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We left San Pedro de Atacama on a three day road trip in a 4X4 jeep to get to Uyuni in Bolivia. There were six of us in total in the group, two English, two Brazilians and of course us Irish and we couldn’t have asked for a better group. For those of you reading this blog to decide which tour group to take to do the salt flats in Uyuni, it is a difficult decision. We had heard nightmarish stories about tour guides getting drunk, crashes, breakdowns and even a kidnapping! After a good bit of research we went with Estrella del Sur, one of the more recommended agencies. Our tour was great fun, good guide and great company. However, when we were booking, we were told that our guide had excellent English, he had no English and we were saved by the Brazilians who acted as our translators. Also, the first night, our guide left the hostel we were staying in just before sunset and didn’t come back for about two hours. As it was a basic hostel at approx 5,000m above sea level, with no amenities around, we were left in total darkness. We all had flashlights and
luckily Simon had a candle from our excursion to the Jesus Theme Park in Buenos Aires, so that gave us light until our guide returned. If anything, this added to our experience on this tour, but it may not be to everyone’s liking. Bring a good sense of humour!
Leaving Chile on the first day, we could tell that our trip in South America would be different from here on in. The paved tarmaced roads of Chile gave way to the dirt roads of Bolivia. The immigration border control was a shack, a startling difference to the border controls we have experienced previously.
On our first day of the tour, we stopped at several lagunas to take in the breathtaking scenery. Geysers were the highlight of our second day, to see the water boiling at the surface was like being on a different planet! Breakfast, lunch and dinner and accommodation are included in the tour and we were fed well. As previously mentioned, we stayed in a very basic hostel the first night. We had been forewarned to bring a sleeping bag and warm clothes, but this cannot be emphasized enough. I consider myself someone who doesn’t get
too affected by the cold and I was freezing! Simon woke up at one point during the night and his tongue was frozen! Also, nearly all of us in the group were affected by the altitude in some way or another. For myself and Simon, it was screaming headaches, feeling somewhat like a hangover. To get a hangover without having drunk any alcohol is one of the worst feelings I have ever experienced! When we were at the geysers, the highest point on the tour, we were out of breath, after only a short walk. This altitude may take a bit of acclimatizing, I think!
The third day was the highlight as this was when we went to Salar de Uyuni. The world’s largest salt flat is 12,000 sq km and was part of a prehistoric salt lake which covered most of southwest Bolivia. The Salt Flat is immense and goes on as far as the eye can see. It is the most unusual and breathtaking landscape I have ever seen. We were woken up before dawn to get to the salt flat in time to see the sun rise. We climbed a hill (Isla de los Pescadores), full
of cactuses, in the middle of the salt flat to take in the sunrise. Afterwards, we had breakfast and began to take pictures, using camera tricks on the photo’s perspective with the unique salt flat as a backdrop. Some of these photos worked out better than others!
The 3 day tour is worthwhile as chances are you will meet likeminded backpackers and have good craic on the tour. However, the highlight really is Salar de Uyuni and otherwise the driving distances are very long. If you are short on time, my advice would be to do the tour in a day trip from the town of Uyuni. It has been one of the tours I had been looking forward to most during our South American trip and it didn’t disappoint!
Now to enjoy the cheaper way of life in Bolivia!
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