REFERENCE PROGRAM

Salar Tour 3D/2N San Pedro de Atacama (Chile) - Uyuni (Bolivia). This program is designed for travellers that wish to visit the Salar de Uyuni and lagoons, starting in San pedro de Atacama and finshing in Uyuni.

Day 1 LAGOONS OF COLOR AND DESERTS (San Pedro de Atacama – Ojo de Perdiz) Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve
From the hotel in San Pedro de Atacama to the Bolivian border Hito Cajones. Once you arrive in Bolivia you will enjoy a very rare scenery dominated by the Licancabur volcano and at its feet one of the jewel of the Eduardo Avaroa Reserve (REA) the Green Lagoon which is the first point of our expedition in 4X4. This place is like no other in the world.

In the way out of the Green Lagoon you enter a large landscape: the Valley of the desert Ladies. We will continue to the hot springs of Polque where we will have a bath before continuing to the Geysers of Sol de Mañana to appreciate the volcanic activity.

Then you will arrive to the Red Lagoon which is the other jewel of the Eduardo Avaroa Reserve. This lagoon is the most important place for the three kinds of flamingos. The red color of the lagoon is produced by active algae which react with the sun radiation and wind. The pink color of the feet and feathers of the flamingos is also produced by the same algae. These fabulous deserts own a great variety of colors as red, orange, ocre, brass, browns and beige. Here we will know the Stone Three and on the way we will meet the wild vicuña with its fine and high figure. We will continue the way towards Ojo de Perdiz where we will spend the night in the Tayka Desert Hotel private bathroom, heating and hot shower. (L, D)

Day 2 LAGOONS CHAIN, THE BIG SALAR (Ojo de Perdiz – Tahua)
Today we will drive to the chain of lagoons Ramadita, Honda, Chiarkota, Hedionda and Cañapa . In theses lagoons there is a large number of flamingos of the three kinds (Andino, James and Chilean) who share the volcanoes, their eternal snow and green sides (paja brava, yareta and thola) with other species of birds as Andean seagulls and wild ducks. Other colors from the sand and rocks ate by the millenaries winds and from the borax and sulfur. We will have a campestral lunch on the shore of one of the lagoons. During the afternoon we will go towards the Galaxy Cave, a cactus sanctuary, petrified estromatolitos and Chullpas (antiques cemetery). The cave has a very strange geological sub aquatic structure from the time of the lakes Michín (30 000 years ago) and Tauca (40 000 years ago).

After lunch, we will direct to the other island of the big Salar La Isla Pescado (Fish Island). Very few visited by tourists. There, we will have a little ascension to the top to experience another close and intimate contact with the white desert.Then, at the end of the day we will take the north to get the feet of the Thunupa Volcano.

We will spend the night in the Tayka Salt Hotel, with private bathroom, heating and hot water (B, L, and D).

Day 3 CHANTANI AND MORE OF THE BIG SALAR (TAHUA – UYUNI)
We will continue our expedition in 4X4 to Chantani where we will visit the pitchers museum. We will enjoy the impressive landscape.

Then we will go back to the Salar at its center to the Incahuasi Island which is sited at the center of the Salar. This place is one of the biggest attractions for tourists. At the top of the Island we will find an extraordinary place with a 360 degrees overview on the Salar. Then we will continue to the Salt Pyramides near the village of Colchani. This will be our last stop on the Salar to make photos of the sunset. Half an hour later we will arrive to Uyuni. Nobody can forget the experience of this trip to the end of the world…


IMPORTANT! Due to the weather and road conditions the routes and hotel reservations can sometimes be changed without notice, reason why the itinerary is only for reference, and is not to be taken as an exact itinerary of what this tour implies. Rain, snow, ice and strong winds for example can cause that some parts of the route are temporarily impassable and may oblige us to make changes in the itinerary. But notice that if we have to make changes it is for your own safety. The surroundings of Uyuni are one of most isolated areas in the world.

Rainy season: the rainy season is roughly from January to April (subject to change). During this period parts of the Salar may be covered with water. It's still possible to do the trip, to visit the Salar and the beautiful lagoons, the highlights of the trip for most people. However with water on the Salar you cannot cross it for hours like in the dry season and you generally cannot get to Isla Incahuasi / Fish Island. Also the Tayka Salt Hotel in Tahua can often not be reached during the rainy season therefore we will either use a salt hotel called Cristal Samana (see http://www.hotelcristalsamana.com/en/home.php) or the Tayka Stone Hotel instead. Other places that cannot be visited during the rainy season are Cueva de las Galaxias, Momias de Coquesa and Chantani, but notice that those places are considered to be minor attractions in the area. Some photographers specifically want to visit the Salar during the rainy season as when the Salar is covered with a little bit of water it becomes one big mirror which makes for beautiful pictures. With too much water however the mirror-effect is gone. Needless to say we cannot predict whether or not it will rain before or during your trip, it’s up to Mother Nature.


Tours include:
- Overnight stay in comfortable Tayka hotels.
- Meals
- Transport in a 4X4
- Spanish speaking driver

Tours do not include:
- entrance fees
- alcoholic drinks, personal snacks and tips.

Optional:
- Bus tickets to Sucre, Potosi or La Paz
- Hotel reservations in Uyuni after the tour has finished
- Bilingual guides
- Private transport to or from either Calama in Chile, or Sucre, Potosi and La Paz in Bolivia.

Do not forget to bring the following items:

The route to the salt lake is cold, windy and with high solar radiation. Over day is generally sunny and the weather is pleasant. Our recommendations on what to bring with you are:
- Warm clothes.
- Gloves.
- Wool socks.
- Hat covering your ears and to protect you from the sun.
- Boots.
- Towel.
- Swimming suit.
- Lips moisturizer.
- Sun block 30+.
- Sun glasses.
- Lantern.
- Raincoat (From December to March)
- Extra water

Note: Don’t forget to bring a copy of your passport.

Please contact us in advance so we have time to check availability with our operator in Uyuni.

Check our page about how to travel from Uyuni to La Paz/Potosi/Sucre.

  

Contact us for more information or for making a reservation for Salar de Uyuni.

Check out the reference program for the Uyuni-Uyuni tour. This page also contains general information on the salt flats.

Check out the reference program for the Salar de Uyuni - San Pedro de Atacama

Check out the reference program for the San Pedro de Atacama - San Pedro de Atacama