Uyuni: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

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Uyuni, a windswept railway town on the Bolivian altiplano at about three thousand seven hundred metres, is the gateway to the Salar de Uyuni, the largest salt flat on earth. It is one of the classic stops of Israeli travellers in South America, and some agencies in town have Hebrew signs. Bolivia cut relations with Israel in 2023; check the visa rules. Half a day; nights are bitterly cold.

A short history of Uyuni

Uyuni was founded in 1890 as a railway station on a bare high plateau, on the line that carried metals from Bolivia's mines to the Pacific ports. When the mining industry declined in the 20th century, dozens of rusting locomotives were left on the edge of the town, and today they are called the "Train Cemetery". Near the town lies the Salar de Uyuni, the largest salt flat in the world, about 10,000 square kilometres at an altitude of about 3,650 metres, the remains of an ancient lake. Beneath the salt crust lies one of the largest lithium reserves in the world. Uyuni itself is a small, plain town, and most people who come here come for the salt.

The ten best sights in Uyuni

1
Plaza Arce
The town square where tours leave
2
Train Cemetery
Rusting locomotives in the desert
3
Pulacayo
A ghost silver town and an old train
4
Palacio de Sal
A hotel built of salt blocks
5
Dakar Monument
A salt sculpture on the flat
6
Salar de Uyuni
The largest salt flat in the world
7
Isla Incahuasi
An island of giant cacti in the salt
8
Isla del Pescado
A quieter cactus island
9
Volcán Tunupa
Coloured slopes above the salt
10
Coqueza
A village with a cave of mummies

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What is an audio walk?

Tours in Uyuni →

A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Uyuni:

Free walking tours in Uyuni

Trains and salt

Plaza Arce · The square of a town founded in 1889 as a junction of the railway that carried silver and tin from the mines to the Pacific ports; today the jeeps of the salt-flat tours gather here each morning.
Train Cemetery · Dozens of steam locomotives and wagons left to rust in the desert from the 1940s, when the mining industry collapsed; the salt wind has eaten them into strange shapes that visitors climb.
Pulacayo · A half-abandoned silver-mining town that was once among the richest in Bolivia. In 1908 the American outlaws Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid robbed a mine payroll in this region, and were killed days later in the village of San Vicente.
Colchani · A village on the edge of the salt flat where families rake salt into small cones, dry it, add iodine and pack it by hand; others cut blocks of salt for building.
Palacio de Sal · A hotel built entirely of blocks of salt — walls, beds, tables and chairs — where guests are asked, half jokingly, not to lick the walls.
Dakar Monument · A sculpture of salt marking the passage of the Dakar Rally across the salt flat in the 2010s, beside a ring of flags left by travellers from around the world.

The salt flat

The Salar de Uyuni covers some ten and a half thousand square kilometres at about three thousand six hundred and fifty metres, the dry bed of an ancient lake. In the rainy season, January to March, a thin film of water turns it into the largest mirror on earth. A full day by jeep; bring sunglasses, the glare is blinding.

Salar de Uyuni · So flat — its height varies by less than a metre across the whole surface — that satellites use it to calibrate their altimeters. Beneath the crust lies brine holding one of the largest lithium reserves in the world.
Isla Incahuasi · A rocky hill in the middle of the white plain, covered with giant cacti, some about ten metres tall; since they grow about a centimetre a year, the largest are many centuries old. Fossil coral on its rocks shows it was once an island in a lake.
Isla del Pescado · Fish Island, named for its shape, quieter than Incahuasi; in the wet season its reflection in the flooded salt makes it look like a fish swimming in the sky.
Volcán Tunupa · A volcano on the northern edge of the flat with slopes of red, yellow and purple. In Aymara legend the salt flat was made from the tears and milk of Tunupa, a mountain goddess weeping for her lost child.
Coqueza · A village at the foot of Tunupa near a cave of pre-Hispanic mummies, seated in burial positions with their pottery around them.
San Juan · A quinoa-growing village south of the flat where most three-day tours spend the first night, often in a hostel built of salt; the region grows quinoa real, the large-grained royal quinoa of the altiplano.

The lagoons of the south

The classic three-day jeep tour continues south through the Lípez desert, at over four thousand metres, past coloured lagoons, geysers and volcanoes to the Chilean border. Nights drop well below zero; bring a warm sleeping bag and be aware of altitude sickness.

Laguna Hedionda · The stinking lagoon, named for its smell of sulphur, where three species of flamingo feed in the shallows against a background of volcanoes.
Árbol de Piedra · A rock about seven metres high sculpted by wind and sand into the shape of a stunted tree, in the Siloli desert, one of the driest places in Bolivia.
Laguna Colorada · A shallow lake coloured red by algae and dotted with white islands of borax, where thousands of James’s flamingos, once thought extinct, breed.
Sol de Mañana · A field of geysers and boiling mud pools at nearly five thousand metres, steaming most strongly at sunrise; keep to the tracks, the crust is thin.
Termas de Polques · A natural hot pool on the shore of a salt lake where the tours stop at dawn, so travellers can soak in warm water while the air around is below freezing.
Laguna Verde · A lake at the foot of the volcano Licancabur whose water turns emerald green when the wind stirs up minerals, including arsenic. From here the border with Chile and San Pedro de Atacama are close.

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Getting to Uyuni and getting around

Uyuni Airport · Flights from La Paz, about an hour

Cheap eats in Uyuni

Around the salt flat people eat quinoa — in soup, as a side, even fried in balls — and llama, grilled or in a stew; on tours, lunch is served on a table set up on the salt itself. In town, the market sells api and pastries in the cold mornings. A plate of llama with quinoa costs about five dollars.

Plaza Arce · Llama and quinoa in town
Salar de Uyuni · Lunch on the salt
San Juan · Quinoa soup for dinner

Museums in Uyuni

The history here is in the rusting trains, the ghost mining town and the cave mummies.

Train Cemetery · The locomotives
Pulacayo · The mining town
Coqueza · The mummy cave

Nature and day trips near Uyuni

A salt flat, coloured lagoons, flamingos, geysers and volcanoes.

Salar de Uyuni · The mirror
Laguna Colorada · Red lake and flamingos
Sol de Mañana · The geysers

Things to do in Uyuni with kids

With older children: perspective photos on the salt, climbing old trains and a hot pool at dawn.

Salar de Uyuni · Trick photos
Train Cemetery · Climbing the trains
Termas de Polques · The hot pool

Nightlife in Uyuni

Nights here are for stars: with no lights and thin air, the sky over the salt is among the clearest on earth.

Salar de Uyuni · Stargazing on the salt
Plaza Arce · Pizza and bars in town

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Frequently asked questions about Uyuni

What is there to see in Uyuni?

The top sights in Uyuni are Plaza Arce, Train Cemetery and Pulacayo. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Uyuni?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Uyuni without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Uyuni?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Uyuni, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Trains and salt.

How do you get to Uyuni and get around?

The main ways are Uyuni Airport. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Uyuni, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Uyuni that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.

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