Salar de Uyuni

城市概覽

The Salar is part of the Bolivian Altiplano, and its history began when that high plateau emerged as a result of uplift of the Andes. About 30,000 to 42,000 years ago, the area that is now the Salar de Uyuni was a huge, deep lake known as Lake Minchin. As Lake Michin dried up, it left smaller lakes behind, which in turn dried up until two current-day lakes and two salt deserts remained, of which the Salar the Uyuni is the largest one. One of those two lakes, called Poopó, still has a major impact on Salar de Uyuni. As Titicaca, another large current-day lake of the Altiplano, overflows during wet season, it fills up lake Poopó. As Poopó overflows in turn, it floods the salt flats, creating the stunning landscapes of winter, when a thin layer of water creates magical reflections of the sky and anything or anyone on the flats. The area is the biggest lithium reserve of earth, containing some 70% of world's lithium in form of salt. Yearly, around 25,000 tonnes of salt are mined here, out of estimated 10 billion tonnes.

Landscape Thanks to the sedimented salt, the area is perfectly flat and is often used for various technical purposes (testing of vehicles and the like). In the middle is Isla del Pescado, a volcanic rock. It provides great views and is a natural reservation.

Flora and fauna

There isn't much flora, mostly just grass and bush. The Isla del Pescado is covered by an ancient cacti forest, cacti like Echinopsis atacamensis pasacana and Echinopsis tarijensis, which grew up to 12 meters high. The cacti grow at pace of 1 cm per year, hence their age is up to 1000 years. In November, three types of flamingoes flock here. 80 other bird species are present, and few other small animals.

Climate Very little rain happens in the area, but yearly flooding occurs, mostly in January. At that time the whole area changes to a world's highest altitude mirror. After the water evaporates, bee-hive-like polygons cover the area. Temperature peaks at 21°C in November-Jan

如何抵達

Most organized tours start in Uyuni, usually 1 Uyuni Plaza Arce. For independent travellers on a budget it's possible to hop on a local bus from Uyuni to Colchani, which crosses the salt flats, and ask the driver to let you out where you want to be. This way, you're free to walk around and explore the area on your own but you should count on a hike of at least two hours to any salt hotel. A local bus should cost Bs10, and you can catch a bus in the street where most the bus companies have their offices, around the corner of Cabrera St. and Arce Av. La Paz’s Terminal de buses. Single-day and multi-day tours are available. Multi-day tours allow you to see more, including nearby desert areas beyond the salt flat, but they also bring a greater risk of altitude sickness as they go to significantly higher altitudes. Alternatively, you can start your trip from 2 Tupiza. Tour prices are more or less the same as in Uyuni, but tours starting from here often include more lakes and interesting rock formations. Because this option is less popular, you probably won't encounter as many other tourists on your tour. The end point is Uyuni, although there are options for transportation to Chile. 3 San Pedro de Atacama (Chile) provides virtually identical tours to those from Uyuni, only reversed, and about 50% more expensive.

當地交通

Standardized car-tours are the most common way of visiting the salt flat. Because of the sheer area size and hostility of the environment, moving by feet or even bicycle is not easy. The salt flat is very difficult to navigate if you don't know what you're doing. Tour guides are familiar with the landmarks and mountains in the distance and use them extensively when driving around the salar. Trying to navigate it on your own is not recommended.

必看景點

1 Train Graveyard. The famous lot of old wrecked steam locomotives. (updated Dec 2017) 2 Colchani, Bloques de Sal. A salt processing village, 7 km north of Uyuni. Lots of salt souvenirs available for purchase, and there's a small museum of salt statues. (updated Dec 2017) 3 Salt-Mining Area. Area with many salt piles, weighing approximately a ton each, which are left there to dry. 4 Isla del Pescado (Isla Incahuasi, "fish island"). The "island" of fossilized coral, covered in ancient cacti that grow only a centimeter a year. It's not an island in the strictest sense, just a big rock sticking up out of the otherwise flat ground, but the salt near the edge of it looks strikingly like water coming up to the shore. The island has a hiking trail to the top, for truly surreal views of the salar. It also has a restaurant, and lunch is eaten by most tour groups on the western "shore" of this island. There are well-maintained washrooms. Bs30. (updated Dec 2017) 5 Pulacayo. Near world's second largest silver mine, at this historical site there's the Bolivia's first railway and a train robbed by Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. 6 Laguna Hedionda. A lagoon where the flamingos can be observed. Viscacha Area. A rocky outcropping with a colony of Viscachas, trained by the guides to come out for the food. 7 Arbol de Piedra. "Stone tree", an isolated sandstone formation eroded by winds carrying sand. 8 Laguna Colorada. A red-colored lake, by algae, with flamingoes present too. Bs. 30 (Bolivian citizen), Bs. 150 (foreigner) to enter Reserva Nacional de Fauna Andina Eduardo Avaroa. 9 Sol de Manaña. A geyser basin, including bubbling sulphur pools, normally visited at sunrise. 10 Laguna Verde. A lake colored by heavy metals (arsenic, lead, copper etc.) The laguna only shows green when it's windy, which is often not the case in the early morning (common visit time of tours) 4 Vulcán Lincacabur is reflected in the lake. 11 Laguna Blanca. A borax-filled white lake. 12 Laguna

體驗活動

1 Termas de Polques hot springs. Adjacent to Salar de Chalviri, allowing for hot spring swim. Primitive bathrooms are included in the price. Bs. 6.

Trick photography – the beautiful, otherworldly Salar is great for photography. In particular, the large, flat, homogeneous nature of the area provides an excellent opportunity for trick photography with objects out of proportion. With some careful staging and trial and error, you and your friends can take pictures of someone with giant shoes, balancing on shoestrings, or holding a tiny person in their hands. (These are just a few ideas to get you thinking.) If you get a very good guide, he will take care of most funny motives.

購物

Your big shopping opportunity is at Colchani, which has lots of stands selling clothes, food, and all kinds of trinkets and souvenirs. Beyond that, you can find souvenirs in the town of Uyuni.

住宿

If you take a multi-day tour, the tour will organize lodging for you.

1 Salt Hotels. Several hotels made of salt, non-free entrance. You might stay here during multi-day tours. For lodging before and after your trip to the Salar, look for a place in Uyuni or Tupiza.

順遊推薦

The Atacama Desert is not too far away, across the border in Chile. San Pedro de A