3-Day Salar de Uyuni Tour: Laguna Colorada & Salt Flats

Train cemetery, salt flats at sunset, flamingo lagoons, geysers and the Dali desert in three days

A 3-day small-group tour of Salar de Uyuni departing from the town of Uyuni, where you travel by all-terrain vehicle across the world's largest salt flat, visit abandoned train graveyards and volcanic lagoons, and sleep in basic hostels on the Altiplano. The tour includes hotel or airport pickup, a professional Spanish-speaking guide, 2 nights of accommodation with shared bathrooms and all ground transportation. Entrance fees and meals are separate.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Sunset at the Uyuni Salt Flats

• Pick up from hotel or bus terminal
• Visit cemetery of abandoned trains
• Pass through salt holes and enter Salar de Uyuni
• Have lunch on the route
• Visit Incahuasi Island and Dakar monument
• Take photographs at the salt flat
• Go to hotel for overnight stay

Day 2: Chiguana Salt Flat and Red Lagoon

• Start journey at 8:00 am
• Visit Salar de Chiguana salt flat
• View active Volcan Ollague
• Visit lagoons and see flamingos
• Have lunch on the route
• See wind formation at Pampas del Siloé
• Visit geysers with 70 meter high candles
• Return to hotel for overnight stay

Day 3: Laguna Verde and Dali Desert

• Wake up at 7:30 am
• Visit Laguna Verde lagoon
• Visit Dali desert rock formations
• Visit at least three colorful lagoons
• Return to Uyuni town around 7:00 pm

The experience

You start from your hotel or the bus terminal in Uyuni on day one, heading southwest to the train cemetery, the world's largest railroad graveyard, before crossing into the immense Salar de Uyuni itself. The route passes through salt holes and stops at Incahuasi Island and the Dakar monument, where the flat expanse opens up for photographs. Lunch happens on the route, and you end the day at a basic hotel on the salt flat.

Day two takes you at 8 a.m. to Salar de Chiguana, a smaller salt flat wedged between volcanoes with train tracks stretching to the horizon. At 5,600 meters above sea level, you'll see Volcán Ollague still active in the distance. The route then moves through several lagoons where flamingos gather close enough to photograph. At sunset, you reach Pampas del Siloé, a desert of strangely shaped rock formations that marks the entrance to Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve, followed by the geysers that shoot up to 70 meters high.

The final day starts at 7:30 a.m. with Laguna Verde, a green-water lagoon at the foot of Licancabur volcano near the Chilean border. From there you move into the Dali desert, named for its surreal rock formations that look sculpted rather than natural. You visit at least three more lagoons of different colors before the vehicle returns you to Uyuni around 7 p.m. A professional guide leads the entire journey in Spanish. If you need English, that's available as a paid add-on.

What’s included

• Professional Spanish-speaking guide for all three days.
• hotel or airport pickup in Uyuni.
• all-terrain vehicle transportation throughout the tour.
• 2 nights in a basic hostel with shared bathroom.
• visits to the train cemetery, Salar de Uyuni, Incahuasi Island, Dakar monument, Salar de Chiguana, flamingo lagoons, Pampas del Siloé, geysers, Laguna Verde and the Dali desert.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day5 departure times: the first at 06:00, the last at 10:30

Book up toStart time

AgesAdult (3 to 65 years) · Under 3: can't be included in the booking

GroupUp to 15

Live guideSpanish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 17 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 11 days ago

Good to know

Moderate physical level

Operated by Chullos Travel Peru

Is this one for you?Choose this if you have three days and want salt flats, lagoons, and desert landscapes in one trip. You'll travel with other guests on set departure dates rather than booking privately.

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Top questions

What is the train cemetery near Uyuni?

The train cemetery sits on the edge of the Salar de Uyuni salt flats southwest of the city and is the world's largest railroad graveyard, visited on the first day of the tour as your entry point to the salt flat.

Do I need to be fit for this 3-day tour?

The operator recommends at least a moderate level of physical fitness. You'll spend long hours in an all-terrain vehicle at high altitude (up to 5,600 meters), though the tour itself is not a hiking or climbing expedition.

What kind of accommodation is included?

Two nights in a basic hostel with a shared bathroom are included. If you prefer a private bathroom, that upgrade starts at 30 USD per night and requires a minimum of two people booking together.

Is the guide in English or Spanish?

The professional guide speaks Spanish. English-language guiding is available as an add-on for 175 USD per person.

What meals and entrance fees are covered?

Transportation, accommodation and the guide are included. Lunch on the route is your responsibility, as are entrance fees to the sites and any other meals.