Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia

Salar de Uyuni is the worlds largest salt flat, approximately 4,086 square miles. It also contains approximately 70% of the worlds lithium reserves. The main reason most people visit the town of Uyuni is to do a trip to the salt flats. Like most bus journeys in Boliva 5 hour ride from Potosi to Uyuni was painful, this wasn't helped by the fact that I was sitting on the floor on the isle of the bus, the windows didn't close and for long stretches of the journey the road disappeared. It was -8 when we got to Uyuni, something I wasn't prepared for. It was a strange desolate town which in some ways reminded me of some of the remote towns I visited on the trans-siberian railway.

Uyuni, Boliva

We had hoped to hire motorbikes or quad bikes or even a 4x4 to do our own trip to the salt flats but we soon realised this wasn't going to be possible. No body was willing to rent bikes or quads or 4x4s. We had somehow managed to lose the business card of the company we'd hired quad bikes from in La Paz. These guys had said to call when we got there and they'd sort some bikes for us. We couldn't find them and no one we spoke to knew of them or knew of anyone who'd hire bikes. They all said it was too dangerous. So like everyone else we signed up for a day tour to the salt flats.


First stop on the tour was at the train cemetery. This is quite an odd tourist attraction but it serves as a tourist attraction all the same. In the 1940s when the mining industry collapsed, partially due to mineral depletion many of the trains were abandoned thus producing the train cemetery.

Train Cemetery near Uyuni

Once we got to the salt flats we realised why they didn't allow you to go there yourself without a guided tour. There aren't exactly roads, signs, petrol stations or visible landmarks to guide you and 4,086 square miles is quite a large land mass.

Limited landmarks

No sign posts!

We stopped for lunch at Incahuasi Island (also known as Isla de Pescado) explored it, took some photos and then had time for the customary Salt flats photos.

Isla de Pescado

Rolling a giant crystal ball

They have big Pringles in Uyuni