3-day Uyuni salt flats tour: Train Cemetery to flamingo lagoons
Sleep inside a salt hotel and wake up to the endless mirror of Uyuni’s salt flats
A 3-day tour of Uyuni and the Altiplano combines the Salar de Uyuni salt flats with high-altitude lagoons, geysers and thermal springs across Bolivia's southwestern deserts. Day one covers the Train Cemetery and the salt flat itself, with an overnight in a salt-built hostel. Days two and three move through Andean lagoons filled with pink flamingos, the stone tree formation, and the Salvador Dalí desert before finishing at the Green Lagoon on the Chilean border. An English or Spanish-speaking guide leads the route by 4WD vehicle with hotel pickup included.
Options for this experience
2 optionsStep-by-step itinerary
Day 1: Explore Uyuni salt deserts
- Visit train cemetery
- Learn about salt production and shop handicrafts
- Explore Salar de Uyuni salt flats
- Visit salt hotel and Flag Island
- See Dakar monument and stairway to Heaven
- Visit Giant Cacti Island
- Watch sunset at salt desert
- Head to accommodation
Day 2: Visit Andean lagoons and deserts
- Visit brown-colored salt desert
- View active volcano from viewpoint
- Visit Cañapa lagoon
- Visit Hedionda Lagoon and see flamingos
- Lunch at lodge
- See stone tree in Eduardo Abaroa Reserve
- Trek around Red Lagoon and see flamingos
- Head to accommodation
Day 3: Discover geysers and surreal deserts
- See geysers early morning
- Enjoy hot springs and thermal waters
- Visit Salvador Dalí desert
- Visit Green Lagoon and view Licancabur volcano
- Return to Uyuni with stops for breaks and lunch
What’s included
- 4WD transportation throughout the 3 days.
- English-speaking guide or Spanish-speaking driver (your choice at checkout).
- pickup from the Uyuni bus terminal, airport or local hotels.
- two nights in basic hostels with shared or private bathrooms depending on room type.
- one night in the salt hostel.
Times
- Every day 10:30
Last departure this season: 15 Jan 2027
Before you book
Operated by On Experiences
Prices and times updated 6 days ago
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The experience
The tour starts at the Train Cemetery, where rusted locomotives from Bolivia's early railway sit abandoned in the desert: a sprawling outdoor museum that doubles as a playground for adults. From there you move to the official entrance of the Salar de Uyuni, where salt production still happens and local vendors sell handwoven textiles. The bulk of day one unfolds on the salt flat itself: you'll chase the mirror effect in photographs, visit the first hotel built entirely of salt, stand on Flag Island with your country's flag, and walk past the Dakar monument and the Giant Cacti Island before sunset. That night you sleep in the salt hostel in shared rooms with private bathrooms.
Day two enters the Andean lagoons. A smaller brown salt desert comes first, then a viewpoint 10 km from one of Bolivia's two active volcanoes. Cañapa Lagoon, habitat for endemic Andean wildlife, is followed by Hedionda Lagoon, nicknamed "Smelly Lagoon" for its sulfur concentration and home to pink flamingos. You'll trek around the Red Lagoon at roughly 5,000 meters above sea level, one of the world's driest and highest deserts, where wind erosion has carved the famous stone tree formation. The night is spent at a basic communal hostel.
Day three begins before dawn at the geysers, which sit at 4,800 meters and are coldest in early morning light. Thermal hot springs follow. You'll swim in volcanic waters while the landscape unfolds around you. The Salvador Dalí desert comes next, named for its resemblance to the Spanish artist's 1931 painting "La Persistencia de la Memoria." The tour ends at the Green Lagoon on Bolivia's southwestern corner, where the Licancabur volcano marks the border with Chile. The drive back to Uyuni includes stops for meals, snacks and rest.
Is this one for you?Pick the English-speaking guide if you want site-by-site explanation. Choose the Spanish-speaking driver if you're comfortable with minimal narration or traveling with Spanish speakers.
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Top questions
What languages is the tour guided in?
Live guide in English and Spanish.
Can children come?
Yes. Ticket types: Youth (6 to 17 years); Child (3 to 5 years); Infant (under 3): free.
What happens if it rains?
It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.
What's the Train Cemetery actually like, and why is it worth visiting?
The Train Cemetery is a collection of rusted locomotives abandoned in the desert from Bolivia's early railway era. It serves as both a historical site with stories about the Bolivian Railway Company and a large open space where visitors can explore and photograph the decaying machines.
Do I really sleep inside the salt hotel, and what are the rooms like?
Yes, the first night is spent in a salt hostel built from salt blocks. Rooms are dorms with shared bathrooms, and you'll stay in double, triple or quad configurations depending on group size.
What are the flamingos doing in these high-altitude lagoons?
Pink flamingos live in both Hedionda Lagoon and the Red Lagoon as endemic Andean fauna. Hedionda Lagoon's high sulfur concentration gives it the nickname "Smelly Lagoon," yet it remains a habitat for these birds. The Red Lagoon, covering 60 square kilometers, is where you'll trek around the shoreline to observe them.
How high is the altitude, and will I feel it?
The tour reaches approximately 5,000 meters above sea level on the salt flats and deserts, with geysers at 4,800 meters. The altitude is significant, and the tour is not recommended for travelers with lung diseases such as asthma, poor cardiovascular health, or spinal injuries due to the terrain and elevation.
What makes the Salvador Dalí desert different from the rest of the landscape?
The Salvador Dalí desert is considered the world's most surrealistic landscape because its rock formations and terrain resemble the Spanish artist's 1931 painting "La Persistencia de la Memoria." The otherworldly shapes and colors create an environment unlike the other deserts and lagoons on the route.
3-day Uyuni salt flats tour: Train Cemetery to flamingo lagoons
3d · EN · ES
from US$ 275 per person
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