Private 3-Day Uyuni Salt Flats Tour: Lagoons & Train Cemetery

Salt polygons, flamingo lagoons, and a volcanic crater rim in three days

A private 3-day tour from Uyuni covers almost 7,500 square miles of salt flats, deserts and colored lagoons across the Altiplano. You start at the Train Cemetery, then move through the Salar de Uyuni (where geometric salt polygons appear in winter or mirror-like reflections in summer) climb Incahuasi Island for views across the white plain, and end at Laguna Colorada watching flamingos at dawn. Hotel pickup, a professional guide in English, Spanish or Portuguese, all meals, and two nights in basic hostels are included.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Uyuni to San Juan exploration

• Pick up from Uyuni hotel
• Visit outdoor train museum
• Photo stop at Train Cemetery
• Enter Salar via Colchani salt processing
• Visit salt hotel and eyes water
• Visit Incahuasi Island and viewpoint
• Photo stop at Salar de Uyuni
• Visit Thunupa volcano and Pucara of Ayque ruins
• See Coquesa Mummies and Mirador de Thunupa
• Overnight at Salt Hostel San Juan

Day 2: San Juan to Laguna Colorada journey

• Visit Cañapa, Stinking, Chiarkota lagoons
• Photo stop at flamingo habitats
• Photo stop at additional lagoons
• Photo stop at more lagoons
• Photo stop at further lagoons
• Enter desert of sand and pebbles
• Overnight at Laguna Colorada Hostel

Day 3: Laguna Colorada to Uyuni return

• Early departure to Laguna Colorada flamingos
• Photo stop at fumaroles natural site
• Photo stop at nearby attractions
• Photo stop at additional sites
• Photo stop at further attractions
• Return to Uyuni city by 17:00

The experience

The journey begins with hotel pickup in Uyuni and a stop at the Train Cemetery, an outdoor museum of abandoned locomotives. From there you enter the Salar at Colchani to watch salt processing and see the salt piles, then visit a salt hotel before climbing Incahuasi Island: a volcanic rock outcrop studded with giant cacti that rises as an extraordinary viewpoint over the white expanse. The first night is at a basic ecological hostel in San Juan.

Day two takes you south across the salt flats toward the Eduardo Avaroa Reserve, passing through a series of lagoons (Cañapa, Stinking, Chiarkota, Honda and Ramadita), where flamingos gather alongside geese and Andean gulls. Snow-capped volcanoes frame the water, their slopes covered in hardy vegetation. The landscape shifts into desert of sand and pebbles painted in shades of red and ochre as you approach Laguna Colorada, where you spend the second night.

The final morning departs early to catch Laguna Colorada at dawn, when fumaroles rise from the geothermal activity and light hits the flamingos and mineral-stained water. After visiting the colored lagoons and their viewpoints, the drive back to Uyuni takes the afternoon, arriving around 5 p.m. Meals throughout include two breakfasts, three lunches and two dinners. Vegetarian options are available if requested at booking.

What’s included

• Private transportation throughout.
• hotel pickup and drop-off in Uyuni.
• professional guide in English, Spanish or Portuguese.
• two nights accommodation in basic ecological hostels with private bathrooms.
• two breakfasts, three lunches and two dinners (vegetarian options available on request).

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 10:00

Book up to12h before

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish, Spanish and Portuguese

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 22 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 3 days ago

Good to know

Moderate physical levelInfant seats availableNot for pregnant travelersInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Joker Expedition, Bolivia.

Is this one for you?Three days is the span needed to move through the Train Cemetery, cross the Salar de Uyuni to Incahuasi Island, and reach the colored lagoons of the Eduardo Avaroa Reserve at dawn: a private vehicle and guide let you set the pace at each stop without waiting for a group to gather.

Traveler reviews

5.00★★★★★★★★★★

16 verified traveler reviews

Read all the reviews ›

Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

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 is the Train Cemetery and why is it the first stop?

The Train Cemetery is an outdoor museum of ancient, abandoned locomotives near Uyuni, preserved as a historical site. It serves as the opening stop to orient you to the region's industrial past before entering the natural landscapes of the salt flats.

What's the difference between visiting the Salar in winter versus summer?

In winter (May to October), the salt surface hardens and geometric polygons formed by salt particles become visible across the ground. In summer (November to March), rainfall transforms the salt flat into a giant mirror that reflects the sky, blending the horizon into one continuous blue.

Do I climb Incahuasi Island or just view it from a distance?

You climb Incahuasi Island, a volcanic rock outcrop with giant cacti, to reach the top where it becomes an extraordinary viewpoint over the entire white salt plain.

Which lagoons will I see and what wildlife is there?

You visit Cañapa, Stinking, Chiarkota, Honda and Ramadita lagoons in the Eduardo Avaroa Reserve, where large numbers of flamingos gather alongside geese and Andean gulls. The lagoons are flanked by snow-capped volcanoes.

What meals and accommodation are included over the three days?

The tour includes two breakfasts, three lunches and two dinners, plus two nights in basic ecological hostels with private bathrooms: one in San Juan and one at Laguna Colorada. Vegetarian meals are available if you request them when booking.

What time does the tour end on day three?

After visiting Laguna Colorada at dawn and the colored lagoons throughout the morning, the drive back to Uyuni takes the afternoon, with arrival around 5 p.m.