When we entered the Salar de Uyuni, we were very disappointed. 6 strangers and a guide went into a Toyota Landcruiser and entered the Salar de Uyuni around 10 am. The salt was brown like it was covered with sand; we thought it would be white, like snow. We cheered ourselves up together, “It will be better soon,” “It’s just the beginning,” and “Just wait a little bit.” The driver was silent; he only understood Spanish. He could have told us our mistake. After 5 minutes of driving in brown salt, I asked into the round, “Might it be brownish as we are all still wearing our sunglasses?”. With a gasp of relief from the seats, everyone took off their sunglasses, and the white, pure whiteness of the salt immediately blinded us. That started a day full of laughter and fun with the group.
Around 40,000 years ago, the area now occupied by Salar de Uyuni was covered by a vast lake called Lago Tauca. This lake was fed by water from surrounding rivers and streams.
Over time, the climate in the region became drier and warmer, causing Lago Tauca to evaporate gradually. As the water evaporated, the minerals dissolved in the water began to concentrate, eventually forming layers of salt. This evaporation and salt deposition process repeated itself over several cycles as different lakes formed and dried up in the area. Each cycle contributed to the accumulation of salt deposits. Around 6 million years ago, the uplift of the Andes Mountains created the Altiplano, a high plateau where Salar de Uyuni is located. This uplift further intensified the evaporation process, as the thinner atmosphere allowed more moisture to escape. The final transformation of Salar de Uyuni occurred about 10,000 years ago. As the last lake in the area evaporated, it left behind a vast expanse of salt, forming the Salar de Uyuni we see today. Salar de Uyuni is the largest salt flat in the world. Covering an area of over 10,582 square kilometers, Salar de Uyuni is even visible from space.
It is home to a vast lithium reserve. Salar de Uyuni is estimated to contain over 10 billion tons of lithium, about 70% of the world’s known lithium reserves. Lithium is a critical ingredient in batteries, so the salt flat is valuable.
But if you drive into that area, you cannot see the science behind it; you see only one thing: SALT.
Everywhere, SALT.
You might think I took the picture from the exact location, but no, it was just hours of this.
After a while, we reached a lunch location. There, you will also find the famous spot of all flags worldwide. I also heard from guys adding their flag as it was missing. I saw the German one, so there was nothing to do from my side. Unfortunately, it was crazy windy on this day, so the picture is not that nice.
Hours later, the turning point for the day tours, we reached a little island in the salt desert with cactuses. These cactuses are pretty old. They grow only one centimeter yearly, so you can imagine how old the big ones are.
For some pesos, you can enter that island to climb up the hill for an even better view of the salt. I skipped that and took a coffee and the cafe there 🙂
After that, we took our way back to Uyuni. Before leaving the salt flat, we retook a break to enjoy the sunset and some snacks. It was nice hanging around with the others. Loved it 🙂
At the beginning of the Salar tour, we visited a famous place called “Train Cemetry”. It’s some old trains rotten in the middle of nowhere. It was fun to walk around and climb on these trains. As it’s free, you should take it if you are already in Uyuni.
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