Salar de Uyuni Day Trip: Train Cemetery & Salt Flats

One Day Across the World's Largest Salt Flat, Plus Forgotten Trains

You spend a full day crossing the Salar de Uyuni in a 4x4 with a Spanish-speaking guide, starting at the Train Cemetery, moving through a salt workshop, then onto the salt flat itself to see Playa Blanca, underground salt rivers, and island cacti. Lunch, water and all main entry fees are included. The vehicle and guide handle the logistics so you just show up and ride.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Salar de Uyuni and surroundings

• Visit Train Cemetery
• See artisan salt manufacture
• Discover underground salt eyes
• Visit Playa Blanca salt hotel
• Explore island with large cacti
• Admire views of Salar de Uyuni

The experience

You probably picture the Salar de Uyuni as that flat white expanse where the sky and ground blur into one (and it is that), but what catches you off guard is how much happens before you even step onto it. The day starts at the Train Cemetery, a graveyard of rusted locomotives and carriages left to rust in the Bolivian highlands. Your Spanish-speaking driver-guide walks you through the skeletal frames, pointing out the dates stamped on the metal, the bolts still holding sections together after decades of abandonment. It's eerie in a way that photographs don't quite capture, and it sets a strange tone for what comes next.

After the trains, you stop in a small town where salt workers still hand-craft items from pure salt (bowls, figurines, blocks), using methods that haven't changed much in generations. You see the salt ponds where they harvest it, taste the difference between what comes from here and what you've had anywhere else. Then the 4x4 heads onto the Salar de Uyuni itself. The flatness is real, but it's not empty. Your guide shows you the salt eyes (underground rivers that flow beneath the surface), and takes you to Playa Blanca, the first salt hotel ever built out here, where you can stand in a room made entirely of salt blocks and look out at nothing but white in every direction. There's an island in the middle of the flat with flags from countries all over the world planted in the salt, and depending on the season and water levels, you might reach an island thick with giant cacti, some over 10 meters tall, their arms reaching up against the sky.

The whole thing takes one day. You're in a 4x4 the whole time with your guide, stopping to walk around, take photos, eat lunch somewhere on the salt. Bottled water and soda come with you. The pace is steady but not rushed. There's time to stand still and let the scale of it sink in. By the end, your eyes are tired from the brightness and your mind is a little scrambled by how different it all is from anywhere else you've been.

What’s included

• 4x4 vehicle for the full day.
• Spanish-speaking driver-guide.
• lunch.
• bottled water and soda.
• admission to the Train Cemetery, salt workshop, Playa Blanca salt hotel, and island sites (subject to seasonal access).
• stops at the salt eyes and flag island.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 10:40

Book up to18h before

AgesAdult (18 to 59 years) · Senior (60 and older) · Youth (12 to 17 years) · Child (2 to 11 years) · Infant (under 2): free

GroupUp to 12

Live guideSpanish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 5 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortWheelchair accessibleStroller-friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Empresa turística Parina de Sal

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see the Salar de Uyuni and its surroundings in one day without arranging your own transport or figuring out which sites to hit: the fixed route covers the main stops and the 4x4 handles the driving across terrain that needs it.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (12 to 17 years); Child (2 to 11 years); Infant (under 2): 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.

How long is the tour?

One full day. The itinerary covers the Train Cemetery, salt workshop, and multiple stops across the Salar de Uyuni including Playa Blanca and island sites.

What's included in the price?

The 4x4 vehicle, driver-guide in Spanish, lunch, bottled water and soda, and admission to almost all attractions on the route.

Can I visit the island with cacti?

Yes, if conditions allow. During the rainy season when water levels are high, the island may be inaccessible, so availability depends on when you travel.

What language is the guide?

Spanish. The driver-guide speaks Spanish throughout the day.

Do I need to bring anything?

Water and soda are provided, but bring sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat: the salt flat reflects intense sun. Warm layers are also useful as temperatures drop at altitude.

Is the Train Cemetery worth seeing?

It's the opening stop and gives context to the region's history. The rusted locomotives are a striking contrast to the salt flat and make for strong photographs.