First of all HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my Nanny who is 89 years young today xxxx :)
Salar de Uyuni is the worlds largest salt flat. It is exactly what it says, a massive flat entirely made up of salt! It is 10,500 meters squared and was basically formed when salt lakes dried up in prehistoric times.
There are many different tours that you can do of this area. We chose a 3 night/ 4day tour that would take us from Tupiza to Uyuni and then onto San Pedro de Atacama in Chile. Our tour would cover the salt flat and the surrounding area. I couldn't wait!..... an amazing 4 days were ahead of us.
Day 1
We left Tupiza at 9.30am in our 4x4 land cruiser .There were the four of us, our driver Rico and our cook Norma. Everything we needed for the next four days was packed into the van; food water, mobile kitchen and our rucksacks were tied down on the roof. The agenda for the day was to drive from Tupiza to Uyuni, a drive that would take the full day. The scenery on the way was amazing, Tupiza and the surrounding landscape really is just like the wild west. There were certain points along the way that had spectacular views where we stopped to walk around and take photos. There were parts of the land that were desolate and hadn't a person around for miles. There were also parts of the land that were desolate and DID have little houses dotted around the place, I have no idea how people can live in such isolation.
As we drove the landscape was constantly changing. One minute we were driving through the mountains and the next we were driving through desert. At one point we hit a sandstorm and actually lost the road!! Our driver had to get out and walk to try and find the trail we meant to be following.
I was delighted when we stopped for lunch as I was starving. We pulled into a spot where there was an old deserted farm and used an old shed to shield us from the wind which was coooold! This was our first taste of what the food would be like over the next few days and we weren't disappointed! Norma whipped up a storm and when we headed off again we were all full and happy.
We arrived in Uyuni that evening and had a half an hour to walk around.... a half an hour too long. Uyuni is not a nice place. We then set off to the edge of the salar to watch sunset. AMAZING! The salar was some sight, if you didnt know it was salt you would think it was snow. It was freezing so we didnt hang around too long after sunset and went to where we would be staying that night..... a house made of salt.
When we pulled up I was very apprehensive it was literally a house made of salt!! When we got in though things weren't as bad as they seemed! We were shown to our beds... that were made of salt and then we were given snacks and tea while we waited for dinner. Dinner was again a lovely meal and afterwards we played some cards and had a few rums!
DAY 2
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!
Brekkie today was amazing as it was a BIRTHDAY CAKE made especially for me by Norma. I was so delighted when I went out for brekkie and found the cake with candles waiting for me. The lads had bought the candles in Uyuni and sang a beautiful rendition of happy birthday. I was chuffed!
We set off at around 9 for the salt flats which were spectacular! Every direction you looked there was salt salt and more salt. I even had a little lick just to make sure it wasn't some kind of conspiracy ha. After a good drive we all got out of the jeep to take some of the famous photos. Something to do with the flatness and the horizon gives an illusion of you being smaller or bigger than you actually are. Id say we spent a good hour messing about here trying to get the photos perfect. Its actually hard to get right!
After this we had a choice to either visit a volcano or some thing else that I cant remember!! Anyway we chose to go to the volcano which turned out to be a very good choice. The salar used to be a massive lake so the volcano was once an island in the middle of the lake. We parked on the 'island' and Norma started to prepare lunch. In the meantime we went off on a little wander where we saw our first sighting of pink flamingos.
After lunch we drove up to a view point on the volcano where we could look out over the salar. Then we walked a little to where we were show Inca mummies. This was shocking and scary. Our guide had got the key to a cave that was locked and let us in. Inside the cave were 8 skeletons of Inacs including 2 children. We were told that they had locked themselves in the cave and starved themselves rather than be taken into slavery.
Our next stop was Cactus Island. As the name suggests the island was covered in cacti! We did a little trek here and afterwards had a few birthday beers!!
Our accommodation that night was a slight upgrade on the night before. The previous night we were on our own where as tonight it was ore like a hostel and there were other groups staying there. Again it was made of salt! More cards and more rum tonight.
DAY 3
Early start today. We were up at 6.45, breakfast at 7 and packed up and on the road at 8. It was a long drive today towards 5 different lakes all with unique features. The weather was freezing. We were lucky to be able to do this part of the tour as just a few weeks previous there was too much snow for anyone to drive this route. Luckily for us the snow was melting so we could take this route.
At our first lake we had lunch. The scenery was just spectacular and yet again we saw flamingos. This area is know for its flamingos and sometimes if your lucky you can see thousands at a time.
We spent the day driving from lake to lake. We didnt get out at the all as the wind was fierce and it was baltic!
That night was one of the coldest of my life. I slept in 3 layers of clothes, 2 massive blankets and a sleeping bag. Brrrrrrr
DAY 4
We woke up this morning and headed off before to catch sunrise at Geysers.
IT WAS -12.
Geysers are the pipes of steam that blow up from under the ground. Probably not the most scientific explanation ever but thats the gist of it. Nedless to say as it was -12 we didnt hang around outside the jeep for too long. Out, photos and back in to try and get some warmth back into our freezing bodies.
The next stop on our final day was hot springs beside one of three more lakes we were to visit that day. I did not indulge in the hot springs as i was about 9am and still in minus figures! No way was I jumping into a bikini and freezing my ass off! We had brekie at the hot springs and headed off again towards the Chilean border.
The second lake we visited today was a red lake, turned red because of the minerals from the mountain. And finally we stopped at a green lake! Again turned green because of the different minerals that were in the soil.
Our final stop of the day was the Bolivian/Chilean border. Our guides dropped us off and helped us sort out our passport exit stamps and then said their goodbyes.
I have to say that the scenery I saw on the past four days was the most spectacular and diverse I have ever seen. It was stunning and the photos I took just cant do it justice. An amazing four days spent with a sound bunch of lads!
SIDE NOTE:
26 years of age and still messing about with no real 'life plan' mehh who cares Im having a ball!!!
Ha I will admit that I was a bit worried about where I would spend my birthday and who with but it turned out to be an amazing day and one I wont forget in a hurry!!
No comments:
Post a Comment