Uyuni. That's EU-you-knee. Uyuni is the world's largest salt flats, spanning some 4085 square miles on the Bolivian altiplano, 11,975 feet high in the sky. It is estimated to contain 10 billion tons of salt.
The Salar de Uyuni is featured in LADATCO's new Journey from
Uyuni, one of eight
Journeys - Extraordinary Explorations, that begin or end at either
explora Atacama or
explora Patagonia and include traversing little known and spectacularly scenic areas.
Journey from Uyuni begins with a visit to La Paz, Bolivia, world's highest (acting) capital at 12,008 feet altitude and nearby Lake Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake & legendary birthplace of the Inca.
Then fly to
Sucre, official capital and a charming whitewashed colonial town with 14 churches, convents and chapels and four different names. At 9,000 feet altitude, it is a respite from La Paz and Potosi.
Continue overland to
Potosi which claims to be the highest city on earth at 13,420 feet high. Legends say the Spanish mined enough silver to build a bridge of silver back to Spain and still have enough silver left to carry over it to make Spain very wealthy.
At Potosi, we hook up with our private guide, driver, van and staff and off we go overland to and through the Salar de Uyuni. We'll spend a total of four nights in three different camps, walking and exploring this little known area.
And how many is "we"? Only six journeyers, plus guide and staff, including a chef from explora Atacama.
And what's this "camp" thing? Well, explora style camps - adobe and stone renovated local houses, or special containers retrofitted for comfortable use. Always three bedrooms with comfortable bedding (cots with mattress and sleeping bags); three bathrooms complete with showers, sink and flush toilets; kitchen and dining area. Yes, all these comforts in the middle of these little known, little explored and remote areas.
A five day/four night overland adventure from Potosi takes us to and through the
Salar de Uyuni and into Chile to the
Atacama Desert, driest on earth, and ultimately the
explora Atacama, where we spend three days exploring the remains of ancient civilization, the Salar de Atacama, sand dunes, hot springs and geyser fields. All
explora style.
Afterwards we fly to Santiago and drive an hour to the Pacific coast, to the trendy, historic and UNESCO designated
Valparaiso, for an overnight before flying back to the states.
Journey from Uyuni is for the active and well traveled. It's for those who want to explore little known regions which are still untrammeled and pristine. It's for those who are looking for new experiences, who want comfort and good cuisine and who enjoy traveling with like-minded people.