Uyuni 3 Day Tour: Salt Flat and Colored Lagoons

The Full Money Picture

The $290 covers the jeep, the shared English-speaking guide (one guide for two or three vehicles), all meals on the route and both nights' beds. The platform then adds $62 in mandatory extras, which pushes the booking total to $352 before you have left the checkout page. On top of that you pay cash on the road: the Eduardo Avaroa reserve entrance of 150 Bs (about $13), the Incahuasi Island fee of 30 Bs (about $3), a $10 sleeping bag rental and the transfer onward to San Pedro de Atacama if you want to end in Chile. Water is also listed as excluded, so buy bottles in Uyuni.

For context, the 3-day Tours Transandino route lists at $309.90 and totals $319.90 with mandatory extras, while the 3-day crossing that ends in San Pedro costs $450 with the transfer included. Full totals sit in the Uyuni tour price comparison.

Day 1: Uyuni to the Salt Hostel

The jeep leaves the office at 10:00. The first stop is the Train Cemetery about 3 km from Uyuni, 30 minutes among 19th-century steam locomotives. Then Colchani, 30 minutes at Bolivia's largest salt-processing cooperative, where iodine is mixed and packed.

On the salar's shore you see the salt eyes, the Dakar monument and the old Playa Blanca salt hotel, now a museum. Lunch is at the former hotel, with roast llama, beef or vegetarian food. Next comes a 1-2 hour perspective photo and video session with the driver guides on the open salt, and Incahuasi Island, 100 km from Uyuni in the middle of the salt flat.

The listing puts its cacti at up to 7 meters tall, while other sources report up to 12 meters. The day ends with sunset on the western shore of the salar and the drive to Salt Hostel Magia del Salar for tea, dinner and bed.

Day 2: The Lagoons, 350 km and 9 Hours

Breakfast is followed by a 7:30 departure. The listing states the day covers 350 km between 3,660 and 5,000 meters in about 9 hours. The order runs Chullpas cemetery, the Chiguana desert and the Ollague viewpoint on a semi-active volcano on the Chilean border, then the chain of lagoons: Cañapa, Hedionda (lunch stop), Chiarcota and Honda.

The route crosses the Siloli Desert with its seven-colored volcanoes to the Árbol de Piedra, the wind-carved Stone Tree, then reaches Laguna Colorada at 4,278 meters with its two viewpoints and three flamingo species. The day closes at the Sol de Mañana geysers, given at 4,850 to 4,900 meters depending on the source, and the Polques hot springs, before the night at Hostal Los Andes, where the shared room is basic and the oxygen tank is for whoever needs it. Tell the operator beforehand if you have any breathing history.

Day 3: Laguna Verde and the Border

The third day works through the Eduardo Avaroa reserve's far south toward Laguna Verde at 4,310 meters under the 5,868-meter Licancabur volcano. Travelers ending in Bolivia ride back to Uyuni. Travelers continuing to Chile leave the group at the Hito Cajón pass at 4,480 meters, where Bolivian exit formalities are processed at the summit and Chilean customs are completed later in San Pedro de Atacama town, about 45 km from the pass.

That onward transfer is not in the price, so arrange and pay for it separately.

Health Warnings from the Listing

The operator states the route is not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries, pregnant travelers, people with poor cardiovascular health, travelers with altitude sickness (the listing says to acclimatize in Cusco, Peru first), travelers with diarrhea or pneumonia, and travelers with excess weight. A moderate level of physical fitness is required. No minimum age is stated, and no wheelchair provision is stated.

The altitude is the reason for all of it. Day 2 runs from 3,660 to 5,000 meters, and the Eduardo Avaroa reserve spans 4,200 to 5,400 meters. The CDC advises gaining no more than about 500 meters of sleeping altitude per night and staging 2-3 nights at 2,450 to 2,750 meters before going higher. Uyuni town itself sits at 3,656 to 3,700 meters depending on the source, so spend a night or two there before the tour, and read the guide to Uyuni altitude sickness for symptoms and fixes.

Travelers Who Should Pick a Different Trip

If two nights in cold, basic lodgings at altitude sound like a bad deal rather than an adventure, a day loop keeps the salt flat and skips the lagoons. The 9-hour sunset and mirror-effect day tour totals $85 with its mandatory extras plus a 30 Bs Incahuasi ticket, and the 8-hour highlights jeep tour runs $90 plus a $5 island fee. If you want the same 3-day route but with the Chile transfer included, the 3-day tour ending in San Pedro de Atacama costs $450 with the transfer in the price, though entrance fees are still extra and its listing says hot showers work about 75% of the time.

Every other route, from sunset runs to Chile crossings, is laid out on the comparison of Uyuni tours by route.

Cancellation and What to Confirm in Writing

You can cancel free up to 24 hours before the scheduled departure for a full refund, and nothing is refundable inside that window. The listing can also be cancelled for bad weather or insufficient travelers. Before paying, ask the operator to confirm in writing that the guide is English-speaking (the listing promises one guide shared across two or three vehicles), which meals suit your diet (vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free are available if communicated before departure), the exact sleeping arrangements at both hostels, and whether the Chilean transfer can be arranged and at what price, since it is excluded.

Cash, Cold and Clothes

Carry bolivianos in cash: 150 Bs (about $13) for the Eduardo Avaroa reserve, 30 Bs (about $3) for Incahuasi Island, and $10 for the sleeping bag rental, which is not included per the listing's exclusions. Nights are freezing. June to August average lows run around -3.7°C to -4.0°C in Uyuni town, and the refuges on the 4,200 to 5,400-meter circuit run colder.

Pack thermal layers, a hat and gloves, and rent the sleeping bag or bring your own. The salt glare is fierce, so bring sunglasses and sunscreen at altitude. The guide to what to pack for Uyuni has the full list.

Documents and the Border

Bring your passport. All foreign travelers must complete Bolivia's mandatory SIGEMIG online immigration registration at migracion.gob.bo before or on arrival, giving lodging details for the whole stay, and non-compliance is fined on exit. US citizens can enter Bolivia visa-free for tourism for up to 90 days under the policy change that took effect in late 2025.

If you continue into Chile at Hito Cajón, Chile requires a sworn SAG declaration of any plant or animal-origin goods, and items such as dairy, fresh fruit, meat and seeds are commonly barred. Finish any picnic fruit before the line. The crossing is covered in detail in San Pedro de Atacama to Uyuni.