Salar de Uyuni: The World’s Largest Mirror Has Practical Complications

Salar de Uyuni covers 10,582 square kilometres of the Bolivian altiplano at 3,656 metres elevation. In the wet season (December-April), a thin layer of water covers the salt flat and it becomes the world’s largest natural mirror, reflecting the sky so accurately that the horizon disappears. In the dry season (May-November), the hexagonal salt crust is exposed and the white plain extends to distant volcanoes in every direction. Both versions are genuinely extraordinary.

The altitude is not a small matter. Uyuni town sits at 3,665 metres and the tours often go higher into the Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve to the south, reaching up to 5,000 metres at some sites. Acclimatise in Potosi (4,090m) or La Paz before coming, and expect lethargy, headaches, and disrupted sleep regardless.

Tours

Nearly everyone does a 3-day/2-night tour that combines the salt flat with the coloured lagoons, geysers, and high-altitude desert to the south. Tours depart daily from Uyuni or San Pedro de Atacama (Chile). A basic 3-day tour from a Bolivian operator runs BOB 800-1,200 per person (around $115-175 USD). The cheapest operators are variable in quality; the jeeps, the cooks, and the accommodation on nights 1 and 2 (basic hostels in the middle of the reserve) all differ between tour companies.

The reflection photographs you’ve seen require calm conditions and about 1-3cm of water depth on the salt flat. The best window is February-March. Tour operators will give you a rough read on current conditions.

For the dry season perspective photographs (where people stand in the foreground at various scales pretending to interact), clear skies and full sun make it work. These are shot on the flat with a second person holding the small object in the far distance.

Incahuasi Island

This cactus-covered island rises from the centre of the salar, surrounded by salt in every direction. It’s about 3 hours from Uyuni town by jeep. The giant cacti (up to 10 metres tall, growing at about 1cm per year) are remarkable. Every tour stops here; it’s crowded at peak season midday. Either arrive before 10:00 or after 14:00 if possible.

The Coloured Lagoons

Laguna Colorada (4,278m) is stained red-brown by algae and microorganisms and edged with white borax deposits. Chilean flamingos feed in the shallows. The combination of colours is improbable. Laguna Blanca and Laguna Verde nearby are white and green respectively, the colour differences due to mineral composition. Laguna Verde is at the foot of the Licancabur volcano (5,916m) which marks the Chilean border.

The Geysers del Sol near Laguna Colorada operate at 4,850m and are best seen at dawn before the wind rises. Steam vents and mud pots in a field of volcanic rock: straightforward and worth the cold early start.

Getting There

Uyuni is 6-12 hours by bus from Potosi (BOB 35-80), or accessible by weekly train from Oruro. Flights from La Paz to Uyuni run on BoA and Amaszonas (around 1 hour, $60-120 USD). The bus from San Pedro de Atacama to Uyuni (through the reserve) is often done as part of a tour rather than independently.

The salt hotels, built from salt blocks, are a genuine novelty; Hotel Luna Salada on the edge of the salar runs around $150/night and the construction alone justifies the visit.