Uyuni Salt Lake, Bolivia: description, sights and interesting facts. Uyuni salt marsh - the largest salt desert in the world

Lake Uyuni Salt Flats is one of the most interesting, unusual and beautiful lakes Bolivia. The reason for this is that this lake is completely different from our usual understanding of the lake. Uyuni is known all over the world, because its area is 10,582 sq. km. and it is considered the largest salt lake in the world

Sometimes, traveling in the most forgotten and abandoned place on the planet, where people should not live, in a desert located at an altitude of almost 4000 meters, you can stumble upon a truly unforgettable sight. Just imagine - a huge, solid Lake Uyuni, with an area of more than 10,000 square kilometers, the surface of which is completely mirrored and almost completely flat. Once in such a place, it is quite possible to feel like on another planet.

But, one has only to bend down and try to taste what is under your feet, as everything becomes very clear - this is salt! A mountain of salt, a sea of salt, a desert of salt - this is the Uyuni Salt Flats, this is ten billion tons of salt!

So, Salar de Uyuni (Spanish Salar de Uyuni) - dried salt lake in the south of the desert plain Altiplano, Bolivia at an altitude of about 3650 m above sea level. Has an area of 10,582 km? and is the largest salt marsh in the world. It is located in the vicinity of the city of Uyuni in the departments of Oruro and Potosi in the southwest of the country.

Lake Uyuni - almost dried up salt Lake, which is located in the vicinity of the city of Uyuni. The most important mineral resources that it has are the minerals halite and gypsum. Uyuni itself is one large clot of salt, covering its entire bottom to a depth of 8 meters. During the rainy season in Bolivia, the lake is filled with a small amount of water and in doing so forms the world's largest mirror. From an economic point of view, this salt marsh represents a very great importance for Bolivia, in view of its colossal salt reserves, which are being mined to this day. In total, there are about 10 billion tons of salt here.

The thickness of the salt layer at the bottom of the salt marsh varies from 2 to 8 meters, depending on the bottom topography.

The salt of the Uyuni Salt Flats is used not only for food and souvenirs for curious tourists. They even build it here, and inside the premises literally everything is made of salt - beds, couches, tables. Groups of overnight travelers get the chance to spend the night in a unique salt hotel, which costs about $ 20 per night.

The only thing that is forbidden to do inside such buildings, although you really want to, is to lick everything around. But, after the disappearance of the furniture, the owners forbade this behavior, and hung around the announcement: “do not lick!”

Here you can admire some of the most breathtaking landscapes in the world. Magnificent landscapes with impressive salt flats, with active volcanoes, with islands of cacti and geysers. And all this looks like extraterrestrial landscapes - there are only a few such places on Earth

Geysers of Uyuni:

Giant petrified trees:

And many salt pyramids:

The uniqueness of Lake Uyuni brings benefits even in astronautics - thanks to big size, flat surface and high albedo in the presence of a thin layer of water, as well as a small height deviation, the Uyuni salt marsh is the most suitable tool for testing and calibrating remote sensing instruments on orbiting satellites. The clear sky and dry air of Uyuni make it possible to calibrate satellites many times more accurately than if the surface of the world's oceans were used for this.

You admired the magnificent scenery of Lake Uyuni - I hope you enjoyed it!

SalardeUyuni/ Salar de Uyuni (Bolivia)
The Salar de Uyuni is the world's largest salt flat, located in Bolivia.
Geography:
The Salar de Uyuni includes over 12,000 sq. km of land in the Potosi region. During the dry season, the salt flats are covered with dry, flat salt, but during the rainy season, the flats are covered with a thin layer of water.
This place was created as a result of the transformation of several prehistoric lakes. It is covered with salt crusts, protruding to a height of several meters. They contain 50 to 70 percent of the world's lithium reserves.
The Salar de Uyuni serves as the main transport route through the Bolivian Altiplano and is the main habitat for several species of pink flamingos.
Climate:
Salar de Uyuni is in transition climatic zones. Tropical, powerful cumulus clouds rise in the eastern part. Dry weather prevails in the western region, near the Chilean border and the Atacama Desert.
The area has a relatively stable temperature of 21°C in November-January and a low of 13°C in June. At night, however, it is cold throughout the year with temperatures ranging from -9 to 5°C. Relative humidity is quite low and constant throughout the year -30 - 45%. Precipitation is not high from April to November, however, January is the rainy season.
Hotels:
Near salt desert many hotels were built. Due to the lack of conventional building materials, many of them are built almost entirely (walls, roof, furniture) from salt blocks carved in the area. The first such hotel was built in 1995 and soon became a popular tourist destination.
Tour:
Standard tours originate in the south towards the southwestern part of Bolivia. Here you can find many lakes with fluorescent colors, which were created from a set of different minerals from the runoff from the surrounding mountains.
The standard tour is conducted in 4x4 vehicles (usually Toyota Landcruisers) with 6 or 7 people, with a driver. Most 3 and 4 day tours have the same itineraries for the first 2 ½ days, a day on the salt flat and then on southbound in the southwestern region of Bolivia, and then return back.
Accommodation is usually provided at base camps and the weather can be very cold, but it's worth it to see the amazing scenery.
First day - the world's largest salt flat
On the first day you will visit the salt flat. In the dry season, it will be a hallucinatory white landscape. When it rains, the salt flat is mostly submerged, giving a perfect reflection of the sky.
Uyuni Plaza Arce - Most trips start here, next to the train station at 10:30 am, although it can also be reached from the hotel.

Train graveyard - usually at the beginning of the tour, but some operators prefer to end the tour here. There are many destroyed old steam locomotives here.

Colchani, Bloques de Sal is a village 7 km north of Uyuni. Salt souvenirs can be purchased here. There is also a salt museum in which there are carved animals created from salt, there are also some pieces of furniture and household appliances. Paid entrance.

Salt mining area - an area where salt is dug up and left in heaps (weighing a ton) to dry in the sun, then transported to a refinery.

Salt Hotels are a few hotels made entirely of salt.

Isla de los Pescados, or Isla Incawasi. The name comes from the island, which looks like a fish during the rainy season. It is an island of fossil corals covered with 1000 year old cacti in the middle of the Salar. These cacti grow at a rate of 1 cm per year, so you can easily calculate their age. Most tourist groups dine on the western "shore" of this island.

Accommodation is available in San Juan, although for real enjoyment it's best to try and find hotels closer to the Salar. Then it will be possible to get up before dawn and reach the plain in 4x4 jeeps to see the most spectacular sunrise of your life.

Second day - Direction south to the colorful lakes of the lagoon (South Past Colorful Lakes –Laguna Colorada)
Hedionda Lagoon is full of flamingos and is a popular place for lunch.

ArboldePiedra is a stone tree that has been carved by strong, sandy winds.

The Viscacha area - a short stop on a rocky ledge, is a Viscachas colony.

The Colorada Lagoon is a red lake with algae. You can also see many flamingos.

Third day, morning - geysers and hot springs in Laguna Verde ( Verde).
The day starts early in the morning (5 am) and without breakfast in order to visit several of the following places:
The SolardeManaña Geyser Pool is a collection of bubbly gray pools and the geyser is typically visited when the sun is up.

Hot springs Termasde Polques - located next to the Salar de Chalviri. To enjoy the springs, you can bring your own swimming equipment. Popular place for breakfast.

Lagoon Verde - decorated in green, it contains such heavy metals as arsenic, lead, copper, with a perfect view of the Lincacabur volcano

This is followed by a long drive back to Uyuni (Uyuni), or from here you can get to San Pedro de Atacama.
Blanca Lagoon - white lake filled with boron ore.

Lunch – Colorada Lagoon – popular place where you can dine.

Afternoon - east of Tupiza.
If you choose the four-day Tupiza tour, the itinerary will go off the beaten track and you will have the opportunity to visit several small communities. And you will also see following places:
Celeste Lagoon is a bright blue lake colored with magnesium and manganese.

Amarilla Lagoon - a yellow sulfur lake and some old rock paintings nearby.

Ruinas de San Antonio is an abandoned sixteenth-century mining town where slave labor was used.

Afternoon - north of Uyuni:
The road back to Uyuni is very uneven, stop at a few small communities along the way:
VallesdeRocas - many strange mountain valleys.

Fourth day - the trip ends at Tupiza.
The tour will take a long time to pass through beautiful landscape. The last activity before arriving in Tupiza is the Sillar. In this place there are giant clay columns formed due to erosion.
Fourth day ends at Uyuni.
San Cristobal is a town that has a 350 year old church and a very beautiful silver altar.

Train Graveyard - A collection of vintage trains 3 kilometers southwest of Uyuni.

The wild beauty of this vast salt desert makes the Salar de Uyuni one of the most impressive sights in South America.

Salar de Uyuni is not just the main attraction of Bolivia and one of the most interesting places on the planet. This is truly another planet - the land where everything is completely different from what we are used to. unreal scenery, Amazing places, sunsets, sunrises, salt, water, giant cacti, a graveyard of steam locomotives, endless horizons, colorful mountains, hot springs, fast-moving geysers, colorful lagoons, llamas and flamingos - this is just what pops up in my memory in the first place. In fact, there is much more beautiful and amazing there. It is worth adding that you look at all this natural splendor from the windows of a jeep, which looks very colorful in the endless white expanses.

All these incredible landscapes impressed me so much that I went to the salt marsh twice and will gladly go again. Every time you travel, you can add something new, and, most importantly, depending on the season, the lagoons and the salt sea can look very different.

The Uyuni Salt Flat looks like it is impossible to describe in words. It's like salsa, you can't learn it, you can only feel it. This is mysticism, another universe, full of delight, a riot of nature, a combination of what would never have occurred to us to combine, harmony, explosion, the unity of the living and the inanimate, contrast, life.

How to get there

Let's take a closer look at each route option.

From Bolivia

Tours, and this is the most popular and, by the way, quite a convenient opportunity for quite acceptable price see the most interesting places of the huge natural park, start in the town of Uyuni, which can be reached by plane or bus.

By plane

If you have already found yourself in Bolivia, then most likely you will get to the picturesque highland city of La Paz, which is often mistakenly considered the capital.

Here are two airlines that fly to Uyuni:

Amazonas;

The schedule of the two airlines is about the same. Every day there are two flights in both directions, as you can see, for example:

morning - around 07:00–10:00;
evening - at 19:00–21:00.

The cost of a round-trip ticket will be about 160 USD, the travel time is about an hour. Airport Joya Andina is located just 3 kilometers from the village of Uyuni itself. You can get to it by taxi for 3-5 USD or on foot, if time permits and lack of luggage (30 minutes).

Be careful when choosing an airline. When paying for an Amaszonas ticket online, you must use the bank card which you will have with you. If it is not found, boarding will be denied. This is a slightly strange system, but during registration, the company's employees make a cast of the card, so it will not be possible to deceive them or slip another one.

Boa has a number of advantages: the planes are newer, and the amount of baggage allowed in hand luggage higher (5 and 7 kilograms depending on the type of aircraft versus 3 and 5 kilograms in Amaszonas).

By bus

In Latin America, over the years of travel, I traveled most of all by bus. This mode of transport is very convenient. First, intercity and international buses most often comfortable enough for a long move. Secondly, you can travel cheaper, see the sights and views along the way. Thirdly, the bus is a great chance to get acquainted with new movies on local language, think about life or just relax. The main advantage of night buses is that they save money on the hotel, and for poor travelers this can be important.

In the case of Uyuni, I took the bus from La Paz. Buses depart from the city's main transport terminal.

Several companies travel along the route, among which Panasur and Todo turismo are the most popular. The ticket price will be 7–10 USD, and the travel time will be 12–13 hours.

It is better to purchase tickets in advance, at least one way and at least a couple of hours before departure, in order to book yourself comfortable spot. Immediately buy return ticket also possible, but not necessary. There shouldn't be a problem on site. Most often, the seats on the bus are arranged in two rows: in one there are two seats, in the other one. The second option is more convenient. It is better to take a blanket and a warm jacket on the bus, as drivers in Latin America are very fond of using the air conditioner at full capacity.

In Uyuni, the bus arrives in the very center of the city, where guests are usually met by representatives travel companies and sellers of everything.

In general, the bus is a convenient option. Tours start early in the morning (around 7-9 am) and end a few days later (most often on the third day) at lunchtime. There is time to walk around the town, eat alpaca meat in one of the many restaurants, chat with other travelers, drink beer on the main streets, buy souvenirs, buy a bus ticket and calmly return to La Paz the next morning.

By train

lovers railway transport can get to Uyuni by train from Oruro. Alas, the train leaves from railway station Oruro not every day:

Expreso Del Sur runs on Tuesdays and Fridays. From Oruro the train leaves at 14:30 and arrives at 21:20. In the opposite direction, the train leaves at 01:45 and arrives at 08:45.
Wara Wara Del Sur runs on Thursdays and Sundays. From Oruro departs at 19:00 and arrives at 02:20. IN reverse direction trains leave at 00:10 and arrive in Oruro at 07:10.

The price of a ticket in a regular class is 8 USD, in a business class - 17 USD. Business class is two soft seats in a row, like in express trains, besides, the ticket includes drinks and light snacks, and you can have a bite to eat in the restaurant car. In the regular class (salon), the conditions are similar: the seats are comfortable, but the ticket price does not include drinks and snacks, and there is no carpet on the floor, which, in principle, can be experienced.

The train is coming slowly, but the views from the windows are worthy.

Now it is possible to buy tickets online, but many tourists talk about the unreliability of such an option. It is better to come to the box office, which opens at 08:00 and is closed on Sunday, and buy tickets. If you're lucky, you can buy tickets for the same day, or only business class tickets may remain. Some time ago, the railway office started selling tickets a few days in advance, which is only suitable for those who are going to spend a few days in Oruro. Therefore, my advice is to come early in the morning and hope that luck will smile at you.

From Chile

The salt marsh is located on the border with Chile, so tours are organized from the Chilean side. In Chile, the tour starts in the town of San Pedro de Atacama, in the Atacama Desert of the same name. The famous picturesque altiplano - a vast plateau in the Andes, dotted with volcanoes - begins here.

By plane

Closest airport to San Pedro de Atacama El Loa is located 100 kilometers in the city of Calama. A taxi from the airport for 40–50 USD will take you to San Pedro in an hour and a half.

Flights from Santiago are operated by Latam and Sky Airlines. The flight time from the capital is 2 hours, a round trip ticket will cost 80–100 USD.

By bus

This type of transport from the capital of Chile, Santiago, departs from the Alameda terminal.

Travel time is about 12 hours, the ticket price varies between 60–100 USD, depending on the class of the bus. Popular airlines flying to this route:

Turbus;
Pullman;
Andesmar.

When to go

Uyuni Salt Flats can be visited year-round, because if you managed to see it with your own eyes natural wonder Well, that's already a huge success.

However, in different time years there are small differences in what exactly you will see in the vast uninhabited expanses national park.

January to early Marchthat precipitation is active here, so the salt marsh turns into a giant mirror, which reflects the incredible sky, tall cacti, all-terrain jeeps and everything that pleases the eye.

At other times of the year, the scenery is no less beautiful. In the sunset rays, salt rhombuses seem ideal, besides, in the “dry” season (from May to October) you can get to all places, because sometimes, when there is too much rain, some of the curious corners become difficult to reach, and guides prefer not to take risks.

Therefore, my advice is this: go to the Uyuni salt marsh at any time when it is possible, and such an opportunity presents itself.

What is the price

As I said, the tour is a convenient opportunity to see the national park.

The main advantages are the price and the opportunity to communicate with tourists from different countries. The downside is that it can be crowded for several people in a jeep, besides, fellow travelers can be on different waves or (as in my case) not know Spanish. Therefore, all the way I had to work as a free translator, since the guide spoke English only nominally.

If there is an opportunity and desire, then it is better to order individual tour, then you will stand and look at the flamingos as much as you want and will not depend on the fact that someone did not hear the alarm clock and did not get up for breakfast.

However, all these current moments lose all meaning when you find yourself in the face of the eternal and beautiful, and this is the only way I can characterize nature in those parts. The spectacle is so captivating that the guide's ignorance of the language, and the light morning frost, and the talkativeness of some members of the group become unimportant.

The cost of the tour may vary depending on the hotel where you will sleep, on your bargaining skills and, of course, on the level of language proficiency. However, the price for a three-day tour, which includes almost everything, is still so low that even with the tourist overpayment, this opportunity is more than affordable. The cost of such a package is on average 180–230 USD per person, subject to a full jeep, which is 5–6 tourists.

The cost of the tour from the Chilean side is about the same. Due to the favorable location of the park at the junction of two countries, it is convenient for travelers to plan the route the way they like. For example, you can travel from Bolivia to Chile and vice versa. Jeeps always clarify what the tourists have plans to take those who wish to the border on the third day.

In general, all companies offer approximately the same range of services and approximately the same price level. I personally used the services of OIivos and can safely recommend it. Tours are purchased on the spot, but you can contact the agency in advance and pay a deposit. However, I would not advise doing this, because anything is possible. My bus got in for repairs and was 5 hours late, so my tour had already left. It would be sad if the advance payment was made, otherwise I spent all my money and energy in search of a new tour departing later.

The price of a private tour is, of course, higher. It starts from 120-200 USD per day, depending on the level of the hotel, the number of tourists and the chosen guide.

Additional expenses

Take some money with you local currency boliviano (WWII). In addition to the paid tour, you will have to pay additionally for a visit to observation deck on the island of fishermen if desired (5 USD) and a mandatory entrance ticket to the national park (22 USD). Sometimes they can meet paid toilets($0.5).

Food and lodging

Food is usually included in the tour. The food is quite satisfying and good, in places of lodging for the night you can buy wine or drinks with chips. An overnight stay is one part of the adventure, because one night you sleep not just in a hotel, but in a hotel made of salt.

Usually electricity works here only after sunset, besides, it is very cold at night (maybe even -10-15 ° C), but hotels still have their own special charm. And warm blankets.

And when the tour starts early in the morning, bright stars are clearly visible in the frosty air, which are rarely seen in cities in such numbers.

It's moments like these that make you realize how beautiful our world is.

The second overnight stay in the standard tour takes place in hostel-type hotels, where 2-6 people can sleep in one room.

Despite the spartan conditions, it has everything you need to have a good night. Behind additional fee you can spend the night in a hotel with a higher category of comfort.

Major tourist spots

As part of a three-day tour, tourists visit several interesting places, which are shown in this image:

I will briefly tell you what to expect from each of them.

Cemetery of steam locomotives (Cementerio de Trenes)

The cemetery of steam locomotives is the attraction with which the tour most often begins. A few kilometers from Uyuni there used to be railway lines, and the traffic was very busy.

However, over time, mining declined, and the locomotives went to live out their lives in the cemetery, which is now used as a tourist attraction. It's interesting and photogenic here: you can climb the rusty members of the railway traffic or think about the eternal, looking at the endless rails going nowhere.

Valley of Geysers "Morning Sun" (El Sol de Mañana)

If you have been to, then the geysers of Bolivia are unlikely to impress you. I have not been to Iceland yet, and I liked the valley of geysers. The fact is that in Uyuni nothing can be taken in isolation.

A geyser is not just a hot jet, but an organic part of the surrounding landscape, which is always incredible. Therefore, these shooting steam jets from the ground against the backdrop of terracotta mountains did not leave me indifferent.

Hot Springs (Aguas Termales)

At the end of a busy day of moving, there is nothing better than dipping your impressed body into a natural swimming pool with hot water at an altitude of more than 3,000 meters above sea level. There is no infrastructure here, just a small house that is not always open, so you have to change clothes quickly. However, the disadvantages of inconvenience are more than offset by the pleasure that you get later, sitting in hot water and watching the endless valley, shimmering in different shades and colors.

By the way, the construction of a new comfortable locker room is underway, so the next travelers can expect comfort and warmth... Or maybe not, because the concept of "tomorrow" in Latin America is very conditional.

Don't miss the hot springs the best place to wash off the multi-colored dust of the roads and go out rejuvenated towards new adventures!

Salt marsh (Salar de Uyuni) and salt mines (montones de sal), square with flags (plaza de las banderas)

Actually, the most important place in the national park is a giant dried-up salt lake with an area of 10,000 square meters. km.

The range of entertainment here is wide.

From enthusiastic contemplation of the endless snow-white expanses to photographs with salt slides with an ideal geometric shape.

From staged photographs and games with scale to finding your own flag in the "square", where weathered and battered, they proudly flutter in the wind.

The famous Dakar races take place on the lake, and here you can see beautiful sunsets, where the sun clearly outlines perfect crystalline diamonds on the salt surface.

Stone tree in the desert (Desierto de Silioli y Arbol de Piedra)

stone tree- this is exactly what the name implies. Desert winds, climate and sand did their job and created this bizarre five-meter stone formation.

Previously, the “tree” was fenced with a rope, which interfered with beautiful photographs and added inappropriate artificiality to the landscape, but now everything is open and you can even climb to the top of the “tree” with proper skill.

Desert Salvador Dali (Desierto de Salvador Dali)

Dali, unfortunately, did not know about the existence of this place, and the desert got its name because of the similarity of the landscape with some of the canvases of the great surrealist.

Colored lagoons (Lagunas coloradas)

The colorful lagoons are another important part of the trip. The lakes are located on the territory of the Eduardo Avaroa National Park (Parque nacional de Eduardo Avaroa). In the morning, the band members meet the dawn in the local desert, welcoming the sun coming out from behind the mountain.

Along with the light comes warmth, and acquaintance with the lagoons begins. It’s hard for me to say what impressed me the most, because even on the second visit, I practically didn’t close my mouth in admiration.

And what else can you experience when you stand at an altitude of several thousand meters in the middle of the desert, in front of you is a huge lake of red and white color, somewhere in the middle they walk pink flamingos, and picturesque volcanoes rise as a massive backdrop.

Around the lagoons you can meet fluffy and friendly llamas and alpacas, as well as daring cyclists who go from nowhere to nowhere. Then there were more lagoons (there are 4 of them here), more flamingos, more colors, more emotions.

Bright mountains and endless valleys, and modest chinchillas.

Green lake (Laguna verde)

The green lagoon stands alone in the list of colorful lagoons of the national park. It is closest to the border with Chile, and it is windy and cold here, since its height above sea level is 4,350 meters.

However, all this ceases to have at least some meaning when an incredible panorama in rich colors opens up before the eyes that are tired of admiring.

Fishermen's Island or Incahuasi (Isla Incahuasi o Isla de Pescadores)

The island of fishermen is famous primarily for its giant cacti, reaching 10 meters in height.

To climb to the observation deck at the top of the island, you have to pay a nominal fee of a few dollars. The relief of the island is low, but the view is beautiful.

From here you can see a pleasant combination of cacti, salt expanses and jeeps-all-terrain vehicles that look harmonious against this background.

Fishermen's Island gets its name from its shape. In the rainy season, in the midst of a water-filled salt lake, it looks like a fish in water.

Little Italy (Pequena Italia)

The name is unusual for Bolivia, however locals this is how they called this place, because, in their opinion, it resembles the narrow streets of Italian Venice.

From a distance, the place really resembles a city with rocks, on which you can climb in search of a river panorama, a green valley, multi-colored llamas and bizarre stone figures.

Cascade (la Cascada)

Cascade is a place where not all guides take. You can ask about it yourself, but everything remains at the discretion of the driver: whether there is enough time, and whether he will have a desire. Remember, this is Latin America.

We were lucky, and this little curious item was added to the program.

From high majestic rocks offers a view of an almost grand canyon with a serpentine river dried up below ... Perfect place for photo!

What might come in handy

Here are some tips on what to bring with you on your trip:

Other nuances

Remember that you are in Bolivia, which means punctuality is not guaranteed here. I had a funny incident. The driver promised to come in the morning at 05:00 and pick us up. We were ready by this time and walked like somnambulists around the dark hotel, where there was no one except us. There was no light (then flashlights came in handy), no breakfast, no clarity. The driver, who had only 4 fingers on his hand, said that it was under this nickname that everyone knows him.

Light loomed in the distance, and cars were revving, and I decided to walk and look for our driver, because I didn’t want to waste precious time. I borrowed a lantern, dressed in everything warm and, inhaling the frosty air, went into the darkness under thousands of stars.

Seeing how an old man was making a fire in one of the houses, I confidently walked towards him:

-Good morning, Do you know where 4 fingers are?

- Well, yes, our guide with 4 fingers.

Even in the pitch darkness, I could see a face full of bewilderment. I was pulled out of an awkward situation by the sound of a car pulling up to our hotel. I wished my grandfather a good day and went towards the dawn.

Everything turned out to be trite: the guide overslept. Therefore, be prepared that an inexpensive tour may have deviations from the program through no fault of yours.

Learn some Spanishaz Most of the guides do not speak English. And although they do not say anything particularly important, it is pleasant at least in in general terms understand what is being said.

Feel young, regardless of age. Bolivians in the highlands look much older than their years. I was shocked when it turned out that the driver was my age, and the women in the village did not wear their grandchildren behind their backs in multi-colored scarves. A great opportunity to rejoice in the fact that we are well preserved.

Relax and enjoy. The place is unique, and what you see it will be great in any case, whether it happens in the rainy season or dry. Still, God is well done, in 7 days to come up with and implement this. All human imagination, it seems to me, would not be enough to create such a miracle.

When I get older and rich, I will come here again, buy a private tour for 5 days and travel around colorful lakes, walk on fancy rocks and while away the hours in search of chinchillas and vicunas.

Uyuni Salt Flats is a dry salt lake in the south of the Altiplano desert plain in Bolivia, at an altitude of about 3650 m above sea level. The area of this unusual place 10582 sq. km and it is the largest salt marsh in the world.

The main minerals are halite and gypsum. The inner part is covered with a layer of table salt 2-8 m thick. During the rainy season, the salt marsh is covered with a thin layer of water and turns into the world's largest mirror surface.

2. About 40 thousand years ago, this area was part of Lake Minchin. After it dried up, there were two lakes that currently exist: Poopo and Uru-Uru, as well as two large salt marshes: Salar de Coipas and Uyuni. The area of Uyuni is approximately 25 times the area of dry lake Bonneville in the USA.

5. In the middle of an endless mirror space, it seems as if you were on another planet or the end of the world has come.

6. Due to its large size, flat surface and high albedo in the presence of a thin layer of water, as well as minimal altitude deviation, the Uyuni salt marsh is an ideal tool for testing and calibrating remote sensing instruments on orbiting satellites. The clear skies and dry air of Uyuni allow satellites to be calibrated five times better than if the ocean surface were used.

10. After a trip to the salt marsh, the car is completely covered with salt and is subject to a total wash.

11. Thanks to its flat surface, the Uyuni salt marsh serves as the main transport route in the Altiplano. Construction underway next to salt marsh international airport capable of receiving long-haul aircraft. Its opening is scheduled for 2012.

12. In the center of the salt flats there is a salt hotel, and next to it is such a structure made of salt blocks, where tourists from all over the world place the flags of their states. As you can see, there is also a Russian flag.

14. The Uyuni salt marsh contains a reserve of about 10 billion tons of salt, of which less than 25 thousand tons are mined annually.

20. Hotels are built here from salt, more precisely, from salt blocks. Tables, chairs, beds and other furnishings are also made of salt. And on the walls hang ads with a polite request not to lick anything. You can spend the night in such a hotel for $20.

26. Salt restaurant. If suddenly the food turns out to be undersalted, and there is no salt shaker nearby, you can lick the table.

28. Salt sculptures.

32. Despite the harsh conditions, several species of cacti grow on this salt marsh, as well as rare species of hummingbirds, three species of flamingos, ostriches and other animals live and breed.

35. Every year in November, three species of South American flamingos fly to the Uyuni salt marsh for breeding - the Chilean flamingo, the Andean flamingo and the James flamingo.

39. Instead of sheep in these parts, alpacas. Warm and soft blankets, blankets and clothes are made from alpaca wool, and household items are made from fur. Alpaca wool has all the properties of sheep, but is much lighter in weight.

41. Ropes are tied, apparently, in order to be visible from afar.

42. One of the attractions of the salt marsh, where tourists also visit, is the cemetery of steam locomotives, located near the railway tracks from Antofagasta to Bolivia, 3 km from the city of Uyuni. The “cemetery” is where the steam locomotives of the named railway are buried, retired from the train service in the 1950s, when the extraction of minerals in the surrounding mines fell sharply. In 2006, the local government adopted a 15-year program for the development of the region, one of the points of which is the transformation of the "cemetery" into an open-air museum.