Salar de Uyuni Tour Day 2

May 11, 2025By maverickbirdPosted in Bolivia, Outside India, South America

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Our last day of the Salar de Uyuni tour began at predawn. The stars were still bright and hard, the air was cold, and we were once again numb from sleep. Pepe drove deeper and into Uyuni wilderness, towards Sol de Manana, until the altitude was nearly 5000 meters above sea level. Meaning Morning Sun in Spanish, it is a large geothermal field which is characterized by intense volcanic activity and has sulphur springs, mud lakes, and steam pools with boiling mud.

Several natural holes emit pressurized steam rising to 50 meters, and they are most active in the morning. In that pre-dawn darkness, we woke up with a start when steam rose eerily like ghosts all around us. Although Pepe encouraged us to explore around, we did not cherish the idea of stumbling into a boiling mud lake in the dark and were too sleepy and cold to step out of the warm car.

The last day of Salar de Uyuni tour

So we snuggled inside the car, huddling into a tight group as Pepe drove on. The trail was filled with caravans of tour cars, and their headlights shone feebly through morning fog. Finally, somewhere on the Bolivian Antiplano (Highlands), the sun rose like a sleepy child and filled the sky shyly with soft, fuzzy light. It peeped slowly among the stars and soon faded them out. The sky changed colours and from a lovely silver, quickly ripened into a light golden hue.

Pepe screeched to a stop at Termas de Polques hot springs and dragged his lazy bunch out of the car. We followed him to the rusty cabins, attended our “morning” business in disgusting hole-in-the-floor toilets, stripped and made mad dashes over powdery frost. Unprepared for a swim, we were nearly naked on that freezing morning, as we jumped into the hot springs and luxuriated in the delicious hot-cold experience. The sun rose youthfully around us, spreading the rising steam and scattering birds in flocks, and we watched it rise from our hot spring natural tub.

A morning swim in the geothermal pools

It was the most awesome and refreshing experience, and we felt clean and energized after the dip. The cold combined deliciously with the hot steam, and after the initial electric jolt-like shock, the most amazing sensation filled us to our cores. We swam, lazed, and gossiped till the young sun disappeared into blinding light. Breakfast was waiting for us at the cabin when we came out of the pool, and our morning madness made us ravenous. We ate till we burst, chatted with other travelers who arrived in jeep loads, and enjoyed our time by the spring. An impatient Pepe, however, soon bundled us back into the car and once again raced over the strange moon land of Bolivia.

The stone tree of Arbol de Piedra

The landscape became drier as we neared the Chile border, and the famous Arbol de Piedra (4412m) blossomed like a mirage in the middle of the endless desert. Energetic and awake after our morning swim, we delightfully trudged over the rippling sand and trooped out for photos. The stone tree stood beautiful, curvaceous, and nearly alive due to its magnificent shape. Carved out by howling, sandy winds, it was strangely top-heavy and naturally ringed by a wall of boulders. We needed to go to the toilet again badly, but strangely, following distinctly marked WC signs scattered us at different spots in the desert.

Chile came soon with burnt-out buses, doves, and a lonesome immigration office. We waited for Pepe to drop our French companions there and wished them luck as they went over towards Santiago de Chile. The rest of us headed back towards Bolivia and crossed the beautiful Salvador Dali desert. Strangely dotted with fantastic rock formations, the desert looked as beautifully quirky as the great master’s creations, and we watched his lovely namesake pass by in slow motion.

End of the Salar de Uyuni tour and

Our Uyuni trip came to an end soon, and in spite of the grueling routine, we found it mildly heartbreaking to leave the incredible beauty behind. That day, a road block disrupted traffic in Uyuni (a very common Bolivian phenomenon) and in spite of Pepe’s expert driving, it took us an extra 3 hours to reach the little dusty town again. Bolivian wilderness soon got merged into endless rocky mountains, streams, and gorges as we raced on until finally Uyuni came in sight. We tipped and thanked Pepe profusely and trooped back to Gringo Plaza together, a very raggedy but extremely happy bunch. Although dust-caked, dirty, and bone exhausted, another night at Hostal Avenida seemed unpalatable, so Claudia and I immediately boarded the first bus to La Paz.

The capital city was only 10 hours away, and the thought of city sights, a comfortable hotel, and a hot shower made us take one of the most foolish travel decisions ever.