Following our time in The Pampas, we took a day to recoup (eat more salteñas) in La Paz. After a day of exploring the General Cemetery, which gave insights into the lives of historical figures and art over the years, we were ready to head to the salt flats. We took one last overnight bus from La Paz and Uyuni, where even Jack successfully slept! As it turns out, the key is selecting a seat on the bottom level for way less swaying.
We opted for a 3D/2N tour starting in Uyuni and ending in San Pedro de Atacama in Chile. This tour proved to a big ole road trip with frequent stops to explore the salt flats, colorful lagoons, and high-altitude geysers. We yet again savored the minimal decision-making required of us (our favorite part of tours).
Day 1: Salar de Uyuni
Our first stop was at Cementerio de Trenes. This plot of land has an eerie collection of abandoned 19th-century trains. These rusty remains proved to be quite the adult playground with tourists climbing through trains and taking advantage of the photo opportunities. We felt like we were staring in an action film—Mission Impossible franchise we’re ready to be extras.
Next up we reached Salar de Uyuni. These expansive salt flats are other-worldly and unlike anywhere we’ve ever been. There was salt stretching endlessly in every direction, which was quite blinding without sunglasses. We got such a kick out of playing with the pools of bubbling salt water (ojos de salar) and sampling the salt. Oh salt, how we’ve missed you.
Our tour group got acquainted over lunch at the salt hotel. Unlike our past tour groups we’ve been a part of, this group was lacking Europeans. This group consisted of a mother and daughter from Peru, a woman from Brazil, and Barbara (our trilingual hero who kindly translated frequently for us) also from Brazil. Over the next few days, our group bonded over a shared love of board games and traveling despite language barriers. We even have a group chat to remain in touch.
Before calling it a day, we stopped to embrace the gorgeous sunset in the flats. This turned into a unique (& pretty silly) photo shoot with our group. We stayed overnight at a different salt hotel. Bricks made entirely of salt and floors consisting of salt rocks made for a memorable stay.
Day 2: Desert Landscapes
Our second day consisted of driving through remote desert landscapes with stunning volcano views and frequent stops at various lagoons. However, the highlight of this day was absolutely the flamingos!
We stopped at Lagunas Cañapa, Hedionda, & Honda. All of these lagoons are dotted with large populations of flamingos and are surrounded by mountains. We loved having the opportunity to watch our new pink pals searching for food and running along the water when taking flight up close.
After lunch, the road trip continued with stops to take in the barren desert landscape and more lagoons. We savored the sights of gorgeous moss covered rocks and Arbol de Piedra (Stone Tree)— a wind-eroded rock formation shaped like a tree. We ended our day with one last stop at Laguna Colorada. This lagoon is a strikingly red-colored due to being plentiful with algae and plankton, which also makes it a hot spot for flamingos.
Nothing says getting close to your tour group like sleeping in one room together after two days of being confined in a car with each other. Our group was full of lovely people, but unfortunately everyone aside from us was feeling somewhat unwell at this point. From headaches to nausea and vomiting, we’re not sure how we made it out of this tour healthy, but we’re not complaining.
Day 3: Geysers & Border Crossing
We thought we had seen all the sights, but the third day consisted of a fun little 3:45 am wake up to see some more before crossing the border. We were fortunate to watch the sunrise at the Sol de Mañana geysers. This geothermal area with bubbling mud pots and steam vents was very worth enduring the early wake up and chilly air. The potent sulfur smell also helped keep us awake.
Our next stop was of our favorite variety— soaking our achey bones in the Polques Hot Springs. We loved the chance to thaw our toes and take in the beautiful mountain views in the distance. This let us be fully relaxed and ready for the border crossing and bus ride to come. We made one more stop at Laguna Blanca, which is characterized by its pale milky waters, before parting ways with our road trip companions.
Bye-Bye Bolivia
Thankfully, it’s a heck of a lot easier to leave Bolivia than it is to enter. Crossing the Bolivian-Chile border was smooth by comparison, which allowed us to relax and continue to enjoy the desert landscape during our few hour bus ride.
We don’t have much to say as far as silly little lists in honor of departing Bolivia. The #1 (& only) hostel we stayed at in Bolivia was Hostel El Carretero in La Paz. However, we were treated with such kindness and open arms here, and we would absolutely return. As far as items left behind, we successfully left Bolivia with all of our belongings! Admittedly, it was a close call without Kim accidentally throwing her retainer away (shout out Jack for finding it). Either we now have the perfect amount of possessions or two weeks is a doable amount of time to keep track of things. Who knows!