Anyone travelling to Bolivia is, for good reason, going to make a tour in the iconic Salt Flats and visit the surreal landscape of desert and colored lagoons of the National Park Eduardo Avaroa Reserve.
Starting a Salar de Uyuni tour in Tupiza is a great alternative to starting it in Uyuni. Tupiza operators are generally better, have good quality vehicles and responsible drivers. I’d heard a lot of horror stories about tours from Uyuni (jeeps that break down and drivers who tend to drink on the job). The biggest advantage is that Tupiza departures arrive at each attraction at a different time of day, meaning the sites can be enjoyed in solitude rather than in the company of a hundred other (loud and disrespectful) tourists. Additionally, they have an extra day and a half visit in the South of Lipez, which is totally worth it! On the downside, Tupiza departures cost more.
After comparing the 2 biggest agencies, I decided to go with Torre Tours (because Tupiza Tours didn’t include a nigh tin a salt hostel and that was a must for me). I met a French girl that wanted to join, and we just signed in with a group looking for 2 extra people. The cars will only leave is there are minimum 4 people (maximum 5), so you can try to create a group or just ask the agency to add you to an existing one.
The picturesque natural landscapes where amazing and we got to see great animal life: kiwis, fox, viscacha, lama, alpaca, vicuñas, flamingos, condor, etc.
Day 1
The tour begins in Tupiza, from Torre Hotel and goes for a long 11 hours jeep ride during the whole day. We make a few amazing stops, don’t worry! Fair warning, not a lot of bathrooms on the way…
We visited Palala, Sillar, Awanapampa, Cerillos, San Pablo, San Antonio de Lipez, Pueblo Fantasma and spent the night in Quetena. The hostel is basic but comfortable, but no showers.
Day 2
From Quetena, we drive to Laguna Hedionda, Laguna Kollpa and Salar de Chalviri. Then, we enjoyed the Aguas Termales (Hot Springs) before going to the Desierto de Dali (the stones look like Dali’s painting), Laguna Verde with an amazing view of Licancabur Volcano, Geysers (5000m highest point of the tour) and then join Huayllajara to spend the night. Again, the hostel is basic but comfortable, but no showers.
The Laguna Verde is green because of the arsenic and copper present. It is toxic, therefore no fauna nor flora in the lagoon. The color appears only if there is sun and wind and we were “unfortunate” enough not to have any wind.
Day 3
On day 3, our guide offered to take the alternative route (which the agency had not even mentioned). Totally worth it! The landcsapes are different for the other 2 days and we were completely alone! We started with the Laguna Colorada, then Villa Mar, Copa del Mundo (rock formation that looks like the World Cup Trophy), Italia Perdido, Camello, Anaconda river, Lago Vinto, Valle de las Rocas, Laguna Negra and slept in a salt hostel in Villa Candelaria. The hostel was amazing! And had hot showers (for 10 bolivianos), which was a dreamy moment…
Day 4
Early departure to get the sunrise in the Salar de Uyuni, then visit of the Incahuasi island where the cactus grow only 1cm a year, Hotel de Sal (Museum) and the Train Cemetery. You are then dropped off in Uyuni or taken back to Tupiza, whichever suits you best.
The 4 day tour with Torre Tours, which I highly recommend (with our guide Luis) costs 1250 bolivianos (in low season) and includes: the jeep, 3 nights accommodation, water (except for day 1), cook and meals (except breakfast on day 1), a small snack a day, coffee and snacks at the hostel, driver/guide in Spanish (there is an extra cost for English). The entrance fees are not included, which is about 221 bolivianos.
Tips and things you should know: there are only showers on the 3rd night, not a lot of bathrooms breaks, it’s really hot during the day (take a lot of sunscreen!) but cold at night, take some snacks and toilet paper, and try sitting on the right in the jeep.
Just meets World 
Leave a comment