La Travesia: Chile’s Atacama to Bolivia’s Uyuni Salt Flats

Traversing from Chile’s Atacama Desert to the Uyuni Salt Flats in Bolivia ranks as one of my favorite trips of all time! Remote, authentic, exclusive, and luxurious, this choose-your-own-adventure experience brought us excellent hikes, stunning photo opportunities, intriguing wildlife and human history, and outstanding guides. The relatively new, eco-chic luxury lodges that we stayed in were mind-blowing, and the food was some of the very best I have had while traveling, a perfect blend of local flavors and fresh ingredients. We took ten days to explore this region with our own private guide and driver, and my only regret is that I would have liked to have spent even more time here. Read on to see pictures from this incredible journey!

This traverse will have you sleeping as high as 13,300 feet and hiking at elevations of up to 16,000 feet or more, so proper acclimatization is essential. To accomplish this, we started our journey in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile (elevation 7,900’) and we spent five days exploring the desert dunes, barren salt flats, high-altitude wetlands, and geothermal fields there. The Atacama was so amazing that it’s worthy of its own photo blog – check out my pictures here!

It was a quick and scenic one-hour drive from San Pedro de Atacama to the Bolivian border, where we immediately entered Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve. This day was my very favorite day of our entire trip. The altiplano landscapes were jaw-dropping and constantly changing, from multi-colored lakes framed by stark high-altitude volcanoes to shimmering salt flats and barren expanses of sand. We made multiple stops to get out of the 4 x 4 and explore, with highlights being the vibrant Lagunas Verde and Blanco, the Martian-like expanses of the Dali Desert, and the smoking fumaroles and boiling mud pots of El Geyser Sol de Mañana. The crimson hues of the flamingo-studded Laguna Colorado were unreal, contrasting starkly with the lake’s white borax salt deposits that stretched for miles.

We ended this day at the incredible Ramaditas lodge, a secluded and minimalist eco-luxury retreat perched on its own, private, reflective lake at an elevation of 13,300’. We had enough time for a leisurely stroll down to the lake before dinner, and I felt like I was in a watercolor painting as we watched the evening light work its magic on the calm waters of the lake. The minimalist architecture of the lodge perfectly highlights the beauty of the surrounding landscapes, and I do regret that we only spent one night at Ramaditas. It’s an excellent launching point for myriad explorations and definitely worthy of at least two nights.

Having our own driver, 4×4 vehicle, and local guide to ourselves meant that we got to choose exactly what we wanted to do each day, and the choices were impressive. Options included scenic drives, hikes ranging from flat, easy strolls to summiting high-altitude volcanoes, bird-watching in high-altitude lagoons, and visits to pictographs, ruins, and local Indigenous villages. Some of my favorite activities were our delectable and scenic picnic lunches, close-up encounters with viscachas (rabbit-like rodents), vicunas, and Darwin’s rheas, hiking through a technicolor valley punctuated by yardangs and hoodoos to see ancient pictograph panels, and encountering flamingos and llamas while enjoying magical light during evening and morning walks.

We ended our traverse with three nights at the northern end of Bolivia’s Uyuni Salt Flats. The day we crossed the flats from the southern end to the northern tip was another highlight of the trip, with many stops to photograph the surreal landscapes around us and play with photographic perspective. In addition to the raw beauty and magnificence of the salt flats, we were stunned by the complete lack of other people, as our eco-lodge was situated in a remote outpost far from the crowds that flock to the town of Uyuni 1.5 hours away. Watching the vibrant hues of the setting sun reflected in the endless flats around us on our last night was a truly unforgettable experience – it really felt like heaven on Earth. The raw beauty and intriguing human history of the Uyuni Salt Flats give this place a spiritual feel, and you can learn more about Uyuni in this photo essay.

When you are ready to experience the remote luxury and untamed beauty of the Atacama to Uyuni Travesia, get in touch so we can help plan your dream escape!

Your Wild Adventure Aficionado,

Alexis Alloway