Salar de Uyuni Day Trip: Train Cemetery & Incahuasi Island

Why the Salar de Uyuni feels endless, and why you'll want to stand in the middle of it

You depart Uyuni at 10:30am to see the Train Cemetery, drive onto the Salar de Uyuni salt flat, stop at salt extraction sites and the historic Playa Blanca Hotel, eat lunch in the middle of the white expanse, visit Incahuasi Island with its giant cacti, and either catch the sunset or return to town by evening. Hotel pickup and drop-off, lunch, and a Spanish-speaking guide are included. The small group size (maximum 4 people) means you're not competing for space or photos.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Train Cemetery1h
2. Salar de Uyuni2h

Full day tour to Salar de Uyuni

• Depart from Uyuni city
• Visit Train Cemetery
• Stop at Colchani salt plant
• Enter Salar de Uyuni salt lake
• Visit waterholes and salt extraction
• Visit Playa Blanca Hotel
• Lunch in Salar de Uyuni
• Visit Incahuasi Island and giant cactus
• Watch sunset at Salar de Uyuni
• Return to Uyuni city

The experience

There's something about salt flats that makes you want to know what's on the other side. The Salar de Uyuni stretches so far that the horizon stops meaning anything. You can't tell where the ground ends and the sky begins, and that's exactly why people come here. The day starts at 10:30am when your driver picks you up from your hotel in Uyuni, heading first to the Train Cemetery, where old locomotives sit rusting in the desert like they've been waiting there for decades. It's the kind of place that photographs well, but standing next to something that massive and abandoned hits differently than the picture does.

By 11am you're in Colchani, a small town where salt gets processed the way it has for years. You'll see the salt ponds and the extraction work that feeds the whole operation. Then comes the part that changes how you see landscape: you drive onto the Salar itself. At noon you're standing on white salt crust that goes on forever, stopping at waterholes where the salt is still being harvested, visiting the Playa Blanca Hotel (one of the first structures ever built out here), and then eating lunch in the absolute middle of the salt flat with nothing but white in every direction. It's disorienting and quiet and nothing like anywhere else you've been.

The afternoon takes you to Incahuasi Island, where giant cacti grow on a rocky outcrop that rises out of the salt: the locals call it Fish Island, and once you see the shape, you understand why. You'll have time to walk around, take photos, and feel how strange it is to be on an island in the middle of a desert. If you choose the sunset option instead of heading straight back, you stay until 5:30pm to watch the light change across the flat, then return to Uyuni by 6:30pm. Your guide speaks Spanish, handles all the driving, and the whole thing (transport, lunch, entry) is already sorted. You just show up with sunglasses, a hat, sunscreen, a camera with extra batteries, and water.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and drop-off in Uyuni.
• professional driver and guide who speaks Spanish.
• lunch served on the Salar de Uyuni.
• entry to the Train Cemetery, Playa Blanca Hotel, and Incahuasi Island.
• transportation throughout the day in a 4-person vehicle.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 10:30

Book up to6h before

AgesAdult (12 and older) · Under 12: can't be booked

GroupUp to 4

Live guideSpanish

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

Low physical effort

Operated by Joker Expedition, Bolivia.

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see the Salar de Uyuni's main landmarks in one day without arranging transport, hiring a separate guide, or figuring out lunch logistics: the fixed itinerary and small group size mean you spend the day looking instead of planning.

Traveler reviews

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Top questions

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 time does the tour start and end?

Departure is 10:30am from your hotel in Uyuni. If you skip the sunset, you're back by 6:30pm. If you stay for sunset at 5:30pm, return is still around 6:30pm.

Is lunch included?

Yes, lunch is included and served in the middle of the Salar de Uyuni at around 12:30pm.

How many people go on this tour?

Maximum 4 people per group, which keeps it small and means more flexibility for photos and stops.

What language does the guide speak?

The guide speaks Spanish. If you don't speak Spanish, you may want to arrange translation or bring a translation app.

What should I bring?

Sunglasses, a hat, sunscreen, a camera with extra batteries, and plenty of mineral water. The sun reflects off the white salt and dehydration happens fast.

Is hotel pickup included?

Yes, the tour includes hotel pickup and drop-off in Uyuni.

Can I choose to stay for the sunset?

Yes, the itinerary offers a sunset option at 5:30pm as an alternative to returning directly to Uyuni after Incahuasi Island.

Is this tour suitable if I'm not very fit?

The tour is suitable for all physical fitness levels. Most of the day is spent in a vehicle. Walking happens at the Train Cemetery, Incahuasi Island, and brief stops on the salt flat.