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Published: October 17th 2009
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Tupiza is the wildwest of Bolivia - it was here that Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid came to plot their fated final heist. Paula and Yoav were with us, over on holiday. It was fantastic to be with them on this 4 day jeep tour which from start to finish was filled with the most incredible scenery. From Tupiza our 4x4 climbed upwards, twisting through the rocky red landscape. Under cloudless skies of the bluest blue, we watched the landscape morph as we travelled from Tupiza south-west towards the Chilean border and then north to the Salar de Uyuni. The earth changed through the colours of a painter´s palette. Multicoloured mountains flanked the track to the left and right, a kaleidoscopic vista from our windows.
It didn´t surprise me at all to hear that NASA scientists come here to do research. In fact it seemed appropriate. I couldn´t imagine a landscape more like another planet - maybe Mars, perhaps Pluto. Any given snapshot from our window could have been used as a backdrop in the Star Wars films. It actually wouldn´t have shocked me if our guide told us Superman´s birthplace was nearby.
Outside the warmth of the
jeep, the climate was unforgiving - cold despite the blistering sun, windy and dusty. Dust devils whipped across the ground with ease. But it was worth piling on the layers and bracing the high altitude and harsh gusts of wind to stretch our legs and get close up to the sights. As if the scenery alone wasn´t enough, we also saw a ghost town, hot springs, copper mines, small salt plains, several colourful lagoons (all with unimaginative but accurate names), volcanoes, and, my top highlight, stinky smelly bubbling geysers. It was all spectacular. And I haven´t even mentioned the wildlife yet.
Strutting pompously around a glowing orange lagoon stubbornly ignoring the whipping icy wind, were flamingos. Not the location I thought I´d see hundreds of flamingos. The handful I saw at Chester Zoo as a child seemed to belong in a warm tropical oasis. Not so. Once again on this trip, I have to remind myself not to trust preconceptions of things I have not seen with my own eyes. There are three types of flamingos in Bolivia - Chilean, Andean and James flamingos. We saw all three and naturally the James flamingos were the best looking! We found
out later that the proper latin name for James flamingos is
Phoenicopterus Jamesi and poor Jimmy is an endangered species. Ahh bless.
Supremely elegant when standing and majestic in flight, the flamingos were fabulous. The harsh environment didn´t ruffle their pink feathers one bit. The pink princes were easily the stars of the wildlife show for me, but some of the other flora and fauna was pretty funky.
- Running riot in the ghost town we saw viscachas - oversized rabbits donning extravagant moustaches. They were particularly fond of tomatoes.
- The nandu - an unfortunate creature similar to the ostrich with the frustrating affliction of having wings but unable to fly.
- Llareta - salt tolerant moss that was wooden to the touch and used as firewood. It looked like alien bright green blobs across the ground.
- Nine hundred years old and still growing - giant cactus that started life back in the days of Richard the Lionheart, not that it would have known on an island in the middle of a salt flat where not much changes.
Plus as common as cows back home, we saw hundreds, probably thousands of
llamas,
alpacas and
vicuñas -
Andean animals that are a cross between a deer, a camel and a donkey with a bit of sheep thrown in. By the end of the first day, we could spot the difference - kind of. Llamas were big and woolly and wiggled their bums when they moved. Vicuñas were slim and gazelle-like and ran like the wind. Alpacas were the ones we couldn´t be sure were either of the above!
Late in the afternoon on the third day, we reached the edge of the worlds largest salt flat, the Salar de Uyuni. We spent the night in a salt hotel - yes, everything was made of the white stuff. The floors, the walls, the dining table, the chairs, the beds - all salt (thankfully the toilet wasn´t though!). As we watched the sunset advance across the horizon, I couldn´t imagine the next day beating what we had already seen, even though the salt flat was the ultimate destination of the tour.
5am and we were all sleepy as our jeep streaked across the salt plain to a vantage point for sunrise. On our left, darkness. On our right, the sun was beginning to make its entrance. A
ray of light shot forward along the horizon and for a moment, I could clearly see the curve of the earth. Very cool indeed. Suddenly all was bright to the east and west, north and south - we were surrounded by salt and sky.
The blinding salt flats in the full glare of the sun concocted mirages and toyed with our vision. The horizon stretched beyond all possibility, it melted and merged with the earth. Distant mountains played tricks on our eyes, appearing to float above the ground. All around 360° of whiteness and brightness. The salt beneath our feet had naturally formed into hexagonal shapes as though laid by a master tiler. There isn´t merely a pinch of salt, the salt is an incredible 125 metres deep! After plenty of time to take it in - or at least try to - the four of us vogued for a photoshoot with our guide Raul who turned out to be an experienced photo trickster. Enjoy the snaps!
Salt processing factories signalled the return to reality as we entered the grim town of Uyuni. A quick stop at the train cemetery and the tour was over. It had been
purely fantastic. The scenery was stunning before we had even reached the incredible salt flats. An experience made more brilliant because we shared it with two easy going travel companions who are also such great friends.
And...not that we are ones to start gossip from Bolivia...but...CONGRATULATIONS!!
From Jess
Tips on choosing a salt flat tour
James and I did buckets of research before choosing a tour operator - heres what we learned to help any fellow travellers pick well.
1. Going Tupiza to Uyuni (or vice versa) instead of Uyuni back to Uyuni meant we didn´t have to double back on ourselves and we got to see a spectacular assortment of landscapes.
2. All agencies basically follow the same itinerary and stay in the same accommodations (all basic but adequate). The difference between them is in the quality of the jeep, the guide, the cook and how many people they squidge in. Don´t end up without a window seat. Insist on no more than four plus a guide and driver. Pay more if you have to.
3. Uyuni has literally hundred of tour operators, many with seriously dodgy reputations. Just search any backpackers discussion board. However, there are only a handful of agencies in Tupiza, all of which we had heard first-hand good recommendations. We chose Torre Tours and were more than happy with them. The jeep was in good nick, Raul was a great guide with decent English and Daniel was a top driver. The food was always good and varied. Even me as a veggie was well catered for.
4. Its a fine line between not wanting to get ripped off but equally not wanting to go with a corner cutting tour operator. Bargaining too hard over what might amount to a fiver might get you bumped with the crappy jeep and a temperamental cook. As a guide - we spent B1300 (€130) per person and got: a 4 day/3 night private tour with just the four of us; an english speaking guide; all accommodation, food, loads of snacks, water and soft drinks included; one night in Tupiza with private bathroom and breakfast; a pick up from the Tupiza train station. We didn´t bargain on the tour price, but instead asked for a deal on the accommodation in Tupiza (the tour company owns a hotel) and the pick up.
5. Charge your
MP3 and put together a playlist or be prepared for endless Bolivian trad and reggaeton (although we are now major fans of Daddy Yankee!). Our pick - the landscape is almost designed for The Dark Side of the Moon.
From Jess and James
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Joy
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Salt flats
Absolutely amazing. I want to see it all ! Great descriptions. I have to admit I can't help smiling thinking of James 'supremely elegant when standing and majestic in flight ' ,is this the result of your experience at the Bolivian wrestling match ? Ha ha. Yes ,I know you meant the flamingos-I think . Congratulations to Paula and Yoav .