Departs on day 1 at 7:30 from Tupiza (meeting point confirmed at booking). Ends on day 4 in Uyuni, around 13:00.
This tour crosses the Sud Lípez from Tupiza to Uyuni in 4 days and 3 nights. You leave Tupiza at 7:30 and travel through the Quebrada Palala, the Eduardo Avaroa Reserve, the colored lagoons and the Sol de Mañana geysers, and finish with sunrise at Isla Incahuasi and the Salar de Uyuni. Services end in Uyuni around 13:00 on day 4. The price includes breakfast, lunch and dinner, 3 nights in selected hostels, a Spanish-speaking driver-guide and admission to the parks and reserves along the route.
Highlights
- Quebrada Palala and Sillar. Reddish formations shaped by centuries of erosion, and a viewpoint with rock walls rising in vertical ridges.
- Laguna Verde and Licancabur. A lagoon colored by suspended sulfur, beneath the Licancabur volcano, a natural border with Chile.
- Sol de Mañana and Laguna Colorada. Sulfurous steam and bubbling mud above 4,850 m, and a lagoon stained red, with flamingos depending on the season.
- Sunrise at Isla Incahuasi. A lava islet covered in centuries-old cacti in the middle of the Salar de Uyuni.
What does the itinerary look like?
- Day 1 · From the red gorges to the Eduardo Avaroa ReserveDeparture at 7:30 from Tupiza.
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The route threads between the reddish formations of the Quebrada Palala and climbs by 4x4 to the Sillar viewpoint. Awana Pampa spreads the altiplano out before you, with llamas grazing against the horizon.
In Ciudad del Encanto, lava turned into a cathedral, with shapes carved by wind and rain over millennia; it closes in the rainy season. Farther on are the ruins and Laguna Morejón, a salt mirror that can reflect the Uturunco volcano.
The day closes with the entrance to the Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve and the first night in Quetena Chico, at 4,200 m.
- Day 2 · Lagoons of color and steaming watersIn the morning three lagoons follow one another, Hedionda Sur, Kollpa and the Salar de Chalviri, before a stop at the Termas de Polques, natural hot springs where the cold of the altiplano stops mattering for a while.
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The Dalí desert, with its rocks scattered as in a surrealist painting, gives way to Laguna Verde, colored by suspended sulfur, beneath the Licancabur volcano (5,950 m).
Above 4,850 m, the Sol de Mañana geysers release sulfurous steam and bubbling mud: the altiplano is still alive beneath the surface. The day ends at Laguna Colorada, stained red, with a night near its shores.
- Day 3 · One day, two possible routesBefore leaving, the guide presents both options and the group decides which to take, according to its preferences.
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- Árbol de Piedra route. The Árbol de Piedra, sculpted by the wind until it looks weightless, and the entrance to the Siloli desert, at 5,000 m, followed by the Cañapa, Hedionda, Charcola and Honda lagoons, where flamingos are often seen, and a viewpoint over the Ollagüe volcano (5,865 m).
- Copa del Mundo route. Copa del Mundo and Camello Sentado, two formations carved by the wind, before Laguna Negra and the Cañón de Anaconda.
- Day 3, afternoon · Sunset on the salt flat and a night in Puerto ChuvicaBoth routes meet for sunset over the Salar de Uyuni.
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The night is in a salt hostel in Puerto Chuvica, at 3,660 m.
- Day 4 · Isla Incahuasi and the end in UyuniDeparture before sunrise to reach Isla Incahuasi with the first light: a lava islet covered in centuries-old cacti, in the middle of the 10,582 km² of the largest salt desert on the planet.
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The route continues across the salt flat, with stops for perspective photos, the museum in the old Hotel de Sal, the island of flags and the Dakar monument. In Colchani, artisans work the same material that makes up the landscape you have just crossed. The Train Cemetery closes the circuit, with 19th-century locomotives resting there since they stopped hauling ore. Services end in Uyuni, around 13:00.
Route map
The 4-day route. Tap the points to see each stop. The line is indicative: tracks can change with the weather and road conditions. View the map full screen
What is included in this tour?
Included
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Water, fruit and snacks
- 3 nights of lodging in selected hostels
- Spanish-speaking driver-guide
- Admission to the parks and reserves along the route
By time of year
Ciudad del Encanto closes in the rainy season. Alternative routes exist. If we cannot finish the tour, a refund or a date change is possible.
What do you need to know before booking?
Safety and altitude
This route goes above 4,800 m in several sections and requires good physical condition. We recommend 24 to 48 hr of acclimatization at altitude before starting the route. Nights are in Quetena Chico (at 4,200 m), near Laguna Colorada and in Puerto Chuvica (at 3,660 m).
- Not suitable for. Pregnant women, people with heart conditions or uncontrolled hypertension, and children under 7.
Lodging and meals
All three nights are in selected lodgings, with breakfast, lunch and dinner included. At altitude, the lodging is a shared refuge; private rooms are also available for a surcharge.
3 days or 4 days?
The 4-day tour has fewer kilometers per day and more time at each place. It starts in Tupiza and ends in Uyuni. The 3-day tour is a loop from Uyuni, tighter on driving hours.
- 4 days. From USD 349, 3 nights, park and reserve admissions included, sunrise at Isla Incahuasi.
- 3 days. From USD 249, 2 nights, back in Uyuni on day 3.
Altitude and health
It is not recommended in case of pregnancy, heart or respiratory disease, uncontrolled hypertension or significant vertigo. Minimum age: 7 years. Prior acclimatization: 24 to 48 hr at altitude before starting the route. We advise you to stay well hydrated, avoid alcohol on the first day and check with your doctor before booking. If symptoms of altitude sickness appear, the guide may decide to descend, for your safety.
Before you book: payment, cancellation and the unexpected
Payment and booking
When you book, you pay 30% of the total: 15% as a booking payment (arras, non-refundable) and 15% as a deposit. Then a second deposit of 20% 30 days before departure and the remaining 50% 7 days before departure. If you book 15 days or less before departure, you pay 100% of the total when you book and it is non-refundable. If a payment does not arrive by its due date, the booking is cancelled automatically. You can pay in foreign currency with Libélula, RedEnlace and Revolut, or by bank card, QR code or bank transfer; the payment provider may charge transaction fees.
Cancellation and date changes
More than 45 days before departure: 100% of the deposit (15%) is refunded, less bank fees for the money transfer; the booking payment (arras) is not refunded. From 45 to 31 days: 50% of the deposit is retained, which corresponds to the pre-payment of lodging, transfers or others. From 30 to 8 days: 100% of what you paid is retained. From 7 days to 24 hours: everything you paid is retained. Less than 24 hours, and in case of a no-show: the full price is due. Date change: possible depending on the availability of the company and of our providers, with a new quote; sums already paid to providers are not refundable and must be paid again. If Terra Alta cancels or postpones the trip, you choose a new date at no extra cost or a refund of what you paid, except costs already paid to providers that cannot be recovered.
Prices
Prices are in US dollars per person, based on a group of 6 people, in a shared departure.
Blockades, closed roads and weather
A flooded salt flat (roughly December to April) is not a reason to cancel: the tour goes ahead with an itinerary adapted by the guide, with the mirror effect, and Incahuasi island may not be reachable; no refund is due for the visits that change. If a dangerous external event (a storm, heavy snowfall or another natural event) or social unrest or a blockade requires it, Terra Alta may modify, postpone or cancel the trip to protect travellers; what applies is what is provided for a cancellation by Terra Alta.
Tips and expenses
Tips are not included and are voluntary. Entrance fees listed in bolivianos are approximate and may change; they are paid on site, in cash.
Insurance
Terra Alta does not include travel insurance. If you wish, we recommend taking out a policy with medical assistance and repatriation from high altitude.
Frequently asked questions
Where does the tour start and end?
It starts in Tupiza at 7:30 on day 1, at a meeting point we confirm when you book. It ends in Uyuni, around 13:00 on day 4.
Do I need to acclimatize beforehand?
Yes. We recommend 24 to 48 hr of acclimatization at altitude before starting the route, which goes above 4,800 m in several sections. The health limits are in the Altitude and health block.
Which route do we take on day 3?
There are two: the Árbol de Piedra and the Ollagüe volcano, or Copa del Mundo, Laguna Negra and the Cañón de Anaconda. The guide presents both before leaving and the group decides. Both meet for sunset over the Salar de Uyuni.
What happens in the rainy season?
Some sections can close, such as Ciudad del Encanto. Route change, date change and refund conditions are in the Before you book section, further down this page.
Can I do it privately?
To travel without sharing the vehicle, see Uyuni Luxe: a private 4x4 for a maximum of 4 passengers, 1 to 4 days tailor-made, on request.
Guides to prepare your trip: guide to the Sud Lípez and Laguna Colorada · guide to Tupiza, canyons and horseback rides · complete guide to the Salar de Uyuni 2026 · altitude sickness (soroche) in Bolivia · where to sleep in Uyuni and salt hotels
From USD 349 / person
If you would rather do the route privately, with your own team and at your own pace, see Uyuni Luxe. Uyuni Luxe
Not sure between 1, 2, 3 or 4 days? Compare the Uyuni tours
