Shared tours generally provide Spanish-speaking guides who double as the driver and chef. Travelers can choose between a shared tour (cheaper and standardized) or private tour (higher-priced and custom-tailored). Tours out of San Pedro de Atacama and Tupiza are already scheduled to drive through these sites. Many visitors indulge in a three-day tour (or longer) that includes the deserts, volcanos, geysers, hot springs, and high-altitude lakes to the south. While the salt flats are one of Bolivia’s most popular attractions, it’s only a small part of the gorgeous Altiplano region. Tour operators consider June through August their high period, and rates may rise accordingly. During the dry season (May to November) temperatures are colder, the ground has hardened, and travelers can drive across the stark white landscape to places that aren’t accessible in the rainy season. Be wary of excessive rain in December and January, as it can cause tour cancelations. The rainy season (December to April) is when visitors come to witness the Salar’s breathtaking mirror effect. Tour operators recommend four-day tours from Tupiza, visiting Salar de Uyuni on the final day. Tupiza, Bolivia: This is the best starting point for travelers coming from Argentina. Due to the distance, this is a three-day tour. San Pedro de Atacama, Chile: Agencies drive travelers to the border before handing the tour over to a Bolivian operator. Overnight buses from La Paz are available with Trans Omar and Todo Turismo (10-12 hours, $30 to $40 each way). Flights from La Paz to Uyuni can be booked through Amaszonas and BoA (one hour, about $130 round-trip). Since Uyuni is so close to the salt flats, tourists can easily book day trips. Travelers can book tours in advance online, through tour offices in La Paz, or they can simply arrive in Uyuni and peruse the options in town. Uyuni, Bolivia: The most popular jumping-off point for salt flats tours, Uyuni is a small, dusty town packed with tourism agencies in Plaza Arce, its main square. Located at the crux of Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina, the logistics and length of your trip to Salar de Uyuni will depend where you’re coming from. The harsh beauty and desolateness of Salar de Uyuni can make for an incredible experience or a logistical nightmare. In addition to local workers who harvest these minerals, the landscape is home to the world's first salt hotel and populated by road-tripping tourists. This beautiful and otherworldly terrain serves as a lucrative extraction site for salt and lithium-the element responsible for powering laptops, smart phones, and electric cars. Here, a thick crust of salt extends to the horizon, covered by quilted, polygonal patterns of salt rising from the ground.Īt certain times of the year, nearby lakes overflow and a thin layer of water transforms the flats into a stunning reflection of the sky. Stretching more than 4,050 square miles of the Altiplano, it is the world’s largest salt flat, left behind by prehistoric lakes evaporated long ago. The route overlaps with the half-mile Lily Pond Interpretive Trail on the eastern shore of Reflection Lake.Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni is considered one of the most extreme and remarkable vistas in all of South America, if not Earth. The western shore offers unobstructed views of Chaos Crags and Lassen Peak, which are often reflected in the still lake. Reflection Lake RouteĪ half-mile route (not a defined trail) circles the lake and is a shorter alternative to the 1.8-mile Manzanita Lake Loop. As a result, the lake attracts water birds such as Canada geese, great blue heron, snowy egret, and kingfisher. Fish stocking ended completely in the park in the early 1990s to preserve natural riparian ecosystems. Loomis and his wife Estella donated their 40 acres, the Loomis Museum, and the adjacent seismograph building to the park in 1929.Ī healthy population of native tui chub fish thrive in the warmer water. Reflection Lake was one location that Loomis captured photographs of the 1914-1945 Lassen Peak eruptions. In 1926, park benefactor Benjamin Franklin Loomis purchased 40 acres, which included the lake. For a few years, people paid the landowner to fish in the lake. Trout were planted in the lake with an increased water level. To attract more people to the area, a channel was dug to divert water from Manzanita Creek into Mud Lake. In the late 1800s, the lake was lower in level and more indicative of a pond and was aptly named, Mud Lake. Reflection Lake wasn't always named such.
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