When planning this trip, there were 3 things that I based my itinerary around: Iguazu Falls, Patagonia Hiking, and the salt flats of Bolivia. The first two sights lived up to the hype, and I wasn’t expecting the last to be any different.
Leaving from Chile, I set off with a group of 6 in a beat up Land Cruiser for a 3 day adventure through the highlands of Bolivia. The first two days we traveled through desolation. No signs of life for miles aside from the caravan of 4x4s making its way towards Uyuni. The scenery seemed to change every 30 mins, once again overwhelming my senses. Lakes of every different color, desert that seemed to change shades around every corner, wind swept volcanic rock formations, massive peaks, geysers, flamingos, llamas, and gringos made for a tour well worth it even without seeing the flats.
The third day, however, trumped it all. Upon arrival, the flooded flats looked like nothing more than a dirty lake. As we drove in, though, the ground became whiter and whiter as the deep water faded into a thin layer that mirrored the sky above. Standing on the seemingly endless flats with no clear understanding of where exactly the horizon was located was both perplexing and astonishing. We did our best to take some funny photos while still standing in awe of a landscape I honestly could not have imagined existed. While I think I could have just stared into the distance all day, our tour finally came to an end and I was on my way to my last stop: La Paz, Bolivia.
Note: Check the reflection in the group photo, it spells “Uyuni” the town for which the salt flats are named.