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Travel guide
Salar de Uyuni and Sur Lípez
3 days · 5 things to do
Best time to go: May to October (dry), January to March (mirror effect)
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Welcome
Salar de Uyuni and Sur Lípez, in a few days
The world’s largest salt flat, which turns into an endless mirror after rain, followed by the red and green lagoons of Sur Lípez, geysers and flamingos. A 4x4 circuit between 3,600 and 5,000 metres.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 1 thing
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · The Salar de Uyuni mirror · about 2 to 3 hAfter rain, a thin sheet of water on the salt reflects the sky so exactly that the horizon disappears; most likely from January to March.
- Afternoon · Isla Incahuasi and its cacti · about 1 hA rocky island in the middle of the salt flat, covered in giant cacti several metres tall, with a path to the top.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hotel Jardines de Uyuni€80 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Laguna Colorada and its flamingos · about 1 hA shallow lagoon turned red by algae and minerals, home to thousands of flamingos, at more than 4,200 metres.
- Afternoon · Laguna Verde and Licancabur · about 30 minA mineral-green lake at the foot of the Licancabur volcano, on the Chilean border; the colour deepens when the wind stirs the water.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hotel Onkel Inn Wagon Sleepbox Uyuni€70 a night
D3
Day 3
1 thing to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Sol de Mañana geysers · about 30 minA geothermal field at close to 5,000 metres, with boiling mud pools and steaming vents, best seen early in the morning.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hotel Jardines de Uyuni€80 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
Some links are partner links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Salteñas: baked pastries holding a sweet, juicy stew, eaten as a mid-morning snack.
- Pique a lo macho: beef, sausage, chips, egg and hot peppers piled on one plate for sharing.
- Sopa de maní: a peanut soup, the best known of the filling soups of the highlands.
- Quinoa and potatoes: the Altiplano grows hundreds of varieties, including chuño, freeze-dried in the open air.
- Api morado: a thick, hot drink of purple corn, served at breakfast with a fried pastry.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Rushing the altitude: take the first two days in La Paz slowly, drink water and go easy on alcohol.
- Drinking tap water, or diving into street food in the first days.
- Choosing a Salar agency on price alone: ask about its drivers, its vehicles and its safety record.
- Planning to the hour: road blockades are common, so leave a spare day or two.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ Spanish
| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Hello | Hola |
| Thank you | Gracias |
| Please | Por favor |
| Yes | Sí |
| No | No |
| Excuse me | Perdone |
| Goodbye | Adiós |
| Do you speak English? | ¿Habla inglés? |
| I don't understand | No entiendo |
| How much is it? | ¿Cuánto cuesta? |
| Where are the toilets? | ¿Dónde están los baños? |
| The bill, please | La cuenta, por favor |
| Help! | ¡Socorro! |
| Cheers! | ¡Salud! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyBolivian boliviano (BOB)
BudgetAbout €95 a day, mid-range
Best seasonMay to October (dry), January to March (mirror effect)
PlugA/C · 220V
Tap waterBottled only
TippingRound up, or about 10% in restaurants
Emergency110 / 118
EntryVisa-free for up to 90 days a year for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports, and for EU citizens except Cypriots. US citizens have been exempt since December 2025. Make sure your passport is stamped on arrival: a missing stamp means a fine on the way out.
HealthHepatitis A and typhoid are recommended. Yellow fever vaccination is advised for the Amazon lowlands, where malaria is also found; this route stays well above both. The real risk here is altitude.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/salar-de-uyuni
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.