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Bolivia
was the highlight of our trip to South-America.
The capital La Paz, lying at a breathtaking altitude of 3650 meter, looks
like one big market. Everybody is selling the most
unlikely things on the street for prices that want to make you start a
99 cent store. Even though it is very busy, it is quite a pleasant city
to walk through. Just observing the people and the merchandise, nobody
bothers you and this is
quite a relief after coming from Cusco in Peru. We ended up renting a
three bedroom apartment in Hotel Continental for the four of us,
where we spent a couple of days relaxing.
After that we took the train south to Uyuni, near the salt lake that lies on the border between Chile and Bolivia. From Uyuni we took a
tour with a 4WD for three days through the desert. There the sights
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are unbelieveable. The salt lake itself is 12000
square kilometer
and you can drive for hours seeing nothing but salt. During the day
it is hot and the salt is so bright you need dark sunglasses at all
times. At night the temperature drops to below freezing, making you
realize that you are at around 4200 meters altitude. When you go, make
sure you bring a windbreaker and for the night extra blankets.
The temperature is known to drop below -20 Celcius!
In the sea of salt there are islands, just like
you would have them in regular lakes. You can still see the old
coastline and where the beach used to be a few million years ago.
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View over La Paz from our room at Hotel Continental
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Laguna Colorada
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Isla Pescado, an island in the sea of salt
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Besides the salt, the desert also contains
active vulcanos, geysers, hot springs. vulcanic mud pools and
several lakes colored by
various minerals and inhabited by flamingos. Driving through
this
almost extra-terrestial landscape is an unforgettable experience.
If you ever have a chance to
go to South-America, make sure to take this desert trip.
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Chisako and I in the salt desert
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and in front of an active vulcano
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There is no rain in the desert, so the only erosion is caused by wind
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Chisako and Otto taking a break
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Our travel partners Otto and Maris
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It looks idyllic, but with a combination of high altitude,
low temperature and hurricane force
like winds it is difficult walking
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Recommendations:
Hotel Continental +591 2 451176/740045, Calle Illampu Nº626, La Paz, bolclimb@cafemonet.com
Right in the center of the city the penthouse 3 bedroom apartment (room 401) at 25$ per night is one of the best deals I have seen in South-America.
Hotel Tonito +591 2 693 3186, 48 Avenida Ferroviaria, Uyuni, 20$ per night, hot water 24 hours per day
Colque Tours +591 2 693 2199, Calle Avenida Potosí Nr. 54, Uyuni
$65 for a 3 days/2 nights trip through the salt desert from Uyuni to San Pedro de Atacama, travellers report different experiences, our trip with them was fine
In Uyuni try to avoid Hotel Avenida accross from the train station. There is
a good chance that there is no water (not even to flush the toilet) and
when we complained the staff became physically and verbally abusive.
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