Sud Lípez and Laguna Colorada: guide to the lagoon circuit

There is a Bolivia of streets and markets and another of silence, wind and colored water. The second begins where the salt flat ends. In Sud Lípez the altitude never drops below 4,000 m, less than 80 mm of rain falls a year, and the lagoons change color with the minerals they carry, while flamingos move between them and geysers steam at dawn. Choosing a tour means knowing what you will see, how high you will sleep, what it costs to get in, how to handle the cold and what to look for when comparing agencies.

What the Eduardo Avaroa Reserve is

The Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve was created in December 1973, covers 714,745 hectares in the Sud Lípez province (Potosí department) and is Bolivia’s most visited protected area, with about 153,000 visitors in 2018. It is an extremely dry territory (between 65 and 76 mm of rain a year depending on the source) and cold, dominated by bunchgrass and tholas, low shrubs that withstand the wind.

The life it shelters has adapted to those conditions: about 80 species of birds, three species of flamingo (Andean, Chilean and James’s), plus vicuñas, guanacos, llamas, Andean foxes, viscachas and, in the highest areas, pumas.

The stops on the tour

• Laguna Colorada (4,278 m). A lagoon of between 54 and 60 km² and less than a meter deep on average. Its color, from brown to vivid red depending on the light and the wind, comes from sediments and algal pigments. All three flamingo species gather here; James’s is the most abundant. The white islands you see are deposits of borax and salt.
• Sol de Mañana geysers (about 4,850 m). A geothermal field of fumaroles, steam and boiling mud. It is visited at first light, when the cold air makes the steam more visible. Stay on the marked path: the ground can give way and the mud burns.
• Polques hot springs. Natural hot springs beside the Salar de Chalviri, at about 4,400 m. Bring a swimsuit and a towel: it is one of the few chances to truly warm up on the tour.
• Dalí Desert. Scattered rocks shaped by the wind that recall a surrealist painting, hence the name.
• Laguna Verde and Laguna Blanca. At the foot of the Licancabur volcano, which marks the border with Chile (about 5,916 m according to es.wikipedia). The greenish tone of the first changes with the wind and with the minerals in suspension.
• Árbol de Piedra and the Siloli Desert. A rock about 7 m tall carved by the wind until it looks like a tree, in a desert among the driest on the continent.
• Altiplano lagoons. Cañapa, Hedionda, Honda, Charcota and Ramaditas: small lagoons where you see flamingos and vicuñas along the way.
• Ollagüe volcano (about 5,865 m). On the 4-day tour, one of the two possible routes on day 3 includes it as a viewpoint.

The nights: what to expect

Uyuni is at 3,660 m, but in Sud Lípez you sleep higher: around 4,200 to 4,300 m. Lodgings are simple refuges, with shared or double rooms, basic bathrooms and often no heating. Electricity can cut out early. In winter (May to August), minimums easily fall below -10 °C, and in Uyuni the official record is -25.7 °C.

You sleep warm here with what you bring, and without luxuries. Bring a sleeping bag rated to -10 °C (or confirm that the agency lends one and that it is clean), thermal clothing for sleeping, wool socks and a hot-water bottle. There is more detail in where to sleep in Uyuni and salt hotels.

When to go

The dry season, April to November, is the most comfortable: clear skies and tracks in better condition. May to August is the coldest period. From December to March the rains arrive: the salt flat can fill with water (the mirror), but stretches such as Ciudad del Encanto or some high passes can close. Month-by-month detail is in when to visit the Salar de Uyuni.

3 days or 4 days?

If you have the days, the 4-day tour is calmer and covers landscapes you do not see if you leave from Uyuni. If you only have 3, it is still a complete tour. We run the 3-day tour from Uyuni and the 4-day tour from Tupiza. To get to know the starting town of the second, read the Tupiza guide.

What a day on the tour looks like

According to our itineraries, the high-altitude part is organized like this:

• Lagoon day (on the 4-day tour, day 2). Hedionda Sur, Kollpa, the Salar de Chalviri, the Polques hot springs, the Dalí Desert, Laguna Verde, the Sol de Mañana geysers and Laguna Colorada, in one long day. You sleep near the last of these.
• Decision day (day 3 of the 4-day tour). The group chooses between two routes: one through the Árbol de Piedra, the Siloli Desert, four altiplano lagoons (Cañapa, Hedionda, Charcota and Honda) and the Ollagüe volcano, or another through the Copa del Mundo, the Camello Sentado, Laguna Negra and the Cañón de la Anaconda. Both converge at sunset over the salt flat.
• Salt flat day (day 4). A departure before dawn for Incahuasi, exploring the salt flat, the salt museum and the train cemetery, finishing in Uyuni around one in the afternoon.

On the 3-day tour from Uyuni, the order changes: the first day is on the salt flat, the second in the lagoons and Laguna Colorada, and the third starts at first light with the geysers and hot springs, continues with the Dalí Desert, Laguna Verde and Laguna Blanca and returns to Uyuni around 17:30.

What to ask before booking

• Are the entrance fees to the reserve and Incahuasi included or do I pay them separately?
• What vehicle do they use and how many passengers go in each 4×4? (Six plus the driver-guide is usual.)
• What lodging do I get each night, does it have heating and hot water, and what sheets or sleeping bag are included?
• What happens if a track is cut by rain or a blockade? Is there a refund, a change of route or neither?
• What language does the guide speak?

Flamingos, vicuñas and respect

Approaching flamingos frightens them and makes them burn energy; keep the distance your guide sets. Do not chase vicuñas or leave the paths at the geysers. The salt, the mud and the crust are fragile, and trash buried at altitude takes decades to break down. Take all your trash with you.

What to pack

• Thermal clothing in layers, hat, gloves and a windbreaker. The nights are the hardest part.
• Sunglasses, sunscreen and lip balm. Radiation at altitude is strong.
• Reusable bottle and energy snacks.
• Cash in bolivianos for entrance fees, hot springs and tips.
• Swimsuit and a small towel, for the Polques hot springs.
• Sleeping bag rated to -10 °C, if your agency does not provide one.
• Headlamp and power bank. The refuges have little light and little electricity.
• Personal medication. Painkillers, anti-diarrhea medicine and whatever your doctor has recommended.

Common mistakes

• Arriving in Uyuni and leaving the next day. If you come from the coast, one more day of adjustment spares you many headaches.
• Underestimating the night cold. Anyone who goes in a sweatshirt notices.
• Forgetting cash. Do not count on ATMs in Sud Lípez.
• Comparing on price alone. Ask about insurance, reserve fuel and what they do if a track is closed.
• Expecting internet. There is little coverage and in many refuges the wifi is symbolic.