When traveling to Bolivia, you just have to make a trip to the Salar de Uyuni. The Salar is one of the highlights of our time and Bolivia and I wouldn’t want to miss it.
We spent 3 days on the flats and enjoyed every minute of it. It’s a journey we look back to with a lot of great memories and it’s something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.
Just saying: you shouldn’t skip the Salar!
It can be difficult to choose between the different Salar de Uyuni tours though. And you definitely want to choose one that lives up to your expectations. That’s why it”s interesting to know what these tours include and what not!
Before we started our Uyuni tour, we thought it would be completely different. And we ended up being surprised that only one of the three days was actually spent on the flats.
So we decided to write up this post with the best Salar de Uyuni tours and formulas to help you choose the right tour.
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Most Popular: 3-days Salt Flats
The 3-day tour to the flats is the most popular and recommended tour of Salar de Uyuni. We did this tour and you can read about our experience and all the different stops en route in our article about the Salt flats excursion.
The actual tour starts in the town of Uyuni, where a jeep will be waiting for you to take you to all the cool sights and stopovers.
This popular tour is a budget-friendly option, but you need to take into account, that some things have to be paid extra when they occur. For instance: park entrance is not included and extra sleeping bags need to be ordered and paid separately. You need the sleeping bag, unless you have your own!
Included in this tour, you get accommodation in hostel dorms / shared accommodation and the 3 day itinerary, complete with transportation and a guide.
On the first day, you start with a full day on the salt flats, with a visit to the Salt Hotel and the Isla del Pescado.
The other 2 days are spent in the area around the flats, with visits the the colored lagoons, the desert, geysers, and hot springs. You’ll also be able to admire pink flamingos during these 3 days.
Duration: 3 days – 2 nights
3-day luxury tour of the Salt Flats
This exquisite luxury tour has everything you might dream of when planning a complete tour of the Uyuni flats.
With this tour, you get your private vehicle, luxury accommodation and fine dining along the way. This tour offers a completely different experience than the popular three day tour for backpackers.
Some of the stops along the way are the same, like the train cemetery and Incahuasi Island. But you also visit a few different viewpoints.
Your nights are spent in a private room with heating and an excellent service. Lunch and dinner are included and you can expect some fine regional food and a unique dining experience.
While the popular 3-day tour might be great for backpackers and budget travelers, this tour is excellent if you want to spend some time on your own and if you want to experience the beautiful salt flats with a little more privacy and luxury!
Entrance fees are included, as are your meals, your guide, accommodation, and private vehicle. Alcoholic beverages are not included.
Duration: 3 days – 2 nights
Economy day trip to the Salt Flats
For budget travelers who only want to see the Salt Flats, but aren’t interested in the desert and the lagoons, this one day tour of the flats is ideal.
You won’t have a private vehicle, but you’ll share it with 5 other travelers. So if you’re traveling with other people and you can share a jeep: perfecto!
This tour starts around 10h in the morning in the town of Uyuni.
Your guide/driver first takes you to the train cemetery before heading off to the actual white plains.
During the day, you’ll stop at quite a few scenic view points and interesting places, like an artisanal salt processing plant, a huge cactus, and the Cave of Mummies.
At the end of the day, your driver takes you up to a scenic viewpoint to watch a magical sunset over the flats.
Entrance fee to the National Park is included, as is lunch and beverages during the day. You even get a glass of wine while enjoying the sunset.
Duration: 1 whole day
Private day trip to the Salt Flats
If you only want to see the salt flats and don’t mind seeing the desert and the colored lakes, the private day trip is just perfect for you.
You’ll get a vehicle just for yourself, complete with driver/guide.
The trip starts in the town of Uyuni, with a visit to the train cemetery, before driving off into the endless white field!
There will be a few sightseeing stops along the way, like the Incahuasi Island and an artisanal salt processing plant.
At the end of the day, your driver will take you to a scenic viewpoint to watch the sunset over the flats.
This tour includes most things you need during the day. Entrance fee for the National Park is included, as is lunch and a bottle of wine!
Duration: 1 whole day
Private Night Tour on the Salar de Uyuni
This tour is completely different from the other tours and it’s a nice addition on top of the regular Salar de Uyuni tours.
The night tour is an excellent opportunity to see the stars and the milky way from this extraordinary location.
The Uyuni flats are a great location for observation of the nightly sky.
This trip lasts for 4 hours and totally worth every minute. It starts at 20h in the town of Uyuni and you can expect to be back little after midnight.
You’ll be in your private car with a driver/guide. The entrance fee for the National Park is included, as is a bottle of wine and a bottle of water.
Can you think of anything more romantic?
Pro tip: During the wet season, you can see the reflection of the millions of stars in the water on the flats. This gives the impression of being surrounded by stars all around you!
Duration: 4 hours
Salt Flats Express with G Adventures
This tour starts in La Paz and ends in La Paz, 5 days later.
The Salt Flats Express lasts for 5 days, but only 3 days are spent in the area of the Salt Flats, as it is with most tours.
Start off in La Paz, where you can do some optional activities, like a La Paz city tour or a tour of the Witches Market. This day is used for arrivals, as not everyone may arrive at the same time.
On the second day, you fly from La Paz to Uyuni and this is when your adventure begins!
You spend the entire day on the Salt Flats with a jeep and spend the night in a salt hotel and a local community.
G Adventures is very proud of their established connection with the Yukil community. Your overnight stay in this community might be one of the highlights of this trip, which you won’t experience during the other tours in this list.
The next 2 days are spent in the Uyuni region, but not per se on the flats. There will be stunning desert views and stops at coloured lakes.
On the last evening, you board a night bus back to La Paz. But if you want to continue traveling South, you can always skip this bus and venture off on your own!
Duration: 5 days
6 best Salar de Uyuni tours
As you can see, all 6 of these tours are quite different and unique.
They all offer a different experience and it’s good to know your options before you decide.
Maybe you don’t want to see the colored lakes and the geysers, so you just want to spend a day on the impressive white salt plains. If this is the case, a 1-day experience is perfect for you.
We do, however recommend taking the 3 day tour, if you have enough time to do so. Because the extra 2 days are so worth it!
Even though the highlight of your trip might be the flats, you’re really missing out by skipping the other days and the views you get during these 2 days.
I really hope you found your dream trip in this list and I’m very curious to find out which tour you chose and how you liked it!
Before you leave, you should read these interesting facts about the Salt Flats too!
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