Uyuni, Salar de Uyuni – Bolivia

A beautiful view of the city Uyuni.

04/2002

The salt flat seems to stretch on forever  04/2002

Por la Patria

04/2002

Oddly enough, there is a huge island in the center of the salar with tall cactuses

04/2002

Uyuni

The Salar de Uyuni was one of the coolest places I visited in Bolivia.  I spent 2 days in Uyuni, the altitude is higher here than in La Paz.  In the morning it’s unbearably cold, sleeping in an unheated bus without a blanket is highly unrecommended. 

 This 9,000 km (4680 sq mi) salt desert at an altitude of 3650m (11,970ft) is the largest salt flat in the world. It was once part of a prehistoric salt lake, which covered most of southwestern Bolivia. Armed with only picks and shovels, the local campesinos harvest salt from this ancient lake filled with an estimated 10 billion tons of fine salt.

    Situated in a semi-arid climate, the Salar has an average annual rainfall of about 10 inches. During the rainy season, from December to March, the Salar maybe covered with salt water to depths of 25 cm.  When rain falls, it also turns the Salar in a huge mirror, perfectly reflecting the sky. During the dry season, the salt water evaporates to a layer above or below the surface.

A river flows underneath the Salar

04/2002

Misc: Recent, Car, Chicago

Peru: Machu Picchu, Cuzco

Bolivia: Santa Cruz, Sucre, La Paz, Uyuni, Potosi, Samaipata, Oruro

Chile: Arica

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Last updated 09/20/2002