La Paz to Uyuni Salt Flats: 2-Day Flight & Volcano Tour
White Desert & Volcano: 2 Days Across Bolivia's Highest Plateau
You fly from La Paz to the Uyuni Salt Flats, spend two days crossing white desert and volcanic terrain with a private guide and small group, stay in a salt-block hotel with stargazing, and return by flight. The pace is unhurried, meals are included, and the altitude support is built in. You're not arranging transport, hotels, or timing yourself.
Step-by-step itinerary
Day 1: Flight and Salt Flats Exploration
- Private transfer to El Alto airport
- Flight from La Paz to Uyuni
- Private transfer to hotel for rest
- Visit Train Cemetery
- Explore Colchani artisan town
- Visit Incahuasi Island and walk
- Lunch with views of Tunupa Volcano
- Watch sunset in Uyuni Salt Flats
- Stargazing tour in salt desert
- Overnight in salt block hotel
Day 2: Tunupa Volcano and Local Culture
- Visit Tunupa Volcano and see wildlife
- Lunch with Andean landscape views
- Visit bofedales, stone museum, quinoa fields
- Experience local community life
- Return to Uyuni and overnight at boutique hotel
Day 3: Return to La Paz
- Transfer to Uyuni airport
- Flight from Uyuni to La Paz
- Pick up and transfer to hotel in La Paz
- La Paz passing by
- Uyuni passing by
- Train Cemetery 45m
- Colchani 1h
- Isla Incahuasi Entry included 2h
- Colchani passing by
- Tunupa Volcano Entry included 2h
- Coquesa 1h
- Uyuni passing by
- Uyuni passing by
- La Paz passing by
What’s included
Round-trip flights between La Paz and Uyuni, private Land Cruiser transportation with a certified English-speaking guide, two nights accommodation (one in a salt-block hotel, one in a boutique hotel in Uyuni town), all meals from breakfast on day one through lunch on day three, oxygen bottles for altitude support, hotel pickup and drop-off in La Paz, a glass of champagne, and stargazing on night one.
- Every day 06:30
Information
Fly from La Paz to Uyuni Salt Flats for 2 days with private 4x4, Incahuasi Island, Tunupa Volcano, salt hotel & stargazing. Includes flights, meals, guide.
Compare the 8 alternatives
Traveler reviews
The experience
The salt stretches so far that the horizon dissolves into sky, and you can't tell where the ground ends. You'll start at 6 a.m. in La Paz with a private pickup to El Alto airport, then fly 90 minutes to Uyuni at 3,656 meters above sea level. The landscape shifts as you descend, from city to thin air to an expanse of white that looks like someone poured salt across the world and left it there. Your guide meets you at Uyuni airport with a Land Cruiser, and the real day begins.
Day one moves through three distinct stops before you reach the salt flat itself. First, the Train Cemetery: an open-air museum of rusted locomotives and wagons scattered across a field, each one carrying stories of Bolivia's mining boom. Your guide walks you through the history while the metal catches the light. Then Colchani, a small town on the salt flat's edge where you'll see artisans hand-processing salt and locals working the shallow pools. It's not a photo stop. It's a place where people live and work. After that comes Incahuasi Island, a rocky outcrop rising from the white expanse, covered in giant cacti that have survived here for centuries. You climb to the top and eat lunch, actually a proper meal with champagne, while looking out at the Tunupa Volcano across the salt. The sunset happens while you're still out there, the sky turning orange and pink, and then you drive to your hotel: a structure built entirely from salt blocks, five stars, surreal in every way. That night includes stargazing: the altitude and the lack of light pollution mean the sky is so thick with stars it almost hurts to look at.
Day two takes you to Tunupa Volcano itself, a mystical place where Aymara mummies rest in caves and herds of pink flamingos move across the landscape like they're painted on. You'll see llamas, vicuñas, and the raw Andean terrain that shaped the people who live here. Lunch happens in the field with views that don't fit in a photograph. After, you visit the bofedales (wetlands), a stone museum, and quinoa plantations where you meet local families. It's not rushed. The pace lets you actually absorb what you're seeing instead of collecting it. That night you stay in a boutique hotel in Uyuni town, closer to the airport. On day three, you fly back to La Paz, arriving by midday.
The whole thing is limited to six travelers, which means the Land Cruiser doesn't feel crowded and the guide can actually talk to you instead of shouting over a group. Everything is included: flights, both hotels, all meals, oxygen bottles (you'll need them at this altitude), and a certified English-speaking guide. If you need a vegetarian option or have mobility concerns, they work with you before you book.
Top questions
What languages is the tour guided in?
Live guide in English, Spanish and Portuguese.
How high is the altitude in Uyuni?
Uyuni sits at 3,656 meters (12,000 feet) above sea level. Oxygen bottles are provided, and the itinerary includes rest time on day one to acclimatize.
What time does the pickup happen in La Paz?
Hotel pickup is at 6:00 a.m. on day one for the drive to El Alto airport.
Is the salt hotel really made of salt?
Yes. The walls, furniture, and beds are constructed from salt blocks. It's a working hotel, not a novelty. It has heating, electricity, and proper bedding.
What's included in meals?
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included all three days. Lunch on day one is served in the salt flat with champagne. A vegetarian option is available if you request it when booking.
How many people travel together?
Groups are limited to six travelers maximum, traveling in a private Land Cruiser with one guide.
Do I need to be fit for this tour?
The tour is suitable for all fitness levels. Most time is spent in the vehicle or on short walks. The main challenge is altitude, not physical exertion.
What animals will I see?
Pink flamingos, llamas, vicuñas, and other Andean wildlife, especially around Tunupa Volcano on day two.
Is this wheelchair accessible?
Transportation and hotels are wheelchair accessible. Discuss mobility needs when booking so the guide can plan stops accordingly.
How long is the flight from La Paz to Uyuni?
Approximately 90 minutes each way. Flights are included in the package.
What should I pack?
Warm layers (it's cold at altitude, especially at night), sunscreen, sunglasses, and a hat. The salt reflects intense UV light.
Operated by Joker Expedition, Bolivia.. Explorevia does not run this tour: we compare it with similar options, and you book it with our booking partner.
Prices and times updated 11 days ago
La Paz to Uyuni Salt Flats: 2-Day Flight & Volcano Tour
2d · EN · ES · PT · at your hotel
from US$ 1,250 per person
Next, you choose your date and number of travelers and see the final price.