Uyuni Salt Flats Full-Day Tour: Train Cemetery & Incahuasi Island

The train cemetery and a cactus island in an infinite salt desert, ending with sunset across the flats.

A full-day tour of Salar de Uyuni departing from Uyuni includes hotel or airport pickup, shared 4x4 transport, lunch cooked in the middle of the salt flats, and stops at the train cemetery, Colchani salt refinery, and Incahuasi Island. The tour runs roughly 8 to 9 hours and returns to town around 7 pm. You can book as a shared group or private tour. The Incahuasi Island entrance fee is separate.

Step-by-step itinerary

Full day tour of Uyuni Salt Flats

• Meet and pick up travelers
• Visit train cemetery
• Explore Colchani salt refinery
• Walk trails on Incahuasi Island
• Lunch in the middle of the salar
• Stop at Playa Blanca Salt Hotel
• Watch sunset on salt flats
• Return to Uyuni town

The experience

The day starts with pickup from your hotel or the airport, then heads straight to the train cemetery: a landscape of rusted locomotives and rail cars that once symbolized Bolivia's push into the modern era. From there the route cuts into the salt flats themselves, stopping at the Colchani refinery to watch salt extraction and see the massive white heaps piled across the landscape.

Incahuasi Island is the longest stop: a rare elevated patch in the otherwise flat expanse, covered in tall cardón cacti. You walk the trails to the summit and get the panoramic view that makes the photos worth taking. After that, the guide sets up a table and chairs in the middle of the salar and cooks lunch right there, so you eat surrounded by salt and sky. A stop at the Playa Blanca Hotel (the first salt hotel ever built here) gives you the chance to pose with the famous DAKAR statue before the final leg back toward town. The route ends with a quiet stop to watch the sunset wash across the flats, then returns to Uyuni around 7 pm.

The 7-seater 4x4 is shared with other travelers on the group tour option, or private if you book that way. A Spanish-speaking guide drives and narrates the whole day. Lunch is included. The entrance to Incahuasi Island costs 30 Bolivian pesos extra and is paid on site.

What’s included

• Hotel or airport pickup.
• lunch cooked in the salt desert.
• expert Spanish-speaking driver and guide.
• shared or private 4x4 transport.
• stops at the train cemetery, Colchani salt refinery, Incahuasi Island and Playa Blanca Hotel.
• sunset viewing on the return.

Options for this experience

2 options

Shared tourGuide in Spanish · 10:00Shared tour for up to 6 people. Includes pickup.

Private tourGuide in Spanish · 10:00Private tour with up to 5 travelers per car. Includes pickup.

You see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates & prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 10:00

Book up to16h before

GroupUp to 6 · max 5 per booking

Live guideSpanish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 33 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 5 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical level

Operated by Howlanders

Is this one for you?Book the shared tour if you're comfortable meeting other travelers and want to split the vehicle cost. Choose private if your group prefers to move at its own pace and have the guide's full attention. Either way, the full-day route fits all fitness levels and ends in time for an evening departure to La Paz.

Traveler reviews

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Top questions

What exactly is the train cemetery in Uyuni?

The train cemetery is a landscape of abandoned locomotives and rail cars left from Bolivia's railway era. It sits as your first stop after pickup and marks the edge of the salt flats, a visual reminder of the country's industrial past.

Can I walk around Incahuasi Island, or is it just a drive-by stop?

Incahuasi Island has walking trails you explore on foot. You climb to the highest point to see the panoramic view across the entire salt desert, and the island is covered in tall cardón cacti you see up close as you walk.

Is lunch included, and where do we eat?

Lunch is included and cooked by the guide in the middle of the salt flats. The guide sets up a table and chairs so you eat surrounded by the desert landscape.

Does the tour include hotel pickup, or do I need to get to a meeting point?

Hotel or airport pickup is included, so the driver collects you from your accommodation or arrival point before the tour begins.

What time does the tour end and get back to Uyuni?

The tour returns to Uyuni around 7 pm, which gives you time to catch an evening bus to La Paz if you need to travel onward the same day.

What's the difference between the shared and private tour options?

The shared tour runs with other travelers in the same 7-seater vehicle. The private tour is just your group in the vehicle. Both follow the same route and stops, and both include the guide, lunch, and pickup.