) , and makes stop in some of the most isolated places (and hotels in the world), that are Tayka de Sal and the amazing TAYKA DEL DESIERTO.

Tayka del Desierto is the highest hotel in the world, at roughly 4,600 meters of altitude. Built with the surroundings volcanic rocks, it’s the only settlement in the Siloli Desert, part of the Atacama one, regarded as the most arid desert in the world.

Hundreds of kilometers separate this place for the nearest village, and it is probably the closest mars-like environment that can be found on Earth.

The sunset in this place has been one of the best of the travel, and I’ve witnessed the most incredible cloud of my life.

And if you are a stargazing lover, this is definitely the place, although you have to bear the below-zero freezing temperatures in the night.

Desert encounters includes foxes, like this beautiful one that got close to our vehicle.

Scenery in the natural park includes Laguna Colorada, a pink lake full (of course) of flamingos. After sunrise, a mist rises from the lake, making the walk around the lake shores a magical experience.

If you are in luck, along the way you can meet a group of vicuña, an endangered species (similar to lama and alpaca) that has the most expensive and precious wool in the world. Luckily they are protected, and roam freely in the Andes.

Another popular spot is Sol de Mañana, a geysir and geothermal activity spot just along the road.

After the sightseeing, you might choose to relax in this natural thermal spa “Termas de Polques”, an open air pools facing the mesmerizing landscape.

Next stop on the way is the Laguna Verde, a lagoon with an almost phosphorescent green colour, due to its toxic and chemical composition, that makes it devoid of life.

The itinerary ends with crossing the Chilean border, after which you can get to San Pedro de Atacama, a nice (very) touristic town which serves as homebase for excursion and day trips do Atacama desert.

We got only an afternoon there, so we did an half day trip to the Moon Valley, the highlight among the attractions nearby.

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How to get to Uyuni from La Paz

We reached Uyuni from La Paz, and there are mainly two way:

1. overnight bus: on the way in we took an overnight bus from La Pax from a company called TODO TURISMO. I found it extremely comfortable, safe and cheap
2. direct flight: there are direct flights from La Paz airport to Uyuni airport, of less than 1 hour.

When to go to Salar de Uyuni

There are two completely different scenario to visit the salt flat, which changes completely your experience:

1.  dry season (june – september): this is the season we visited Salar de Uyuni, so all the shots taken in this article are from august. It is best for actually visiting the flat and the surrounding areas

2. wet season (january – march): the most famous shots with the mirror-like flat are taken during dry season, and that is the reason to visit Uyuni in this period. BUT you have to be very lucky in getting the right day, wet enough to have water in the salt flat (and create the mirroring illusion) but not raining so you can’t go out on the 4×4 cars.

The Experience

Visiting Salar de Uyuni is an out of this word experience, an endless white desert with some rare water pools, where amazing reflections can be taken.

The “entrance” of the salar de uyuni is marked by this monument from the car race Dakar.

A lonesome railway crosses the limit of the flat, going straight to Chile.

Just outside the limit of the salt flat, tiny rock villages emerges, that looks almost abandoned.

Best part is creating these funny photos: no photoshop here, just the extreme “flatness” and a game of perspective! For once I was in front of the camera, and not behind!

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