In this guide
Where you sleep in Uyuni shapes how you experience the trip: a warm night before the salt flat, a memorable night beside it, or a hard, bright night in a refuge above 4,000 m. These are three different experiences, so we cover them separately, with what to expect from each and how to choose according to your circuit, budget and tolerance for cold. We give no hotel prices because they change fast with the floating exchange rate in force since June 2026; the criteria, on the other hand, hold up.
Three kinds of night
| Type | Where | Comfort | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hotel or hostel in Uyuni | Town, 3,660 m | Medium to high; heating in the better ones | 1- or 2-day circuits; the night before or after |
| Salt hotel | Near Colchani, beside the salt flat | High; private bathroom and heating | Anyone who wants a memorable night |
| High-altitude refuge | Sud Lípez, 4,200 to 4,300 m | Basic; shared rooms, rarely heated | 3- and 4-day circuits |
Sleeping in the town of Uyuni
Uyuni is a town of about 35,000 inhabitants (2024 census), at 3,660 m, with a bus terminal, a train station, Joya Andina airport and nearly all the agencies. It is the natural base for one- and two-day circuits and for the three-day ones that start there.
What to look for when choosing:
- Real heating. In June and July the average minimum temperatures in town hover around -10 °C. A hotel with central heating or room radiators is very different from one that offers only a blanket. Ask before you pay.
- Truly hot water. In that cold, a lukewarm shower is no good. Ask whether hot water is available at any hour or only in the morning.
- Check-in time. Many hotels do not hand over the room until noon. If you arrive on the overnight bus at 6 or 7 a.m., ask whether they can store your bags or give you breakfast and a bathroom.
- Location. Near Avenida Ferroviaria or the plaza, where the agencies and restaurants are, is convenient if you have no vehicle. Circuit departures are early and you can walk there in minutes.
- Wi-Fi and outlets. Usually functional, though slow. Download what you need before heading into the Sud Lípez.
Salt hotels: what they are and which ones
A salt hotel is a building whose walls, and often part of its furniture, are made of compacted salt blocks. Salt from the flat is used as a building material in the area, and these hotels carry that tradition into upscale lodging.
Palacio de Sal. A salt-block hotel beside the salt flat, in the Colchani area, about 25 km from town according to its booking pages.
Luna Salada. A salt hotel, also in Colchani, with rooms that face the salt extraction areas.
Both offer private rooms with a bathroom and heating, which is essential at this altitude. They are the two salt hotels you can include in Uyuni Luxe, our on-request service, which combines the salt flat, the Tunupa volcano and, depending on the days, the Sud Lípez lagoons, with a private vehicle for up to four passengers.
Do not confuse them with the old Hotel de Sal
Three different things often get mixed up:
- The genuine salt hotels, where you can sleep today (the two above and others in the area).
- The old Hotel de Sal inside the salt flat. It was the first hotel built of salt in the middle of the flat and no longer takes guests: today it is a museum and photo stop on the one-day circuits. Nobody sleeps there.
- Conventional hostels in Uyuni. No salt, no pretension of being part of the landscape, and perfectly good for resting.
If an old website offers a night in a salt hotel in the middle of the salt flat, check that it is still operating. Some old guides also recommend Kachi Lodge, which closed permanently: leave it out of your plan.
Is it worth it?
Sleeping in a salt hotel is a pleasant experience if you like architecture and want nights with heating and a private bathroom beside the salt flat. It does not make your photos better or add stops: the circuits follow the same route. If your budget is tight, you are better off spending on a longer circuit than on a hotel night.
Sleeping in the Sud Lípez: refuges above 4,000 m
On three- and four-day circuits, the nights are spent in high-altitude lodgings built for the route. What you can expect:
- Altitude. Between 4,200 and 4,300 m. On the 4-day circuit, the first night is in Quetena Chico (4,200 m), the second near Laguna Colorada and the third in Puerto Chuvica, beside the salt flat, at 3,660 m, in a hostel built with salt blocks. The 3-day circuit spends its second night in a mountain refuge at about 4,300 m.
- Rooms. Shared or double, with simple beds and blankets.
- Heating. Many refuges have none. You get through the night with a sleeping bag, thermal clothing and a hat.
- Electricity. Limited, and sometimes cut early. Bring a headlamp and a power bank.
- Bathrooms and showers. Basic; hot water may be limited or depend on a generator. Be patient.
- Meals. Usually included in the circuit: simple dinner and breakfast.
How to book without surprises
- Write to the hotel, not just the platform. Confirm the heating, the hot water and the check-in time by email or WhatsApp.
- Ask about early departure. If your circuit starts at 7:30 or 10:30, make sure breakfast is served on time.
- Clarify luggage storage. On 3- and 4-day circuits it is best to leave baggage in Uyuni: confirm they will keep it and until when.
- Ask about noise. Traffic on Uyuni’s avenues and the wind can disturb you; an interior room is welcome.
- Pay with a cash margin. Some lodgings accept only cash or charge a card fee.
What to bring to sleep well
- A sleeping bag rated for -10 °C, or confirmation that the agency provides one and that it is reliable.
- A thermal sleeping layer: long base layer, wool socks and a hat.
- A hot-water bottle you can fill at dinner.
- Earplugs and an eye mask: the refuges are shared and the walls thin.
- A headlamp and a power bank.
- A small toiletry bag, wet wipes and your own toilet paper.
- Painkillers for headaches, as your doctor has advised.
Before you go
- Book several weeks ahead in July and August, and around 11 July, Uyuni’s founding date (1889) and local celebration.
- Cash. Uyuni’s ATMs run out of notes fairly often, especially on weekends. Arrive with bolivianos.
- Luggage. Leave what you do not need for the circuit at your Uyuni hotel and take a small pack. Ask about storage before you leave.
- Sud Lípez. The night is no time to improvise: ask which lodging you get each night and what it includes.
For the rest of your trip, the complete guide to the Salar de Uyuni and the one on the Sud Lípez and Laguna Colorada explain what to see and how to organize your days, and how to get to the Salar de Uyuni covers transport.
FAQ
Where is the best place to sleep when visiting the Salar de Uyuni?
For a one- or two-day circuit, in the town of Uyuni itself: you have heated hotels, restaurants and agencies a few minutes away. If you want something different, there are salt hotels near Colchani, about 20 to 25 km from town. On longer circuits, the nights are spent in Sud Lípez refuges, which are simple and without luxury.
Can I sleep in a hotel made of salt?
Yes. Palacio de Sal and Luna Salada are two genuine salt hotels near Colchani and the salt flat, with private rooms that have a bathroom and heating. They are upscale lodgings. Do not confuse them with the old Hotel de Sal inside the salt flat, which no longer takes guests and now serves as a museum and photo stop.
Is it very cold at night in Uyuni?
Yes, especially from May to September. The average minimum temperatures in town are around -9.6 °C in June and -9.7 °C in July, with a record low of -25.7 °C. That is why it is worth choosing a hotel with central heating and truly hot water, not just a stove, and bringing a thermal layer to sleep in.
What are the lodgings like on multi-day circuits?
In the Sud Lípez, nights are spent in refuges at about 4,200 to 4,300 m, with shared or double rooms, basic bathrooms and limited electricity. Many have no heating. This is not a place for luxury: you sleep warm with your own sleeping bag and thermal clothing. On some circuits, one of the nights is in a hostel built of salt blocks next to the salt flat.
When do I need to book a hotel in Uyuni?
In July and August, and around 11 July (the town's anniversary), book several weeks ahead. The rest of the year a few days is usually enough. If you arrive on an overnight bus, ask whether you can check in early or leave your pack: many hotels do not hand over the room until noon.
