Jumpman
Our drive from Atacama Desert to the Uyuni Salt Flats was one of our favorite experiences during the 3.5 months in South America. Long car rides at high altitudes on never-ending dusty roads. Spectacular stopping points between stretches of “nothing.” Silly car games, llamas everywhere, and thousands of the pinkest flamingos. A raw country of positive people, indigenous majority, and complicated history. And of course, the surreal salt flats.
We had booked a tour through Cruz Andina (highly recommended) that would take us in a 4x4 from Chile to Bolivia over 3 days, making a few scenic stops along the way before ending at Salar de Uyuni, 11,000 square kilometers of the world’s largest salt flats. It was an adventure, which we quickly learned a few hours into our journey at the border crossing.
The journey begins!
Entering Bolivia as an American wasn’t easy. Cold from the early morning desert, we waited and waited in line at the border crossing with the few other Americans while other nationalities quickly passed by us. The requirements were cumbersome (bank statements, yellow fever immunization records, perfectly crisp bills for the expensive visa, and much more), and the reality at crossing can vary by person. We heard stories from other American travelers who were stalled for hours and had to pay a few extra $20s to make the “problems” go away. Thankfully, we had no issues with our experience and continued onwards into Bolivia.
Border crossing woes. Don’t let the pretty skies fool you - it was colddd.
Our driver, Andres, was the man. Our lives depended on him and everything in his 4x4 those 3 days - food, medical supplies, luggage, gas, etc. A happy-go-lucky family man from Uyuni, Bolivia, Andres proved to be a jack of all trades.
He was our chef. Our 3 days of meals were basic but surprisingly good, ranging from omelettes and instant coffee for breakfast to grilled chicken and rice for dinner.
He was our medic. Andres supplied us with never-ending coca leaves to help with the altitude (I crushed them like Halloween candy), and even resuscitated one of our group members with an oxygen tank after a tough night of acclimatizing at our hostel in Villamar Mallcu. The altitude was the most difficult part of the trip, bringing us to almost 16,000 ft by the end of the first day.
He was our mechanic and driver, fixing other cars banged up from the rough terrain and getting us through rough hours of barely passable roads.
He was our tour guide. He spoke little English, so Anoop and I ended up as the group’s translators for his daily instructions and hilarious explanations during the trip.
Andres 🙌🏽
We spent the 1st day driving through the Salvador Dalí Desert and Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve. Along the way, we made short stops at hot springs, sulfur pools, and white lagoons in between long drives of dust, dust and… more dust. The natural spots were beautiful and unique in their isolation, and we filled our rides with fun car games and long conversations.
Hot springs, white lagoon and geysers. And yes. the altitude makes you gassy #dadjokes
We ended our day in Laguna Colorada, a pink lagoon home to thousands of flamingos. Like a painter who spilled her colors on a brown canvas, Mother Nature seemed to have created an accidental ecosystem of pink - from the algae to the waters to the birds - in the middle of literally nowhere.
Laguna Colorada’s vivid pink color comes from the algae and bacteria in the water
Our accommodations that night were bare. Very bare. As we pulled into what we thought was an abandoned building, Andres stopped the car and started clapping, telling us we had arrived at the hostel for the night. The disbelief on our faces was out of a cartoon. With only two bathrooms and one hot shower amongst 25 people, along with the 15,000 ft of altitude leaving half of them sick, we roughed it for the night. But hell, it was part of experience. And we got a lot closer to those around us that night because of it.
Our hostel the first night 😯
Our 2nd day we made our way to Uyuni, making a few stops through the Valle de Rocas, or Valley of Rocks. Reminded me a lot of Colorado to be honest, minus the llamas.
The altitude made even the smallest rock climbs a little tough. The llamas never seemed to mind though.
Day 3 was a 3:30am wake-up call for one of my favorite days on our South American trip. The Uyuni salt flats are about an hours drive outside the city, and to catch the sunrise against the world’s largest mirror at your feet was...spectacular. Jaw-dropping. Awe-inspiring. Dope. I wish the pictures did it justice. If you plan a trip here, make sure you visit when there is water on the flats (usually during and a few months after wet season).
Sunrise on the salt flats 🤯
After breakfast at an all-salt rest stop (even the chairs and tables!), we made our way to the drier parts of the flats. Endless stretches of the white expand every direction around you, distorting your perspective of depth. So, of course, we spent hours shooting funny videos and photos.
Say hello to our little friends
Yeah, we got pretty cheesy. Here’s one of our favorites.
We ended our day at the Train Cemetery back in town and drinks at a nearby bar. We spent an additional night in Uyuni afterwards, which in hindsight wasn’t necessary because there isn’t much else the town has to offer for the passing traveler. But it didn’t matter to us by the end of our trip. Stripped of most basic modern comforts, the journey to Uyuni was a great reminder of the joy of the unknown and uncomfortable.
✌🏽Salar de Uyuni
