Red Lagoon & Uyuni Salt Flats 3-Day Guided Tour

5 (125 Reviews)
From: $ 275
5
(125 reviews)
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Duration

3 Days 2 Nights

Tour Type

Daily Tour

Group Size

Unlimited

Languages

English, Español

About this tour

Embark on an unforgettable 3-day journey through the surreal landscapes of Bolivia: endless salt flats, colorful lagoons, steaming geysers, and unique Andean wildlife. Experience breathtaking views, playful photo opportunities, and the magic of the high-altitude desert
Upgrade your service
Bus La Paz to Uyuni$ 50
Bus Uyuni to La Paz$ 50
Priv. Room w/ Priv. Toilet – Both Nights$ 80
Sleeping Bag$ 10
Transfer to San Pedro de Atacama$ 35

This tour features several optional add-ons designed to enhance your overall experience. Please note that all listed prices are per person, and you can easily include these services when finalizing your reservation.

Highlights

  • Uyuni Salt Flats – Explore the world’s largest salt desert and take creative photos
  • Colorful Lagoons & Deserts – See flamingos, surreal landscapes, and the iconic Stone Tree
  • Hot Springs & Geysers – Relax in thermal waters and walk among steaming geysers
  • Sunsets & Wildlife – Spot llamas and vicuñas, and enjoy a magical sunset over the flats

Included/Excluded

  • English-speaking Tour Guide
  • Local driver
  • Transportation in a 4WD vehicle with rooftop luggage rack
  • Accommodation – First Night / Atulcha Salt Hostel: Shared 6-bed room with your jeep group with shared toilets.
  • Accommodation – Second Night / Huayllajara Hostel: Basic accommodation in a shared 6-bed room with your jeep group, with shared toilets.
  • Meals: 3 lunches / 2 dinners / 2 breakfasts (Only 2 lunches if the tour ends in San Pedro de Atacama)
  • Free pick-up from Uyuni bus station on the day of the tour
  • Free pick-up from Uyuni airport on the day of the tour
  • Entrance Fee to Isla Incahuasi – 30 BOB
  • Entrance Fee to Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve – 150 BOB
  • Entrance Fee to Hot Springs – 10 BOB
  • Toilets along the route – approx. 30 BOB
  • Personal expenses – approx. 150 BOB (snacks, water, handicrafts, etc.)
  • Drinks
  • Sleeping bag rental – $10 USD / 2 nights (recommended in winter: April–August)
  • Transfer to San Pedro de Atacama, Chile – $35 USD
  • Bolivian border fee – 15 BOB
  • Travel insurance

Itinerary

Tour starts at 10:30 a.m.

Visit:

  • Train Graveyard – See the rusting remains of Bolivia’s first locomotives, now an iconic photo spot.
  • Colchani Village – Visit salt workshops and browse salt crafts and alpaca/llama textiles.
  • Uyuni Salt Flats – Drive across the endless white desert and stop at:
    • Ojos de Agua Salada (Saltwater Eyes)
    • Salt Hotel Museum & Playa Blanca
    • Flags of the World
    • Dakar Monument
    • Incahuasi Island (Fish Island) – Hike among giant cacti and petrified coral formations for panoramic views.
    • Creative Photo Session – Capture playful perspective and optical illusion photos.
    • Sunset Experience – Enjoy a magical sunset with a glass of wine.

Overnight:  Atulcha Salt Hotel

Breakfast at 7:00 a.m.

Visit:

  • Chiguana Desert – Surrounded by snowcapped volcanoes, including semi-active Ollagüe Volcano.
  • Ollagüe Volcano (Viewpoint)
  • Cañapa Lagoon: Flamingos with volcanic views.
  • Hedionda Lagoon: Flamingos in mineral-rich waters.
  • Chiarcota Lagoon: Flamingos in a scenic altiplano setting.
  • Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve – Explore the dramatic landscapes of the Bolivian altiplano.
  • Siloli Desert – Known as the highest and driest desert in the world.
  • Stone Tree (Árbol de Piedra) – A famous wind-carved lava rock formation.
  • Red Lagoon (Laguna Colorada) – Admire thousands of flamingos and the lake’s intense red color.

Overnight: Huayllajara Hostel

Early departure at 5:00 a.m.

Visit:

  • Sol de Mañana Geysers – Walk among steaming fumaroles and boiling mud pools.
  • Open-Air Hot Springs (35°C) – Relax in natural thermal waters surrounded by Andean peaks.
  • Dali Desert – A surreal landscape reminiscent of Salvador Dalí’s paintings.
  • Green & White Lagoons – At the foot of the majestic Licancabur Volcano, near the Chilean border.
  • Villa Mar Village (lunch stop)
  • Rock Valley
  • San Cristóbal Village

Arrival in Uyuni: Approx. 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.


Optional Transfer to San Pedro de Atacama, Chile:

  • Border assistance at 10:00 a.m.
  • Arrival at San Pedro main square at 1:00 p.m. (Chilean time)
  • Must be booked in advance
  • Travelers choosing this option forfeit the return trip to Uyuni

Note: Passengers continuing to San Pedro de Atacama will not miss any part of the tour, only the return to Uyuni.

Languages

English
Español

Frequently asked questions

Yes, when making your reservation you can add bus tickets from La Paz to Uyuni and from Uyuni to La Paz, or if you prefer, the transfer to San Pedro de Atacama (other extra services are also available).

To ensure a smooth and pleasant journey, we work with Todo Turismo, one of the most highly rated bus companies in Bolivia. Their comfortable overnight service from La Paz to Uyuni offers everything you need to rest and relax before your adventure begins:

  • Bed Bus
  • Seats 160° inclination
  • Water + 1 Hot Drink
  • Hot Dinner
  • Breakfast
  • Polar blanket
  • Pillow
  • Toilet On Board
  • Wi-Fi

The bus departs from La Paz at 8:30 PM the night before your tour and arrives in Uyuni around 7:00 a.m. Upon arrival in Uyuni City, you will be picked up and taken to a nearby café, where you may either have breakfast on your own or simply wait. At 9:00 AM, we will pick you up from the same café and take you to our office for check-in.

Important: When reserving your tour, please select the date you want to start the tour in Uyuni. The system will automatically include your bus journey the night before.

Yes, finish this tour at San Pedro de Atacama in Chile instead of coming back to Uyuni. This option is ONLY AVAILABLE IN THE 3-DAY TOUR

It works like this:

  • After you visit the Green Lagoon, the guide will help you get across the border without any issues, take a transfer from Bolivian side to Chile, and finally you will arrive in Chile no later than 1:30 pm
  • The drop-off is at San Pedro de Atacama’s main square, and the cost of this transfer is $35USD
  • Please note that you will have no lunch before your transfer to San Pedro de Atacama
  • We recommend having a good breakfast or taking extra snacks with you

NO, Tour Guide is one licensed expert and bilingual (English – Spanish) person, and the Local Driver is another licensed expert person with many years of xperience.

Usually, the tour is composed by 2 cars + 1 guide + 2 drivers.

  • Car A: 5 people + English speaking guide.
  • Car B: 6 people.
  • The tour guide always has many stops everywhere, and he explains about the sightseer places to everybody, so, everybody has the same information. / Also the tour guide participates with everybody.

On the first day of your tour, customers can leave their belongings at our office in Uyuni and pick them up upon return. However, if you have a transfer to San Pedro de Atacama after the tour, you must bring your luggage with you.

  • First Night / Atulcha Salt Hostel: Shared 6-bed room with your jeep group with shared toilets.
  • Second night: Shared 6-bed room (same group at the jeep car) with shared toilet.

We always strive to find the best available accommodation for you. However, please note that if you are traveling solo, we will provide shared rooms for your stay.

Optional: you can Upgrade First and Second Night Hotel for 80 USD extra per person per both night. (It includes: private room + private toilet + toilet paper + towel)

  • Sunblock
  • Sunglasses
  • Sun hat / woolly hat
  • Sunscreen
  • Coat
  • Gloves
  • Trekking shoes
  • Warm clothes
  • Hand sanitizer
  • Bottled water (2L)
  • Snacks
  • Camera
  • Batteries

Weather in Uyuni Salt Flats.

  • Jan - Mar (Rainy season): Days 15 - 18°C / Nights 2 - 5°C.
  • Apr - May (Transition Rainy season): Days 15 - 18°C / Nights around 0°C
  • Jun - Aug (Dry winter): Days 10 - 18°C / Nights -1°C to -10°C, windy afternoons.
  • Sep - Dec (Dry season): Days 15 - 18°C / Nights 0 - 5°C

  • Some places can become inaccessible, such as: Incahuasi Island, and a museum – hotel made of salt.
  • We also may sleep in a different location due to road acces

During adverse weather conditions, we are not responsible for rain or snowfall on the route, or for attractions that may be closed due to weather-related circumstances. These situations are beyond our control.

Rainy Season (Mirror Effect) – Jan–Apr: Thin water layer creates a giant mirror—perfect for unique photos. Some areas may flood; February has the best chances of the mirror effect.

Dry Season (Desert Landscape) – May–Nov: Completely dry salt flats with iconic hexagonal patterns—ideal for 4x4 exploration and creative photos. Very cold nights; bring warm clothes and sun protection.

Transition Periods (Best of Both Worlds) – Apr, Nov & Dec: A mix of both seasons—small water mirrors or more stable weather.

It depends on how sensitive you are to the cold. During the 3-day tour, nights are always very cold. The accommodations do not have heating in the rooms, as they are located within one of the largest nature reserves in Bolivia, where each village must protect the environment and minimize pollution. Gas is also a limited resource in these remote areas.

Hotels provide blankets, but only the basic amount—no extras. If you get cold easily, we recommend renting a sleeping bag. For more details about temperatures along the route, please check the Questions and Answers section.

On the first night, there is electricity all night and hot water available for showers. On the second night, please note that electricity is only available to charge devices from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Most of the time, there is no hot water because the extreme cold causes the pipes to freeze.

The second night is spent near the Red Lagoon, where local communities do not have a power grid. They rely on gasoline generators that provide electricity for only two hours in order to avoid pollution and protect the environment.

Tour's Location

Reviews

5/5
Excellent
(125 Reviews)
Excellent
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Very Good
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Average
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125 reviews on this Tour - Showing 43 to 45
Red Lagoon & Uyuni Salt Flats 3-Day Guided Tour
Amanda R.
08/03/2025

Incredible and Unique Adventure

I’ve traveled to many countries, but I have never seen landscapes like these. The salt flats are completely surreal, and our group spent an hour just laughing and making creative perspective photos. On the second and third day, the tour took us to amazing lagoons full of flamingos, steaming geysers, and strange deserts with rocks shaped by the wind. The hot springs were such a relief after the bumpy roads, and our guide was always checking that everyone was comfortable and enjoying themselves.
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Red Lagoon & Uyuni Salt Flats 3-Day Guided Tour
Julián A.
08/03/2025

La mejor experiencia de Bolivia

Hacer este tour fue lo mejor de mi viaje. El salar parece un océano blanco que nunca termina, y almorzar ahí fue algo mágico. Los días siguientes fueron igual de impresionantes: vimos flamencos en las lagunas de colores, pasamos por el desierto con sus formaciones rocosas y visitamos los géiseres. Aunque el alojamiento es básico y los trayectos largos, la experiencia es única y supera cualquier expectativa.
Red Lagoon & Uyuni Salt Flats 3-Day Guided Tour
Hannah W.
08/03/2025

Three Days Through Otherworldly Scenery

This tour completely changed the way I see landscapes. The first day on the salt flats felt like walking on a giant frozen lake, and the photos we took were so much fun. I really enjoyed climbing the cactus island for the panoramic view and having our picnic surrounded by pure white. The next days were a series of surprises: colorful lagoons with flamingos, the geysers steaming from the ground, and the unique rock formations of the desert. The food was simple but tasty, and the long drives didn’t feel boring because the guide kept telling us stories and the view outside was always different.
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From: $ 275
5 (125 Reviews)
Upgrade your service
  • Bus La Paz to Uyuni ($ 50)
  • Bus Uyuni to La Paz ($ 50)
  • Priv. Room w/ Priv. Toilet – Both Nights ($ 80)
  • Sleeping Bag ($ 10)
  • Transfer to San Pedro de Atacama ($ 35)

Owner

DiegoMj

Member Since 2025

Information Contact

Email

bookings@uyuni.bo

Website

https://uyuni.bo

Phone

+591 62166611

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