There's much more to a Salt Flats tour than the Salt Flats themselves

The basics

The most important thing all tourists need to know, and most don’t until visiting a tour operator, is that the name Salar de Uyuni (or Salt Flats) tour is a bit misleading.  While all tours do indeed visit the Salt Flats, which is the supposed highlight of the tour, that is only part of either a three or four day trip.

If I was in charge of Bolivian tourism (come on, I know someone out there wants to give me this job), I would rename it a Tour of Southwest Bolivia.  You cover a lot of ground on this trip and see a myriad of landscapes, lagoons, wildlife, mountains, geothermal activity, and of course, the salt flats themselves.

There’s a lot to know before booking, and this guide and these tips will help any traveler when booking his or her adventure.

Where to begin your tour?

Before arriving in Bolivia, we just assumed that all Salar de UYUNI tours began in, you guessed it, Uyuni.  That is not the case; however, as it is also possible to start your tour in the more southern city of Tupiza.  We decided on Tupiza, but everyone is different, so let’s go over the pros and cons of each.

Two more would have made this uncomfortable

Uyuni

• Cheaper- How much money you spend is obviously important, and most tours out of Uyuni are cheaper because they have less miles to travel
• More options- Being the more popular place to begin your tour, you will have more options when booking, although I’ve heard they all offer relatively similar itineraries, so each person would view this as being a pro or con differently
• Itinerary- This is the big one which had us ultimately decide to head south to Tupiza.  Tours based out of Uyuni visit the Salt Flats the first day, then continue on to the rest of the tour.
• Number of people in the tour- I’m not sure if this was just coincidence, but every single jeep we saw during our four day trip which originated in Uyuni had 6 tourists in the group, plus the guide and cook.  That’s 8 for all you non-math majors out there, which can get cramped if you’re spending 12+ hours in a jeep for three or four consecutive days.

Tupiza

• More expensive- It is more expensive to go from Tupiza, mainly because the drive is further and covers more ground.  People going from Tupiza do see and experience more though.
• Less options- Tupiza has less options, but as stated earlier, most tours seem really similar, so it’s honestly just a matter of having a better chance to get a company you really, really like.  Prices do vary though, so even though most tours seem to offer the same things, shop around.
• Itinerary- The salt flats are visited on the last day of the tour, which, in my humble opinion, makes the most sense.  You don’t go to Machu Picchu then hike the Inca Trail, so wouldn’t you want to save the main attraction for last?  The first three days, while absolutely spectacular, aren’t quite as great as the Salt Flats themselves.
• Number of people in the tour-We had four passengers in ours, plus our guide and cook, and that was plenty.  I couldn’t imagine having two more people plus all their stuff.  It really would have changed our experience if we were uncomfortable most days.

Tour Operators

Many tours have travelers staying in the Salt Hotel

As with most really touristy things, the options are limitless for tour operators.  Unfortunately, this is Bolivia, so infrastructure and poverty both play a part in choosing a tour operator.  Salt Flat tours are a known money-maker, so that means shady companies looking to make a buck.  Obviously there are plenty of legit companies, but finding accurate and consistent reviews can be challenging.

Things to look for

• English guide- We were told our guide spoke conversational English, but that was simply not the case.  It wasn’t a big deal for us since our Spanish was vastly improving and the need for a guide wasn’t as crucial as, say, the Inca Trail.  The beauty and wide variety of the landscape was the highlight, while historical information was secondary.  If you are set on having an English-speaking guide, demand to meet him before signing up.  Don’t just trust your tour operator.
• Price- We talked to several companies before deciding to go with the place we were staying, La Torre, but prices did vary quite a bit, more than we expected.

Cost

Accommodations may not be 5 star, but the views sure are

I can only state what we paid, as all tour operators are different.  Remember that the price will be different (it should be cheaper) if you begin your tour in Uyuni.

The standard tour with La Torre, which goes from Tupiza to Uyuni in four days, for a group of FOUR (highly recommended) is $175US/person.

What does the price include?

• Food-  All food, from lunch the first day to lunch the fourth day, plus water, coffee, and tea, is included in the price.
• Accommodation-  Very basic accommodations for all three nights is included.  We did sleep in the same room as the other two people in our tour, which was fine because they were great, but private rooms were not available for our particular tour.
• Transportation- All transport is included, from Tupiza to the ending in Uyuni.  We even wanted to come back to Tupiza since we were heading south into Argentina, and they did not charge extra.

What is NOT included?

• Tip- The driver/guide and cook really do everything for their customers, from loading and unloading the jeep each night to cooking all meals, so a tip is much appreciated.
• Alcohol- The second and third nights accommodations had little restaurants where alcohol was served.  Obviously this was not included, so if you plan on boozing it up a bit, bring some cash

What to pack?

Warm clothes are necessary, even in summertime

The altitude during much of the four day tour is pretty damn high, so it does get cold, particularly at night, no matter what season.

• Clothes- A hat and glove are a necessity at 16,000 feet (nearly 5000 meters).  If traveling during rainy season (November-February), come prepared with a rain jacket or poncho.  Accommodations are very basic, so this means no heat and a lukewarm shower, so bring some warm clothes.
• Footwear- A bit of walking is done, so a nice pair of walking shoes or boots is nice, but this isn’t a trek, so fancy hiking boots aren’t necessary to your happiness.  Something comfortable for evenings when you’re just relaxing is a nice thing to have.
• Food- All customers are fed pretty well with both meals and snacks, but a few familiar snacks are always nice to have, especially when spending your days riding around in a car.

Itinerary (from Tupiza)

Itineraries from Uyuni will be completely different, and this is just a short synopsis of what you’ll be seeing during your four day trip.  For a much more detailed recap, with plenty of eye-candy,

Arbol de Piedra, one of the many unique rock formations

check out the two part recap.

• Day One-Leave Tupiza at 9am and drive all day.  The first day is spent driving until darkness, stopping at little towns along the way, giving new meaning to the phrase “We’re in the middle of nowhere.”  While not passing any of the highlights we would see in the coming days, it was a beautiful drive that gave us a nice taste of what was to come.
• Day Two- An early morning saw us driving while still dark, which also meant we got to see the sun rise amidst the beauty of southwestern Bolivia.  Highlights of day included: rescuing a llama (read the recaps!), seeing several different-colored lagunas, a dip in a geothermal “hot tub,” and plenty of pink flamingos and other wildlife.
• Day Three- Another early morning saw us visit more lagunas, see some out of this world landscapes that had us questioning what planet we were truly on, geysers and a volcano, unique rock formations that had us acting like kids on a playground, finished off with a stay in a salt hotel, which is exactly what it sounds like.
• Day Four- The highlight, the big kahuna, the Salar de Uyuni themselves.  While everything else we saw on our four day trip through the lunar-like part of this beautiful country had us gasping and nodding in delight, the Salt Flats were simply awesome, and we were all ecstatic that we saved it for last.