Bolivia
Reasons to go:
1. Uyuni Salt Flat
Salar de Uyuni is the world’s largest salt desert that spans 10,000 square kilometres. I took a 3 day tour from San Pedro de Atacama to Uyuni, which included these stops, listed in chronological order and numbered from most to least memorable:
7. Laguna Blanca (-22.821855, -67.785858) and Laguna Verde (-22.787863, -67.818458)
• Salvador Dali’s Desert (-22.59968, -67.683532)
9. Aguas Termales Chalviri (-22.534909, -67.649098), also known as Termas de Polques
3. Geíser Sol de Mañana (-22.433241, -67.761989)
4. Laguna Colorada (-22.170408, -67.804567) with flamingos
• Overnight stay in Villa Mar at (-21.752072, -67.482423)
6. Rocas Volcánicas (-21.717403, -67.527478) exciting rock formations with loads of easy climbs to recover from long drives in a car
• Laguna Negra (-21.594636, -67.596647), also known as Laguna Catal
10. Viewpoint of Cañon de la Anaconda (-21.467591, -67.621493)
8. Julaca (-20.911945, -67.566671) small town with an abandoned train carriage (and shops if you need anything)
• Overnight stay in Hostal de Sal (-20.606673, -67.582225)
1. Salar de Uyuni (10,000 square kilometres)
2. Isla Incahuasi (-20.242572, -67.625136)
• Isla de Banderas (-20.330154, -67.047089)
5. Museo Abierto del Ferrocarril (-20.480063, -66.836082), also known as Cementerio de Trenes
• After the tour, I indulged in vegetarian food at Llama Cafe in Uyuni
Notes:
- The wet season here is from December to February.
- Depending on your plans, it might make sense to take a one-way 3 day tour ending in San Pedro de Atacama. Or you might want to rent a 4x4 and explore the area by yourself.
- If taking a tour, note that the tour agencies say they can provide vegetarian and even vegan food, but the further away from the tour office you get the less true it becomes; I was so glad I brought bean cans with me. Also note that drinking water is often not included in the tour price and local shops (if any) might have only Coca-Cola; I stored a 10 liter water bottle at the back of our tour vehicle and that was a great idea.
2. Silver mines in Potosi
Visiting the Candelaria mine was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. See this blog post to get an idea of what it’s like. I had a good experience with Koala Tours, their office is just opposite Casa Nacional de Moneda de Potosi. Once you are in Potosi, and to get a bit of context before the mine visit, make sure to visit Casa Nacional de Moneda de Potosi (guided visits only).
3. Wineries in Tarija
I only had time to visit Bodegas Aranjuez, so I might be biased, but I strongly suspect that it is the best winery in the region. Their tannat reds are great. Still on my to-try list is Moscatel Blue from Vinos Vilte and singani from Casa Real and Kuhlmann. Most winery visits require booking in advance.
Notes:
- I used Claro prepaid sim card and it worked well.
- To hop between Bolivian cities, I bought bus tickets from ticketsBolivia, which I can highly recommend. They also offer international buses to/from Argentina, Chile, Peru and Brazil. When booking an overnight bus, try to get a lie-flat bus (cama, not semicama). It says on the ticket that it must be printed out; I took three different routes (including an international one) and none of them wanted to see a paper ticket.
- Note that bus stations are often located far outside the city center. Many bus stations charge for station usage, so keep some coins on you.