To Bolivia and Salar de Uyuni

We have been getting a number of requests to travel across the border into Bolivia and head down into the high desert at Salar de Uyuni. It isn't an easy undertaking - apart form the terrible roads and complete lack of services, it is always a hassle to go across the border with an Argentine car, you can't take tourists across the border between Chile and Bolivia at Laguna Colrado - you have to tranfer them to a partner agency and you can't do it at all with a rental.

The scenery is amazing but there are the same giant salt flats and high mountain lagunas in both Argentina and Chile with less hassle but some people really want to travel rough and so we went.

I wouldn't do it again - the terrain is too harsh on the car -and the driver! So we now work with a tour company running out of Iyuni and a more expensive company running from Tupiza (the advantage from Tupiza is that you miss the convoy of jeeps heading across the Salar and stopping at the same points for three days)

Bolivia doesn't have the same tourism infrastructure that Argentina has - nor the strict government controls on tourism agencies and many people come off the Iyuni tour feeling very upset with the broken promises. The secret is that you must get everything in writing and do not go if the car looks like an old banger.

The Isla de Pesca is a unique sight - an island of cacti marooned in the ocean of salt that really depicts how the salt flat was once under the sea.

The lagoons of flamingos are defintely worth seeing and are guaranteed in Bolivia whereas they are more isolated through Argentina, not used to convoys of tourists and therefore more likely to fly away, which happens regularly when we take travellers to Pozuelos.

Going solo? I would probably recommend the bus from Jujuy to San Pedro de Atacama in Chile which crosses the Salinas Grandes and passes through coloured hills. If that's merely whetted your appetite for more then the tour from San Pedro to Uyuni while more expensive will probably be more reliable.

Comments

[Agustín]

Amazing pictures and wonderful trip!! I've been to north part of Argentina a few months ago and I love it. It's certainly a magic place.

[Buenos Aires - Ana]

I have been there one year ago with a friend of mine who suggested to me visit it.
I never thouth visit the north in Argentina....but finally we have stayed for 1 month there.
I will be next year again!
Thanks for your wonderful picts.

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Wow this pictures looks pretty cool. I would like to visit it some day and be there with those flamingos. I hadn't heard about this place but it's amazing.