Following My Twins to Bolivia’s Uyuni Salt Flats
by André Koester, Independent Travel Advisor
My twin 16-year-old sons love to travel - and the more exotic the destination, the better. I am willing to indulge their wanderlust as long as the locale has a good place to stay. With the word "luxury" in my title of Luxury Travel Advisor, I can't recommend a destination to my clients unless the lodging is at a very high standard.
The twins have had the salt flats of Bolivia - Uyuni - on their bucket list for several years. I finally booked the trip last June when the South American travel company Explora opened a beautiful lodge there. Uyuni wasn't originally at the top of my own travel wish list, but I am so glad I went: the salt flats are some of the most beautiful scenery I have seen.
We started in La Paz, Bolivia's capital, which is known for being the highest capital city in the world at nearly 12,000 feet above sea level. The setting is stunning. The city sits within a deep canyon, with neighborhoods climbing dramatically up the canyon walls. Instead of a subway system, La Paz uses gondolas (yes, like a ski resort) as public transportation. We spent several hours traversing the city by gondola, gawking at just how steep some parts of the city are. Highlights of La Paz include the Witch's Market, the colonial city center, and the Valley of the Moon - an otherworldly landscape of clay and sandstone spires threaded with hiking trails.
From La Paz, we took a one-hour flight to Uyuni Airport, where our guides met us to begin exploring the 4,000-square-mile Uyuni salt flats. Explora welcomed the three of us with two vehicles, two drivers, and two guides. At first, I thought three people hardly needed four staff members looking after us, but we quickly got used to it - and loved it.
Our first stop was Explora's gorgeous Uyuni Lodge. Perched on a hill, it boasts sweeping views of the salt flats - bright white for as far as you can see, punctuated by a few "islands," hills covered in towering cacti. The lodge offers six cozy rooms, all with spectacular views, along with a lovely common area that serves as both a lounge and a dining room. The food is simple but varied, delicious, and plentiful. Even my picky eaters were happy.
Once settled, we set out to explore. We hiked on some of the cactus-covered islands, rode bikes across the salt flats, and searched for wildlife - llamas, vicuña, and flamingos. The twins even hiked to the top of a 17,000-foot volcano. (I met them for lunch after.) We also spent time stargazing; with virtually no light pollution, the night skies are extraordinary.
One of the biggest highlights was photography. Because the salt stretches endlessly in every direction, the perspective creates images with unusual scale - small objects appear enormous and people can look tiny. Our guides knew every trick in the book and carried a bag full of props to help create fun photos. We could have spent hours doing it. When sections of the salt were wet, the mirror effect created even more surreal images, so whenever we spotted water, out came the cameras.
Another highlight for me was the al fresco dining. Our guides would set up beautiful multi-course lunches right on the salt flats, complete with tables and chairs. Watching the colors change as the sun set and the moon rose - while sipping a delicious cocktail in the middle of this vast landscape - was incredibly memorable.
I have Explora and my twins to thank for inspiring a trip to a place I knew very little about. Now, it's a destination I can't recommend highly enough.