My husband, Justin, and I spent seven months exploring South America, and the colorful country of Bolivia was, by far, our favorite. While we enjoyed exploring every corner of Bolivia, one place stood out for its unique natural beauty and otherworldly landscapes—the Uyuni Salt Flats.
This region is incredibly remote and barren, with rocky (sometimes, non-existent) roads that bump across sprawling deserts and the craggy foothills of mountains. Given the area’s extreme isolation and rugged landscape, this isn’t a place that I’d recommend exploring on your own. Instead, I’d suggest joining a tour with a knowledgeable guide, who knows the backcountry routes and all of the incredible stops along the way.
It’s exactly how we explored the Uyuni Salt Flats and had an absolutely incredible experience, from watching thousands of stars twinkle to life in one of the darkest skies on the planet to walking on the world’s largest natural mirror. We’ve rounded up the 7 best Uyuni Salt Flats tours (including the exact one we took!), so you can make the most of your time, exploring this magical corner of the planet.
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What are the Uyuni Salt Flats?
The Uyuni Salt Flats are the largest salt flats on the planet, spanning 10,500 square kilometers in southwest Bolivia. They’re so big that you can actually see them from space!
These flats were formed 40,000 years ago when a prehistoric lake evaporated over the span of thousands of years, leaving behind a dry, yet mineral-rich lakebed.
These flats are located northwest of the city of Uyuni, which is home to about 35,000 residents and serves as a basecamp for the tens of thousands of visitors that visit the salt flats each year.
Although they’re all just generally called “Uyuni Salt Flats tours”, many of the multi-day tours actually explore beyond the salt flats themselves to an area called the Altiplano (i.e., a high-altitude plain in the Andes), which includes colorful volcanic landscapes, brilliant lagoons, steaming geysers, and the abundant wildlife of the Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve.
If you have the time, I’d DEFINITELY recommend booking a tour that explores both the salt flats and the Altiplano—it’s one of the most stunning landscapes I’ve ever seen!
How to get to the Uyuni Salt Flats
Uyuni Salt Flats tours typically leave from one of three different places:
- La Paz, the biggest city in Bolivia, where you’ll take an overnight bus with your tour group to the city of Uyuni
- San Pedro de Atacama, a popular tourist destination in the Atacama desert of northern Chile, right across the border from Bolivia’s Altiplano
- Directly from Uyuni city
If you take a tour from either La Paz or San Pedro de Atacama, your tour operator will handle all of the logistics of getting to Uyuni.
However, if you want to take a tour directly from Uyuni itself, you, of course, first have to get to the city.
Luckily, there are plenty of comfy buses that can get you there from popular destinations in Bolivia or Chile, like these options:
- From La Paz to Uyuni (a 9 hour ride)
- From Sucre to Uyuni (an 8 hour ride)
- From San Pedro de Atacama to Uyuni (a 10 hour and 30 minute ride)
Alternatively, if you’re short on time, you can also catch a direct flight from the El Alto International Airport in La Paz to the Joya Andina Airport in Uyuni, with roundtrip tickets starting around $200 USD. La Paz is the only city with direct flights to Uyuni so, if you’re traveling from elsewhere, you’ll first have to connect through there before ultimately reaching Uyuni.
Some tour operators will pick you up directly at the Uyuni bus station or the airport. However, if you need to get to your operator’s office by yourself, we used the InDrive app to get around more remote areas of Peru and Bolivia (where Uber is not available) and had positive experiences with it.
Best Uyuni Salt Flats Tours
We rounded up the best Uyuni Salt Flats tours, from La Paz, San Pedro de Atacama, and directly from Uyuni itself.
Tours from La Paz
1. Uyuni Salt Flats Tour & Overnight Roundtrip Bus from La Paz
- Length: 2 nights (both on overnight buses), with the day in between spent in the Uyuni Salt Flats
- Starting location: La Paz
- Ending location: La Paz
- English-speaking guides? Yes
- Inclusions: Meals (two dinners, two breakfasts, and one lunch), roundtrip overnight bus tickets, and a guided tour of Uyuni
If you’re short on time, this is a great option that provides you one full day in the Uyuni Salt Flats from La Paz.
After taking an overnight bus to Uyuni city, you’ll hit the highlights of the salt flats themselves, including the train cemetery; a local village where salt was once processed; Incahuasi Island, which is a crazy looking outcropping in the middle of the salt flats with giant cactuses; and, of course, the salt flats themselves.
If you’re lucky enough to be visiting during the rainy season, you’ll also head to a flooded part of the salt flats for sunset, where you can watch the punchy colors of the sky perfectly reflected in the still water.
What really makes this tour stand out is the incredible guides, who are entertaining, know a ton about the surrounding area, and are more than happy to take LOTS of fun photos on the salt flats, where you play with depth of field—i.e., where it looks like you’re being chased around by a T-rex or stepping out of a Pringles can!
2. 5-Day Uyuni Salt Flats by Bus from La Paz
- Length: Four nights (including two overnight buses to and from La Paz), with three days to explore the Uyuni Salt Flats and the Altiplano
- Starting location: La Paz, Bolivia
- Ending location: La Paz, Bolivia
- Inclusions: Transfer to La Paz bus station, roundtrip overnight bus tickets to and from Uyuni, all meals during the tour (minus dinner on the last evening), two nights of accommodations, and guided tour of Uyuni
This is the exact Uyuni Salt Flats tour that we took and we LOVED it—it was absolutely the highlight of our Bolivia itinerary.
From the sweet grandfather who picked us up from our Airbnb (and suffered through our toddler-level Spanish) to the fact that we were brought to a hotel to take a shower and a nap before our tour even started and the yummy snacks and wine that were served as we watched sunset over the largest mirror in the world, there really isn’t much I would change about our experience.
On this tour, you’ll take an overnight bus from La Paz to Uyuni and will be brought to a nicer hotel (made of salt!) to take a shower and rest up before your tour starts. Then, over the course of the next three days, you’ll hit all of the major highlights of the Uyuni Salt Flats and the surrounding Altiplano, like watching the sunset over the salt flats, seeing flamingoes and chinchillas in the high-altitude lagoons, and and soaking in the hot springs at Aguas Termales De Polques, as the rising sun peeks over the Andes Mountains.
The accommodations that we stayed at definitely weren’t anything fancy (and, to set expectations, there are very limited upscale accommodations in the Uyuni area), but we felt super comfortable and looked after the entire time—the meals were great (we’re generally eat plant-based and they prepared us more than enough tasty food!); our guides were friendly and enthusiastic; and they were incredibly thoughtful about restroom and snack stops on long drives.
Just be prepared for some loooooong drives—you drive basically all the way from Uyuni to the Chile border to see Lagunas Blanca and Verde, so a good chunk of your last day is spent driving back to Uyuni to be able to make your overnight bus back to La Paz. We were honestly so pooped from a jam-packed few days of exploring the area, though, that we definitely didn’t mind just hanging out in the car and soaking up the stunning views!
3. 4 Days Tour Uyuni Salt Flats, from La Paz ending in San Pedro de Atacama Chile
- Length: 3 nights (which includes one overnight bus from La Paz), with 3 days exploring the salt flats
- Starting location: La Paz, Bolivia
- Ending location: San Pedro de Atacama, Chile
- English-speaking guides? Yes
- Inclusions: Transfer to La Paz bus station, overnight bus tickets from La Paz to Uyuni, all meals during the tour, two nights of accommodations during your stay, transfer to San Pedro de Atacama, and guided tour of Uyuni
If you’re traveling around South America, like we did, taking a Uyuni Salt Flats tour, where you start in La Paz, head south to explore the salt flats and the altiplano, and end up in the Atacama Desert, is a smart move. There are SO many awesome things to do in San Pedro de Atacama, from seeing one of the largest collections of geysers in the world to effortlessly floating in a salt lagoon—so, definitely be sure to add it to your bucket list!
This option, which is run by the same operator that we took and is basically the exact tour that we did (other than the fact that we ended back in La Paz, whereas this one ends in the Atacama Desert of Chile) starts in La Paz with an overnight bus to Uyuni.
Once you’re in Uyuni, you’ll have the next two and a half days to explore both the salt flats and the best spots in Altiplano, the latter of which all the shorter tours have to skip.
Some of the highlights on this tour, besides just the salt flats, include the STUNNING Laguna Colorado, a high-altitude lake in Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve that’s teeming with flamingos and guanacos; gazing at the thousands of stars in one of the darkest night skies on the planet; and watching sunrise over the steaming geysers at the Geiser Sol de la Manana.
As mentioned above, we truly enjoyed traveling with this tour operator, from the thoughtful details (like giving us rainboots to wear in the freezing cold water on the flooded salt flats and a bottle of wine served with each of our dinners) to our guides’ enthusiasm.
Tours from San Pedro de Atacama
4. San Pedro de Atacama: 4-Day Uyuni Salt Flats Tour
- Length: Four days and three nights
- Starting location: San Pedro de Atacama, Chile
- Ending location: San Pedro de Atacama, Chile
- English-speaking guides? Although some of their guides speak a bit of English, most of them are Spanish-speaking only. If you want an English speaking guide, I’d suggest messaging them at the time of your booking, with the understanding that there are no guarantees that you’ll get one.
- Inclusions: Transportation to and from San Pedro de Atacama, three nights of accommodations, all meals, and a guided tour of Uyuni
If you only have the opportunity to take a short trip to Bolivia from the Atacama Desert, this is the perfect tour to the Uyuni Salt Flats from San Pedro.
On this four day trip, the first three days are jam-packed with seeing the best sites in the Bolivian Altiplano and the Uyuni Salt Flats, including Laguna Catal (which most other tours skip!); a stay at a hostel made totally out of salt; and seeing the sunrise amongst the ancient cactuses at Incahuasi.
The last day is pretty much totally dedicated to making the drive back to San Pedro from Uyuni, but, even then, there are plenty of stops for snacks, bathroom breaks, and stretching your legs.
The guides with this operator are fantastic, offering you plenty of times at stops (which is hard to do with a jam-packed itinerary), plus are great at pointing out wildlife along the way and taking EPIC photos on the salt flats.
Tours from Uyuni
5. Uyuni Salt Flats 1 Day Tour
- Length: One day
- Starting location: Uyuni
- Ending location: Uyuni
- English-speaking guides? Yes
- Inclusions: Lunch and snacks and a tour of the Uyuni Salt Flats
If you’re short on time, this tour just focuses on the Uyuni Salt Flats and the attractions immediately surrounding it, like the train graveyard; the town of Colcani, where salt was once processed and produced; and the giant cactuses of Incahuasi Island.
I love how small this tour is (capped at just 10 visitors!) and how well-choreographed it feels, from eating a tasty lunch directly on the salt flats to sipping a glass of wine as the sun sinks below the horizon.
The operator is also excellent at communication (which can be a rare trait amongst South American tour operators) and goes above and beyond to make sure that you can enjoy your trip, from offering meals for a variety of dietary restrictions to even helping passengers who are late for the tour, due to a delayed flight, meet up with the other guests. The guides are also top notch, providing interesting information about the human and natural history of the area, and, of course, offering creative photos of guests out on the salt flats.
6. 3-Days Tour to the Uyuni Salt Flats and Colored Lagoons
- Length: Three days and two nights
- Starting location: Uyuni
- Ending location: Uyuni OR San Pedro de Atacama, Chile
- English-speaking guides? Yes
- Inclusions: Meals while on the tour (i.e., 3 lunches, 2 dinners, and 2 breakfasts); two nights of accommodations, an oxygen tank on the second night(!!), and guided tour of Uyuni
This is a great option to see both the salt flats AND the surrounding stunning Altiplano over the course of three days.
On the first day, you’ll see all of the best things to do in the salt flats themselves, from the Dakar monument to the salt refineries of Colchani, ending with sunset over the seemingly endless white expanse.
On the second and third days, you’ll spend your time driving south through the Altiplano, towards the Chilean border. Along the way, you’ll stop at lagoons that are teeming with flamingoes; wild volcanic rock formations; steaming geysers; and cozy hot springs.
On the morning of your third day, you’ll head to Laguna Verde, a high-altitude lake known for its emerald green waters.
From here, if you want to continue on to San Pedro de Atacama, a guide will take you straight to the Chilean border to go through immigration and continue on your journey (note that bus tickets from the border to San Pedro are not included in this tour). Otherwise, you’ll start heading back to Uyuni, stopping at a handful of off-the-beaten path places, like Laguna Negra, on the way.
The tour is well-organized and packs a LOT of stops in, without feeling too rushed at any of the stops. The guides are also flexible and accommodating—if a stop doesn’t work out one day for whatever reason, they’ll try to squeeze it in somewhere else during the trip.
7. 3-Day Salt Flats Tour ending in San Pedro de Atacama
- Length: Three days and two nights
- Starting location: Uyuni
- Ending location: San Pedro de Atacama, Chile
- English-speaking guides? Yes, if you choose an English-speaking guide at booking
- Inclusions: Meals while on the tour, two nights of accommodations, guided tour around Uyuni, and transfer service from Bolivia border to San Pedro de Atacama
This is a great option to see all of the best sights of the Uyuni Salt Flats and the Altiplano as you make your way from Bolivia down to the Atacama Desert.
Like most of the other tours, you’ll start in Uyuni and start by exploring the salt flats. Over the following two days, you’ll make your way down south through the Altiplano, with stops at the stunning Siloli Desert (one of the driest deserts on Earth!) and different high-altitude lakes, to see wildlife, like flamingoes and guanaco. I also like that this tour stops at a few more off-the-beaten-track stops, like the Ollagüe Volcano, an active volcano that’s considered sacred to the Indigenous people of Bolivia.
On your third day, you’ll start bright and early, to see a beautiful sunrise at the geysers of Sol de Mañana and make a few remaining stops near the southern border of Bolivia, before your guides help you make a seamless border crossing to Chile. From here, it’s a little over an hour to San Pedro, where you can officially kick off your Atacama Desert itinerary.
I feel like this tour company does an excellent job of underpromising and overdelivering—they clearly spell out that everything on the tour, from the meals to the transportation and accommodations, are quite basic. However, the guides do a good job of surprising guests along the way, with yummy food and treats, like snacks and Bolivian wine, for a much more elevated experience than the incredibly “basic” experience that was initially presented.
What to know about Uyuni Salt Flats Tours
You’ll be at high altitude
For the entire duration of your tour here, you’ll almost certainly be above 10,000 feet over sea level. In fact, certain attractions in the Altiplano are a whopping 17,000 feet above sea level!
Accordingly, if you’re coming from a lower elevation area, I’d strongly suggest giving yourself a few days to adjust to the altitude in either Uyuni or La Paz (there’s so many cool things to do in La Paz—it was our favorite city in South America!), before starting your tour. It also helps to drink tons of water, avoid caffeine and alcohol, and load up on carbs!
The days while you’re on the tour are absolutely jam-packed, with early mornings, lots of getting in and out of the car, walking around lagoons and rock formations, and even some short hikes.
We passed several people on the Incahuasi Island trail (which is a pretty gentle hike uphill through the cactuses), who were throwing up, presumably due to the high altitude. This would be a decidedly unfun way to spend your time in the Uyuni Salt Flats!
Accommodations are bare minimum
The provided accommodations on these tours are VERY basic—for example, don’t be surprised if there’s no heating, hot water, or wifi at the properties you’re staying at.
Some accommodations will offer private rooms (you often need to pay extra for this), while others only have shared rooms. During our trip, we stayed in a private room (with heat) one night and shared a room with another couple (without heat) on our second evening.
Due to the high altitude here, it gets REALLY cold, especially at night. We visited in June, which is considered the beginning of winter here, and it dropped well below freezing once the sun went down every day. So, be sure to bring lots of warm layers, including a puffer jacket, beanie, and gloves, and be prepared to wear them to bed if your room gets too chilly!
Bring lots of cash
While the cost of your tour covers most things, there are lots of little things that it doesn’t cover, like your entry fee to Reserva Nacional de Fauna Andina Eduardo Avaroa (310 BOB), renting a sleeping bag at one of the accommodations (100 BOB), or using the toilet at small roadside stops along your journey.
I’d suggest bringing more Bolivianos than you think you need—all the random little expenses added up quickly!
Make sure you have all the appropriate documents and visas
If you’re crossing the border into Bolivia or Chile during your tour, be sure you have all the appropriate documentation and visas ready ahead of time. Your guides will help you as much as they can with border crossing, but they can’t make a visa appear out of thin air.
When we crossed from Puno, Peru to Copacabana, Bolivia, we were not prepared for all of the documents we needed as Americans to get a tourist visa in this country (despite trying to do research ahead of time!), like passport photos and copies of our bank statement.
And, similarly, on our Uyuni Salt Flats tour, we traveled with a super nice Australian couple on their honeymoon that hadn’t realized they needed to apply for a tourist visa ahead of time to get into Chile—and who wound up having to buy expensive last minute flights from La Paz to Santiago, to buy themselves extra time for their visa to go through.
You can check your country’s visa requirements here.
Hope you find a Uyuni Salt Flats tour that works for your schedule while exploring this beautiful country. Do you have any questions about any of these tours or visiting Uyuni in general? Let us know in the comments below!
