Your Travel Experience with Galapagos PRO
Day 1
Start of the trip with border crossing into Bolivia and visit to the lagoons
Day 1:
Pick up at your hotel in San Pedro de Atacama and drive to the Chilean-Bolivian border (Hito Cajon). From there, pick up at around 8:30 a.m. and continue the journey.
Shortly after entering Eduardo Avaroa National Park in Bolivia, you will be surrounded by a unique landscape of lagoons, salt flats, fumaroles, volcanoes, snow-capped peaks, plains, hot springs, and rivers. Visit Laguna Verde, which looks like a giant emerald and offers an impressive view of the Licancabur volcano. The special glow of its green water—due to its high magnesium content—is dazzling. Continue to the Sol de Mañana geysers with fumaroles and spectacular volcanic craters covering an area of 1 km², intense volcanic activity, and fumaroles that reveal a landscape dating back to the beginning of the Earth. The next stop is Laguna Colorada, with an area of 60 km² and an altitude of 4,278 m above sea level. Laguna Colorada is characterized by the reddish color of its water and is inhabited by flocks of three species of flamingos: Tokoko with reddish plumage, Chururu with rather white plumage, and Jututu with pink plumage. On the way to your hotel, you can observe vicuñas, llamas, and vizcachas.
Overnight stay in a 3- to 4-star hotel (Hotel Los Flamencos or similar) at Hedionda Lagoon. Dinner and breakfast included at the hotel.
Day 2
Trip to Colchani with visit to lagoons and canyon
Day 2:
In the morning, enjoy your last moments in Laguna Hedionda, home to flamingos, slender water birds from the Phoenicopteridae family, which are between 80 cm and 1.40 m long and have very long legs and necks. The feathers of adult birds are bright pink to red. They need large areas of shallow water, which is usually salty or alkaline, to live. You will have the opportunity to get close to them to take beautiful photos. Continue your journey by land to Uyuni, passing lagoons and through the canyon.
Overnight stay at the Luna Salada Hotel in Colchani or similar. Dinner and breakfast included.
Day 3
Full-day excursion to Uyuni Salt Flats, Salt Museum, and Incahuasi Island
Dry season: Pick-up from your hotel and transfer to a salt processing plant in Colchani, the village at the entrance to the Salar de Uyuni. Start your fantastic excursion to the Salar and Incawasi Island right away. The Salar de Uyuni is the largest salt flat on earth and is located in the Bolivian Altiplano with an area of 10,000 km². On the way, visit the Salt Museum and stop at the cold springs “Ojos de Agua”. Arrival at Incawasi Island, an oasis with algae formations and fossils. It is covered with thousands of giant cacti, some of which are over a hundred years old and reach a height of more than 12 meters. The Bolivian Andes offer landscapes that are second to none. The silence makes your heart beat faster, and the surreal pentagons of crystalline salt, the clear sky, and the cacti give you the feeling that there is no other place like it in the whole world. The landscape of the Salar de Uyuni stretches to the horizon, making it an ideal place for photography enthusiasts. After watching the fantastic sunset on the shores of the Salar, you will be taken to your hotel.
Rainy season (usually from December to April): Pick-up from your hotel and visit to the train cemetery. Continue to a salt processing plant in Colchani, the gateway to the Salar de Uyuni. Start your fantastic excursion to the Salar right away. The Salar de Uyuni is the largest salt flat on earth, covering an area of 10,000 km², and is located in the Bolivian Altiplano. On the way, visit the Salt Museum and stop at the cold springs “Ojos de Agua.” In the afternoon, enjoy the water reflections and walk along the edge of the salt flat. The Bolivian Andes offer landscapes that are second to none. The silence makes your heart beat faster, and the surreal pentagons of crystalline salt, the clear sky, and the cacti give you the feeling that there is no other place like it in the world. The landscape of the Salar de Uyuni stretches to the horizon, making it an ideal place for photography enthusiasts. Transfer to your hotel. Please note that during the rainy season (usually from December to April) and for safety reasons, some sights in the area are not accessible. We need your shoe size to provide you with the boots you will need to wear throughout the tour.
*Overnight stay in both periods at the Hotel Luna Salada in Colchani or similar, including dinner and breakfast.
Day 4
Full-day excursion to Uyuni Salt Flats
Day 4
Dry season: Enjoy a full-day excursion to the salt flats. Drive to the small village of Coquesa at the foot of the Thunupa volcano, the guardian of the Uyuni salt flats. Handcrafted stone fences resembling a chessboard adorn the slopes, while shepherds slowly pass by with their llamas or plant quinoa on the fertile volcanic soil. Towards the crater, you can see sedimentary layers with a fantastic variety of colors under the clear blue sky. From here, you have one of the most beautiful views of the Salar de Uyuni. Stroll through the village and hike to the Coquesa mummy cave. In the afternoon, return to your hotel.
Rainy season (usually from December to April): Enjoy a second day at Salar de Uyuni. This season is perfect for those who like to play with the mirror effect and take impressive photos. If the weather cooperates, we can enjoy a beautiful clear blue sky that contrasts with the white of the salt lake. Please note that during the rainy season (usually from December to April), some of the region's attractions are not accessible for safety reasons. We need your shoe size to provide you with the boots you will need to wear throughout the tour.
The services end with the afternoon transfer to the Hotel Luna Salada. *Accommodation for this night is not included.