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Lisbon to Bolivia: La Paz and the Uyuni salt flats

Lisbon → La Paz → Uyuni Salt Flats

La Paz
"Vista_del_centro_de_La_Paz.jpg" by Parallelepiped09, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence
Uyuni Potosi Ave Aerial (Uyuni)
Photo: Jaimalalatete, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Bolivian Altiplano Best season (general guide): Apr–Nov (dry, hexagons); Jan–Mar for mirror effect

The Salar de Uyuni is one of South America's most surreal landscapes: a white plain of salt that stretches to the horizon. This route combines it with La Paz, one of the highest cities in the world. From Lisbon you'll connect via Madrid, São Paulo or another hub to La Paz, and a domestic flight takes you on to Uyuni.

La Paz fills a canyon whose sides climb up to El Alto, and the cable car system is the easiest way to get an overview. The witches' market and the San Francisco church are in the centre, and Valle de la Luna's eroded formations are just outside the city. Day trips go to Lake Titicaca or Tiwanaku's ruins. In Uyuni, tours drive out onto the salt flat to Isla Incahuasi, an island of giant cacti, and stay out for sunset. Longer tours of two or three days continue to coloured lagoons with flamingos, geysers and hot springs near the Chilean border.

From about January to March, rain can leave a thin layer of water that turns the flat into a mirror, but floods can close some routes and the effect is never guaranteed.

Altitude is the main challenge, so give yourself time to adjust and drink plenty of water.

Pacing note: spend your first days in La Paz quietly, before any long tours, as the altitude can cause headaches. Flights to Uyuni are short, but the weather can delay them, so don't book your onward flights too tightly.

Practical notes: From about May to October, the dry season gives clear skies and cracked hexagonal salt patterns, with every route open. Nights on the Altiplano are very cold, even in the dry season.

Suggested outline

  1. Lisbon

    Start

  2. La Paz

    By air · 3 nights suggested

    A city in a deep canyon in the Altiplano. Mi Teleférico cable cars connect it to El Alto above.

  3. Uyuni Salt Flats

    By air · 3 nights suggested

    The world's largest salt flat, reached by a short flight from La Paz. Multi-day tours by 4x4 continue to the lagoons and geysers of the south-west.

    Salar de Uyuni
    "Reflection on the Salar de Uyuni, bolivia.jpg" by Christopher Crouzet, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence

Day by day

  1. Day 1 · La Paz — Arrive; rest at altitude· Lisbon → La Paz (by air) — long-haul; may arrive the next calendar day
  2. Day 2 · La Paz — Mi Teleférico and the centre
  3. Day 3 · La Paz — Valle de la Luna or Tiwanaku
  4. Day 4 · Uyuni Salt Flats — Fly to Uyuni· La Paz → Uyuni Salt Flats (by air)
  5. Day 5 · Uyuni Salt Flats — Salt flat and Isla Incahuasi; sunset
  6. Day 6 · Uyuni Salt Flats — Lagoons tour or return
  7. Day 7 · Uyuni Salt Flats — Travel home from Uyuni Salt Flats· Uyuni Salt Flats → Lisbon (by air)

A suggested pace only; expedition days are set by the operator.

Flights, leg by leg

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La Paz

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Uyuni Salt Flats

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