The most beautiful trips in Eduardo Avaroa
The most famous from Bolivia
The southwestern tip of Bolivia is considered one of the most beautiful regions of the country. A smaller part of this area belongs to the Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve (admission fee). The area is accessible by several day trips with all-terrain vehicles. Be sure to always check whether the offered itinerary provides all the beautiful stops. Attention, the ascents to the volcanoes listed here are usually only in individually arranged trips
Ascent to Licancabur Volcano
The most beautiful volcano far and wide
Everyone who stops at the famous lookout over Laguna Verde admires the reflection of the beautiful volcano Licancabur on its amazingly colored surface. Some of them then desire to ascent to the volcano and have a look far and wide around volcanic Southwest Altiplano. In addition, the ascent is not technically difficult, but at first you need to acclimate well as the peak reaches nearly 6,000 meters above sea level. This ascend needs to be arranged before the start of the salar tour. continue reading
Around Lagoon Colorada
Red paradise full of flamingos
High-lying laguna Colorada (4295 m asl) with incredibly red water and white borax islands is a heaven for an incredible amount of flamingos in summer. It is as a table ready for feasting for them. Every tourist is flabbergasted by this amazing lake surrounded by volcanic hills and thousands of flamingos.There are several outlooks reachable by a car, or you can walk along the shore. continue reading
Drive Colchani - Hotel del Sal
The first steps in salar
The jeeps are reaching in less than five kilometers one of the natural wonders of the world after leaving a little depressive mining villages Colchani – the largest salt plain in the world – Salar de Uyuni (3656 m asl). The first stop on the salar tour is the Hotel de Sal, where are most things made of salt. Along the way you can see labor-intensive mining of salt, which is unfortunately sometimes done also by small children. There are three seasons in salar – classic when everything shines with white salt; gray when the dust storm sweeps through the area and salar loses a little of its beauty and also the period when is salar under water /after major storms, especially in the summer time /. The tourist is then limited here by the fact that he cannot pass through salar for example to the amazing „island“ Isla Incahuasi, but everything is beautifully mirrored in it. So you will have totally different experience at this time than usually, this is especially true for photographers. Unfortunately, only hotel de Sal is then usually accessible in the village of Colchani. continue reading
Visit of Sol de Maňana
Devil's cauldron
Geothermal fields Sol de Maňana is located in almost five thousand meters above sea level. It is the highest point of the jeep Salar Tour, of course, if there is no plan for individual ascent to some of a range of local volcanoes. Tourists can admire smoky fumaroles here, mud sizzling from the puddles and sometimes strange red puddles. Beware testing the temperature of boiling mud as it can be very dangerous. continue reading
Lagoon Verde Outlook
Blue treasure under Licancabur
The outlook of a beautiful blue lagoon Verde lying in 4330 meters asl is one of the nicest stops on all jeep tours that crisscross this area. Massive volcanos Licancabur and Juriques rise over the lagoon, which make almost fairytale atmosphere. Immediately nearby is at first sight a little less interesting Laguna Blanca. continue reading
Ascent to Uturunc
Ascent to the simplest 6,000 in the world
If you have ever been tempted to climb a mountain higher than six thousand meters above sea level, there is no easier destination than Uturuncu (6,008 m above sea level) located on the Bolivian Altiplan. It is a two-peak volcano without a glacier, so in Bolivian winter, in stable weather, an easy destination even for an ordinary mountain hiker without climbing ambitions continue reading
Drive in Kingdom of lagoons
Along the Laguna Honda, Hedionda and Caň
Roughly halfway between the large lagoon Colorado and giant salar Uyuni is a beautiful place, where several altiplano beautiful lagoons surrounded by a number of high volcanoes stretch on a relatively small area. The most famous three of them – Laguna Honda, Hedionda and Caňapa almost invite you to stop and explore them more precisely. In addition, you can often run into a lot of flamingos and vicunas here. continue reading
Drive over Desierto de Dali
Surrealistic Altiplano
Altiplans high mountain desert of Salvador Dali is a truly a quirk of nature. Colorful, intensely weathered volcanic belt encircling the plain on all sides at a height of more than 4500 meters above sea level. Tourist can be very surprised to see shy vicunas running around here and ask himself how they can survive in so inhospitable landscape. continue reading
Visit of Isla Incahuasi
The heart of the salar of Uyuni
Virtually straight from the middle of the gigantic Salar de Uyuni juts out black rock looking really as an island in a sea of salt – Isla Incahuasi covered with giant cacti. The most famous are here sunrises, when the island casts a long shadow over salar and the island is full with all colors. But there is quite cruel cold here at this time. continue reading
Stop at Arbol de Piedra
Rock formations in the Siloli desert
Just 17km from huge lagoon Colorado there is another attraction of Southwest Altiplano – the desert Siloli (4600 m asl) with a group of windswept rock formations. The most beautiful of these is Arbol de Piedra – Stone Tree. The western horizon is dominated by beautiful colored volcano completing another of the local surrealistic sceneries. You can take a short walk along the rocks and try on some climb continue reading
Visit of Train Cemetery
Train museum under the open sky
The only real attraction of dusty Uyuni is less than three kilometers distant train cemetery. Old historic locomotives and wagons are left here to their destiny as silent memory of the golden age of mining, when Bolivia wanted to get rich on minerals mining and rail routes to the Pacific. Most tourists visit this place at the beginning or end of the salar tour. continue reading
Drive Hotel del Sal - Coqueza
Under the volcano Tunupa
The vast majority of tourists continue from the Salt hotel to the island Incahuasi. But it is a good idea to extend salar tour by a day and ascend the volcano Tunupa. The starting point for this trip is a small village Coqueza on the northern edge of salar located right under the volcano. continue reading
Drive around the volcano Ollague
Picnic under a smoking giant
The outlook of smoking volcano Ollagüe (5 868asl) by beautifully eroded small rocks full of vizkachas is a favorite stop for lunch on the way between lagoons Honda, Hedionda, Caňapa and giant salar Uyuni. Along the way, you will also ride through minor salar Chiguana. continue reading
Walk from Atulcha
Inca ruins and giant cacti
On the southern edge of Salar de Uyuni is a small village Atulcha. Tourists stop here mainly for the reason that there is one of several hotels del Sal, where they spend the night during Salar tour. However, there is one attraction that is worth visiting. Less than a kilometer higher through the valley is the old Inca village surrounded by giant several meters high cacti. continue reading
Laguna Salada and Thermal Polque
Warm springs in 4400 altitude meters
Between the Salvador Dali desert and geysers Sol de Manana is located a relaxing place of Polgue Thermal. Large basin, if it can be so called at all, a place at an altitude of 4400 meters above the ground, fills the vast Salar Challviri, whose western flooded part is called Laguna Salada. Due to volcanic activity a pleasant warm spring originated. It is drained into a simple pool and invites you to have a bath. continue reading
Stop at the Lagoon Blanca
Unfairly neglected lagoon
Less than eight kilometers down the hill from customs Hito Cajon lies the beautiful „white“ lagoon. Close to it there is small accommodation facility used mainly by tourist´s groups preparing to ascent the volcano Licancabur. There is usually not very noisy at the lagoon. Usually only groups starting from San Pedro de Atcama stop here. This stop here is usually short, so you have just a few minutes short walk along the shore of the lagoon.There is a nice view of the entire chain of volcanoes from the lagoon. continue reading
Visit of Colchani
Ghost´s town at Salar
Just 20 km from the Uyuni is situated town of Colchani, the main basis for the tour to Salar de Uyuni. Most jeep tours stop here at the moment at the weird salt museum and souvenir stalls. It is far better to go to the „center“ and go through this strange mining town of ghosts with quite an interesting atmosphere. continue reading
Drive over Hito Cajon
Customs office in the wilderness
Unique customs office Hito Cajon (4488 m asl) in altiplano wilderness between Chile and Bolivia lies between volcanoes Juriques and Cerro Toco. Chilean customs officers hold office in the „luxury“ of San Pedro under the mountains, but their Bolivian colleagues have it a bit rougher, windier and colder. Through this place go only those who begin or end „Salar Tour“ in the Chilean San Pedro. The main bustle and hustle is here in the morning, when tourists compulsorily transfer from the bolivian land cruiser to chilean minibuses or vice versa. The rest of the day only jackals are running here and the breeze is blowing. continue reading
