The world's largest salt marsh. Safety. What to watch out for. Local residents of the village

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Uyuni Salt Flats - the world's largest dry salt lake in the south of the Altiplano desert plain in Bolivia at an altitude of about 3,650 meters above sea level. The inner part of the lake is covered with a layer of table salt with a thickness of 2 to 8 meters.

During the rainy season, this salty lake is covered with a thin layer of water and turns into the world's largest mirror.

The Uyuni salt marsh or the dried salt lake has an area of ​​10,582 sq. km and is the largest salt marsh in the world. The main minerals are halite and gypsum.

About 40,000 years ago, Uyuni was part of the giant Lake Minchin. It dried up, leaving behind two modern salt lakes, Poopo and Uru-Uru, and two salt deserts - the salt marshes of Koipas and Uyuni.

The area of ​​Uyuni is about 25 times the area of ​​the dry Lake Bonneville in the United States.

During the rainy season, the Uyuni salt marsh is covered with a thin layer of water and turns into the world's largest mirror. in the middle endless mirror space it seems as if he was on another planet or the end of the world has come.

Due to its huge size, flat surface and high albedo in the presence of a thin layer of water, as well as minimal altitude deviation, Lake Uyuni 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.

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

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.

There is a salt hotel in the center of the salt flats, 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 our flag:

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

Hotels are built 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:

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

Salt sculptures:

The salt marsh is practically devoid of vegetation, with the exception of giant cacti that reach a height of 12 m, and shrubs that the locals use as fuel. In November, three species of South American flamingos arrive on the salt marshes. Also, about 80 species of other birds live in the vicinity of the salt marsh, including the coot and the Andean goose.

Every year in November, three species of South American flamingos fly to the Uyuni Salt Flats to breed - the Chilean flamingo, the Andean flamingo and the James flamingo:

Instead of sheep, alpacas are found in these parts. 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.

One of the attractions of the salt marsh, where tourists also visit, is locomotive graveyard located near the path railway 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 a museum under open sky.

Near the salt marsh is the eponymous mining town of Uyuni, famous for its monuments. Monuments to workers:

Monument to the locomotive:

and railcar:

Custom sculpture Av. Ferroviaria:

In the center of Uyuni there are several so-called "islands", which are actually the tops of ancient volcanoes that went to the bottom in the era of Lake Minchin. They have an unusually fragile structure and, like corals, are composed of fossils and algae.

Beneath the surface of the Uyuni Salt Flat there is a lake 2 to 20 m deep, the water of which contains table salt, lithium chloride and magnesium chloride. The thickness of the salt crust varies from 10 cm to several meters.

The region has a relatively stable average temperature, with a maximum of 21°C from November to January, and a minimum of 13°C in June. Nights are cold throughout the year, with temperatures fluctuating between -9 and +5°C.

The legends of the Aymara Indians say that the Tunupa, Kusku and Kuzina mountains surrounding the Uyuni salt marsh were once giant people. Tunupa married Kuska, but he left her for Cousin and ran away.

At an altitude of 3,650 m above sea level.

A few years ago, Lonely Planet published a list of the most striking natural attractions in the world, putting the Uyuni salt flat in first place. Since 2014, Uyuni has hosted the Dakar races.

Experts believe that the Uyuni salt marsh, which arose as a result of the drying up of the huge Lake Minchin, contains 10 billion tons of salt, of which less than 25 thousand tons are mined annually. produced commercially).

Salt deposits of Uyuni have a very complex composition, including, in addition to sodium salts, also calcium, magnesium and lithium salts. A huge amount of lithium chloride has been found in the salt marsh, suitable for the extraction of lithium, which is necessary in the battery industry. Experts estimate lithium reserves in the salt marsh at about 100 million tons, which represents 50-70% of the world's lithium reserves.

The thickness of the salt layers ranges from 2 meters at the edge to 10 meters in the center. During the dry season, the salt marsh sparkles with snow-white dry salt, and during the rainy season, a thin layer of water forms on the surface of Uyuni.

The unique Uyuni salt lake is used in astronautics. Big size water table, ideal surface plane and minimal height change allow scientists to use the salt marsh to test and calibrate satellites. Thanks to the clear skies over Uyuni and dry air, the calibration of remote sensing instruments on orbiting satellites is several times more accurate than when using the surface of the world's oceans.

When is the best time to go to Uyuni

The best time to visit the Uyuni salt marsh is the rainy season, which lasts from December to January, when the salt surface is covered with water and you can admire the unique mirror reflections of the sky with clouds.

In December, you can see all the variety of the salt marsh, both dry areas, where the dried surface is covered with patterns in the form of hexagons, and wet “mirror” zones. In January and February, the rains intensify, so sometimes all the entrances to the salt marsh are washed out or some areas become inaccessible. However, according to local residents, at any time of the year, even in the dry season, you can find areas covered with water on Uyuni.

Tourists who visited the salt marsh are advised to stock up sunscreens and clothes that protect the body from the burning high-mountain sun, but at night you will also need warm clothes, since the temperature difference is very large and after sunset it gets colder, sometimes down to minus 10-15 degrees. By the way, it is worth considering that there is no cellular communication, only some hotels nearby have weak Wi-Fi.

Uyuni salt flat tours and prices

It is not difficult to choose a tour to the Uyuni salt marsh, most travel agencies in Bolivia and Chile provide this service. In most cases, tourists book a 3-4-day tour that allows you to visit not only the salt marsh, but also other nearby attractions.

The tour is usually conducted in Toyota Land Cruiser vehicles, with a driver and 5-7 passengers. Tourists can negotiate the itinerary by allocating more time to visit certain places.

The price of tours starting from Chile and Bolivia to the salt marsh depends on the preferences for the comfort of the hotel and the ability to bargain. For a 3-4 day tour in a group of 5-7 people, you will have to pay from 100 to 230 US dollars. This price includes food and accommodation.

However, some national parks require a separate fee to visit. For climbing observation deck on the island of Pisces you need to pay 5 US dollars, and for a mandatory entrance ticket to national park— 22 USD. A visit to a paid toilet will cost 0.5 US dollars.

It is advisable to have some money with you. local currency boliviano.

Attractions Uyuni

In addition to the most unique salt marsh, excursion routes usually include other interesting objects.

Steam Locomotive Cemetery

Near the railway lines connecting Antofagasta with Bolivia, 3 km from the city of Uyuni, there is a cemetery of steam locomotives, which is considered one of the attractions of the salt marsh. In the 1950s, when the mining of minerals in the surrounding mines declined sharply, the city of Uyuni ceased to be a major transport center and the railway began to reduce the rolling stock. Thanks to this, tourists can see old steam locomotives, among which there are rare and interesting specimens, and also make unforgettable photos in the spirit of retro.

Salt Hotel Playa Blanca

Usually all tours include a visit to this hotel, located about 20 km from the edge of the salt marsh. The entire hotel, like all the furniture inside it, is made from salt blocks. In 2002, the hotel was closed at the request of environmentalists, but a few years later, after the necessary refurbishment, the hotel was reopened as a museum and a place of rest during the tour.

And along the banks of the salt marsh, several more hotels were built from salt blocks. According to the reviews of tourists, it is quite warm in the salt chambers and it is easy to breathe. A night in such a hotel will cost 80-100 US dollars.

A salt bed has been built in front of the hotel, on which tourists set the flags of their states.

Fish Island

Small volcanic island, located about 70 km from the edge of the salt marsh, is better known as the island of Fish, because its shape resembles a fish.

The whole island is covered with fossilized corals, on which cacti grow. Since such cacti grow at a rate of 1 cm per year, many of them are several hundred years old, and the largest, nine meters, is about 900 years old.

Valley of Geysers

Many tourists stop by this valley, which stretches at an altitude of 4,800 m, to admire the hot jets of water shooting from the ground, as well as the terracotta mountains surrounding them.

Hot Springs

The springs are located at an altitude of more than 3,000 meters above sea level. The infrastructure is poorly developed, but there is a place where you can change clothes. However, swimming in hot tub overlooking a beautiful valley makes you forget about the inconvenience.

Stone tree in the desert

An amazing stone formation 5 meters high arose as a result of the work of wind and sand. A few years ago, the "tree" was fenced with a rope, which prevented beautiful pictures, however, in last years the attraction can be photographed without interference.

Salvador Dali desert

Landscapes in this area are surprisingly reminiscent of the works of the famous surrealist.

colorful lagoons

Most tourists try to visit the Eduardo Avaroa National Park, on the territory of which the famous colorful lagoons are located. The unusual color of the lagoons - red, green, white, black - is formed as a result of washing out mountain rivers various minerals and the subsequent colonization of lakes by bacteria. Fluffy llamas and alpacas walk around the lagoons, they are so friendly that you can pet them.

In November, pink flamingos flock to the Uyuni salt marsh. In this desert area, birds breed, and thanks to the reddish crustaceans included in their diet, flamingos acquire a pink color. There are 3 types of flamingos on Uyuni: the Chilean flamingo, the Andean flamingo and the James flamingo.

Active Volcano Ollague

Volcano Ollague is located on the border of Bolivia and Chile, its height is 5868 m above sea level. Volcano Ollague shows little fumarolic activity, which means that hot gases escape through cracks and holes in the volcano. Fumarolic activity may indicate the attenuation of the volcano, and may be a sign of an intermediate stage between eruptions. The date of the last eruption of the Ollague volcano is unknown.

"Eyes of the Salt Marsh"

From under the thin salt edge, jets of water with gas bubbles break out to the surface, this is not as spectacular as a geyser, but also beautiful.

How to get there

The Uyuni Salt Flats can be reached from Bolivia or from Chile.

Road from Bolivia

If you are already in Bolivia, then you need to get to the city of Uyuni, from where complex tours to the salt marsh and surrounding attractions start.

Airplane

The fastest way to get to Uyuni from the city of La Pazby boarding an Amaszonas or Boa airline. Every day, carriers operate two flights, in the morning and in the evening. The flight duration is about an hour, the price of a round-trip ticket is about 160 USD. Flights arrive at Joya Andina Airport, located 3 km from the city of Uyuni. This distance can be covered by taxi (3-5 US dollars) or on foot in half an hour.

If you are purchasing an Amaszonas ticket online, you must use bank card, which you can present when boarding, otherwise you will not be allowed on the plane.

Bus

Budget travelers often choose to travel to Uyuni by bus, especially since an overnight trip will save on a hotel. Buses to Uyuni depart from the main transport terminal of the city of La Paz and arrive in the very center of the city. The ticket price is 7-10 US dollars, you will have to spend 12-13 hours on the way. Tickets can be booked on a dedicated website.

According to travelers, buses often turn on the air conditioner at full capacity, so it is better to take warm clothes with you.

Train

Those who like to save money can also get to Uyuni by train departing from the city of Oruro. This mode of transportation allows you to admire great views from the window. However, when planning such a trip, you need to be careful, trains to Uyuni and back do not run every day.

The ticket price is $8 and the business class ticket is $17 (drinks and snacks included).

Train tickets to Uyuni are sold online, but many tourists complain about the unreliability of the ticketing system and are advised to buy them in person at the box office.

Road from Chile

Since the salt marsh lies on the border with Chile, it can also be reached from the Chilean side. In this case, the tour starts in the city of San Pedro de Atacama, in the Atacama Desert of the same name.

Airplane

The nearest airport is El Loa, located in Calama, 100 km from San Pedro de Atacama. This distance can be covered by taxi in an hour and a half, paying 40-50 US dollars.

You can get to Calama from Santiago in 2 hours with Latam and Sky Airlines flights. The price of a 2-way ticket is 80-100 US dollars.

Bus

From Santiago, the bus to Calama leaves from the Alameda terminal. The trip will take about 12 hours, the ticket price is 60-100 US dollars (depending on the bus class).

Uyuni salt marsh in Bolivia

Video review of Uyuni Salt Flats in Bolivia

Location: Bolivia
Square: 10,588 km²
Coordinates: 20°10"41.9"S 67°30"48.6"W

It is impossible to surprise a modern traveler, spoiled by a huge number of offers from travel agencies. Many sights, monuments of architecture and history in various cities and countries are so amazing and unique that it seems to be simply impossible to see an even more amazing creation of ancient people or a miracle created by nature itself.

View of the Uyuni salt marsh

However, this is a big misconception. There is always something in the world that strikes the imagination; something that takes your breath away; where you still want to go back. In this article, we will talk about largest lake in the world, but, as you might guess, about not an ordinary reservoir, but about the most beautiful dried-up salt lake - Uyuni Salt Flats.

Uyuni Salt Lake is located in Bolivia, in the southwest of this amazing country, in the vicinity of the city of Uyuni, on the territory of the departments of Potosi and Oruro and at an altitude of almost 4,000 meters (!) Above sea level. This is the largest salt marsh in the world, its area exceeds 10,500 square kilometers, and the thickness of the salt layer in some places is almost 10 meters. Every year, hundreds of thousands of tourists from all over our vast planet come here to see with their own eyes the "endless kilometers" of salt expanses, visit unusual salt hotels and capture this miracle of nature on cameras and camcorders, which, by the way, can change its shape more than once during the day. coloring.

Mounds of salt

Uyuni salt marsh: history of formation

Before talking about the history of the formation of the largest salt lake Uyuni, perhaps, it is worth dwelling a little on what salt marshes are and how they appear. All salt marshes on our planet were formed on the site of former water basins. In a lake where there is no runoff, and the evaporation rate of moisture exceeds the amount of precipitation that falls on the area, the concentration of salt in the water increases over time. With the complete evaporation of water, a hard salt crust forms on the surface, which allows scientists to call the drying lake a salt marsh.

The Uyuni salt marsh is part of the Bolivian Altiplano mountain plateau, which, as mentioned above, is located at an altitude of about 4,000 meters above sea level. On this plateau, in addition to Uyuni, there are other much smaller salt marshes, as well as freshwater and salt lakes.

Salt mining

The history of the formation of the largest Bolivian salt marsh has its roots in prehistoric times. Approximately 30-40 thousand years ago, Uyuni was part of huge lake Minchin, which, under the influence of time, was transformed first into Lake Tauka, and later, into Koipasa. After its partial drying, two lakes Poopo and Uru Uru, which exist now, and two salt marshes - Koipasa and Uyuni, separated by a series of hills, remained.

During the rainy season, Lake Poopo and its neighbor, the much larger Titicaca, burst their banks and cause natural flooding of the Coipas and Uyuni salt marshes. A small amount of water covering the salt layer of Uyuni transforms salt desert into the world's largest mirror. “Having found yourself in any part of the salt marsh during the period when it is covered with water, it seems that you suddenly found yourself on another planet: the sky is both above and under your feet. The spectacle is beyond words. It creates a feeling of "floating in the air." However, putting your hand into the water and grabbing a handful of what you are standing on, you understand that there is a ton of salt around, which seems to never end, ”a tourist who visited Lake Uyuni shares his impressions.

Indeed, the reserves of salt on the territory of the Uyuni salt marsh are truly enormous. According to rough estimates of experts, there are about 10 billion (!) Tons of salt here, moreover, about 25 thousand tons of this natural mineral is mined annually in this area. First of all, it should be noted that the Uyuni salt marsh is of great importance for the economy of Bolivia. At the same time, it is necessary to take into account the fact that it stores a huge amount of lithium chloride, from which lithium is extracted, which is used in the manufacture of batteries.

No less connected with the ancient lake ancient legend, its essence is as follows ... A long time ago mountain ranges, which today surround Uyuni, Tunupa, Kusku and Cousin were giant people. Kusku married Tunupa, but the beautiful Kuzina managed to charm him. Kusku left his wife and ran away from home, even though a child was growing up in the family. Tunupa grieved for a long time, shedding tears day and night. Her tears mixed with breast milk, which she fed her son, and they formed a snow-white salt lake. Tunupa for the Bolivians is a deity whose name, in their opinion, the lake should bear.

Uyuni Salt Flats

locals, engaged in the extraction and processing of salt from Uyuni, use it not only as a seasoning for food. All travelers who come to admire one of the main attractions of Bolivia are offered to buy a souvenir from this natural mineral as a keepsake. In addition, guests of the city are invited to stay in hotels in which the walls, roof and some furniture are made not from expensive modern building materials, but from ... salt.

For the first time such hotels were built in the mid-90s, in the very "heart" of the salt marsh. The news of such colorful hotels instantly spread all over the country: the influx of tourists exceeded all expectations. However, due to many sanitation problems that had a detrimental effect on the surrounding area, the hotels were closed and dismantled. Over time, they were rebuilt again, but already on the outskirts of the salt marsh and in compliance with all environmental norms and standards.

One of the salt hotels

Modern salt hotels have all the necessary amenities, including a sauna, steam room and jacuzzi. The daily cost of such apartments will cost the tourist about 20 US dollars.

Uyuni Salt Lake: Train Graveyard

Going to Bolivia to Lake Uyuni as part of excursion group, almost all tourists at the beginning or at the end of their journey make a stop at the train cemetery. Today, the population of the town of Uyuni does not exceed 15 thousand people, and once it was a major center of Bolivia with a network of railways. The decline in income from the mining industry, which began back in the 40s of the last century, led to the complete collapse of the railway in this area. Huge electric locomotives, locomotives, wagons and trolleys were abandoned. Some specimens of the train cemetery are over a hundred years old. Among them, you can even meet the locomotives of Garratt and Meyer (these people were among the first to build articulated locomotives), but, unfortunately, they are all in a rather deplorable state. In 2006, the local administration raised the issue of creating an open-air museum on this site, but so far this idea has not been implemented.

train graveyard

Uyuni Salt Flats: flora, fauna and climate

On the territory of the world's largest salt lake, as you might guess, there is practically no vegetation, the only exceptions are 10-meter cacti and small shrubs that the locals use as fuel. In the period from November to December, which, by the way, is considered summer in Bolivia, here you can see another amazing picture: hundreds of pink flamingos walking along the endless salty lake surface. In some areas of the Uyuni salt marsh, foxes and small viscacha rodents live, somewhat reminiscent of well-known rabbits.

The rainy season starts in November and ends in March. The air temperature in the area of ​​the Uyuni salt marsh in summer is kept at +22 degrees Celsius. A hot day in Bolivia always gives way to cold nights. June, July, August (winter in South America) are considered tourist season, despite the fact that during the day the air warms up only to +13 degrees Celsius, and at night the temperature can drop sharply to -10.

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