Bolivia- Salt Flats, Lagoons, Geysers, Flamingos and New Friends

Hello Everyone,

We are currently in La Paz, Bolivia, the highest capital city in the world at an average altitude of 3,640 meters or nearly 12,000 feet. We spent the last few days crossing the border from Chile (San Pedro De Atacama) into Bolivia (final destination Uyuni). The common tour that people take goes for three days and two nights making many unbelievable stops along the way before arriving in the salt flats of Uyuni. We took a 4X4 Jeep into the middle of the desert with a gentleman from Germany and a couple from Australia. We hit it off instantly and knew this would be a great group to spend some days with.

Before we left, a refreshingly honest girl who worked for a travel agency told us a few things; the food will be horrible, the accommodations will be poor but the sites will be unforgettable. Maybe we have low expectations now, but the food was adequate (bottle of wine on the first night), the housing was decent (day two better than day one) and the sites were jaw dropping. We truly had an amazing time on all three days and are very happy that we made the decision to enter Bolivia.

Without further ado, let the trip begin

Laguna Blanca- a beautiful white lake that perfectly reflected the surrounding landscape







Laguna Verde- It wasn't green while we were there, but depending on the season, it can be bright green. You will have to use your imagination







In the middle of the desert. We had nothing else around us




Our crew and our jeep in the desert




Hot springs







A natural thermal pool that was packed full of people just before this picture was taken




Geyser "sol de manana" - perhaps the highlight of day one. The geyser was at almost 5000 meters in elevation. We had never seen a geyser before so this was a special moment for us. We had also never been 15,000 feet above sea level







Watch out its gonna hit you!







Some of the surrounding scene- you could hear the mud bubbling below your feet







Boiling mud in front of a gushing geyser- where are we?







Our final stop on day one took us to the red lagoon, amazing natural red waters with flamingos hunting for food. This is where we stayed the night

On the way over




Salt crystals




Unfortunately, we could not capture how red this lake was, but you will have to take our word for it, or google it, whichever you prefer







Some flamingos going about their daily routine- also a first, seeing flamingos in their natural habitat







We spent the night in a six person dorm room with our crew. Right when we got there, we were greeted by this little fella. He was so calm and peaceful




Dinner at the hostel with Sean, Michelle and Mila




Our beds for the night- when you combine uncomfortable beds with the effects of altitude (hard to breathe, headaches, elevated heart rate), it makes for one heck of a nights sleep




Breakfast at the hostel plus Konrad- there was a time change that none of us knew about so we woke up at 5:30 instead of 6:30 thinking, "where is our breakfast?"




Day two- stop one at the stone tree







Other good rocks around the area to climb

Sean and I at the top of the rock







A crazy guy jumping his way down the pile




Keep the lagoons coming- This one was called Laguna Ramaditas. If you look close, you can see more flamingos behind Mila




Laguna Hedionda- from up on a hill with our jeeps waiting for us in the background




Laguna Cañapa




A flamingo who was not scared of people and a Mila who was not scared of flamingos







Along the way, we had three flat tires. It is a very bumpy ride with lots of rocks to maneuver around. Luckily, there was always another jeep coming by to offer some assistance




A small town we stopped in to eat lunch







After lunch, we drove another two hours to the city of Uyuni, a good place to enter the largest salt flats in world. We ate at a nice pizza place and spent the night in a hotel room, not too shabby

The next day we woke up super excited to see the salts flats, a highlight of travel in Bolivia, but first we visited an old train cemetery







And then it was time to see the salt flats of Salar de Uyuni. The flats are massive at 10,582 square kilometers and keep going as far as the eye can see in all directions They span almost 4000 kilometers in length. They also allow for some great photography sessions

Getting Mila to come out of a hat is not an easy task







Salt mounds used to dry the salt




A desert island full of cacti in the middle of the salt flats
















Some normal pictures before things get weird










Jumping for joy







A hamster spinning its wheel




Us taking turns holding members of our group







A balancing act on the worlds most delicious soda. If we had thought of this sort of thing before we left, our trip could have been subsidized... Next time




Did she grow or did I shrink?




Using Konrad repellent




After 10 1/2 months of travel, this is how she treats me




And our personal favorite; Konrad carrying Michelle carrying Mila




As you can see, we had a great time at the salt flats, but we eventually had to leave. We look forward to seeing you all next time from La Paz. Stay happy

-Mila and Scott


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Location:Linares,La Paz,Bolivia