Uyuni · 2 Days

Day 1 — Salt, Mirrors, and a Sunset Toast. The day starts among rusted iron and silence: the locomotives of the Train Cemetery have spent over a century waiting for a train that never came back, stranded there since the mining industry collapsed in the late 19th century. In Colchani, salt is still ground by hand, the way it’s been done for generations — and a little further on, at the Ojos de Sal, the white desert opens without a visible edge to the horizon. Lunch is served right on the salt flat, with the old Salt Hotel — now a museum — as a stop before the light starts to change. It all comes together at Incahuasi Island, where sunset turns the ground into a mirror and a surprise aperitif closes the day before heading back to Uyuni. Return at 7:30 pm, night at a 3★ hotel with breakfast included (no dinner).

Day 2 — Ghost Towns and Steaming Waters. The white disappears all at once: the puna turns red and silent, and the first town you reach, Pulacayo, is a ghost town — it belonged to the Huanchaca Company of Aniceto Arce and built the Pulacayo-Uyuni railway in 1878, today rusted machinery and empty streets. The route continues to Pampa Colorada, the colonial church of Tomave, and Kota Vinto Lagoon and its birds, on to the Kanqui hot springs, a warm bath in the shade of an old stone mill. The day closes among the colonial mines of San Basilio, meadows where vicuñas and llamas graze freely, and Orko Kasilla Lagoon, tinted green. Return to Uyuni between 7:30 and 8:00 pm.

This circuit doesn’t require a night at altitude or prior acclimatization, though the second day climbs close to 4,800 m — steady hydration is recommended, and let your guide know of any discomfort. Entrance to Incahuasi Island (15–30 Bs), the sculptures and labyrinth (20 Bs), and the hot springs (20 Bs) are not included and are paid on site.

Rates per person — from USD 149.