Salares de Uyuni
With the uplifting of the Andes 25 million years ago, the Altiplano, formerly at sea level, became an immense depression between two mountain ranges. Salt deposits scattered about the surface were dissolved and transported by water courses to the lower lying areas to the south. A series of flooding and drying cycles followed, the most recent of which were Lake Minchín, which flooded the southern Altiplano 40,000 to 25,000 years ago, followed by Lake Tauca about 15,000 years ago. The latter filled today's Uyuni and Coipasa salt lakes as well as Lago Poopó for some 3000 years, before drying and leaving the landscape we know today. Drilling in the Salar de Uyuni has revealed successive layers of salt and clay 120 m deep and geophysical studies suggest salt accumulation 500 m below the surface.
The temperature in the
salares
fluctuates greatly, in direct sun it can reach 30C in the summer (December to April), it is much cooler in the shade and
can fall well below freezing at night, with record low temperatures of -30C registered in the winter (June to September). The average temperature is 6C.
During the rainy season (December to April), rainwater can cover part or all of the
salar
. After the rains, the intense solar radiation and the wind dry the surface and a pure white crust is formed. Beneath this layer, the salt is still wet, as the surface crust cracks, the brine moves up by capillary action, the salt crystalizes as it dries up, forming polygons on the surface.
Ojos de agua
are round holes that allow you to see water welling up from under the salt crust.
Within the salt lakes are islands of volcanic origin, home to a fragile ecosystem. Most evident and striking are a few species of slow-growing columnar cacti, some reaching over 10 m in height.
Vizcachas
(long-tailed rodents) might be seen on the islands as well as a variety of birds. During the warmer rainy season, flamingos nest on shallow parts of the
salar
. On the sides of the islands, terraces mark the level of ancient lakes and in some places, fossilized algae can be seen covering the rock.
The shores of the
salares
have been inhabited for thousands of years; several archaeological sites are found in the region between the salt lakes of Uyuni and Coipasa. People here continue to live a traditional life, growing quinua and potatoes, herding llamas and harvesting salt for trade. The Salar de Uyuni is also rich in minerals and holds the largest deposits of lithium in the world. For the time being, local communities have refused mining operations by international companies, but this is an ever-present threat. The north and west shores of the Salar de Uyuni are populated by Aymara people, while Quechuas live near the southern and eastern shores.
The Salar de Uyuni is most commonly accessed from Colchani, but there are several other entry points. The Salar de Coipasa is accessed from the north via Sabaya, on the Oruro-Pisiga road, and the hamlet of Villa Vitalina; and from the south from Tauca on the Ruta Intersalar, which joins the two salt lakes.
Warning -
Getting stranded out on the Altiplano or, worse yet on the
salar
itself, is dangerous because of extreme temperatures and total lack of drinking water. There are many unmarked tracks in the areas surrounding the
salares
. The edges of the
salares
are often soft and not suitable for driving (even in the dry season), the hard salt is accessed via causeways (
terraplenes
), only established entry points or ramps should be used to cross onto or off the salt. It is very easy to get lost in the
salar
, it is best to visit this area with a tour operator. To avoid becoming lost or bogged, travellers with their own vehicle should only travel here following extensive local inquiry and have a topographic map and GPS for navigation, or should take a local guide. Take extra fuel, food and plenty of water, sunglasses are essential to avoid snowblindness.
A good source of information about the Salar de Uyuni is:
The Salar de Tunupa
by Lois James, Martin Specht and Oscar Tintaya (Santa Cruz: Armonía, 2000), available at the REA office in Uyuni.
There are 33 islands in the Salar de Uyuni. Because of lack of drinking water, the
salar
and its islands have traditionally been uninhabited. In the past, a couple salt hotels operated right on the
salar
, but their garbage and waste-water damaged the surroundings. In 2001 authorities ordered them dismantled. In 2008,
Hotel Playa Blanca
is still there, although there is talk of it being turned into a visitor information centre. A more ecologically responsible stay can be enjoyed at salt hotels in different communities around the edge of the
salar
.
Tours out of Uyuni generally enter the Salar at Colchani and first stop to see traditional salt-mining techniques and the
ojos de agua
, holes on the salt crust that reveal bubbling water underneath (mind your step here). A compulsory stop is
Isla del Pescado
or
Isla Incahuasi,
Quechua for Inca house, so-called because of a stone structure, believed to have been a rest stop for ancient traders crossing the
salar
. It is a lovely island covered in large cacti. There is a walking trail with superb views across the huge white expanse of salt to the mountains, including Tunupa, shimmering on the horizon.
Colchani
is a small salt-miners town. Once the salt piles mined in the
salar
have dried, these are trucked to town, where iodine is added to table salt before it is bagged. Every year, some 20,000 tons of salt are extracted here. At one
alojamiento
, is the small
Museo de Sal
, with salt sculptures. There is also a larger municipal
Museo de la Llama y de la Sal
. In town, salt sculptures are sold as souvenirs.
Bolivia's second largest salt lake, the Salar de Coipasa, lies at 3657 m, just to the north and barely 3 m higher than the Salar de Uyuni. Its most striking feature is
Lago Coipasa
, a lake within the
salar
, its beautiful turquoise water stands out in contrast with white of the surrounding salt. This lake is fed by the Río Lauca, its shores are generally soft, so it must be admired at a distance from a height of land. Along the north shore of the Salar de Coipasa are the Cordillera de Sabaya mountains, which offer great views and the opportunity to see giant cacti.
Towards the northwest of the
salar
is a large island with Cerro Villa Pucarani, a 4910-m mountain in the centre.
Coipasa
, the main village lies in the northeast of the island, there are other hamlets along the south shore. People on the island grow potatoes, herd llamas and mine salt. To the south of the main island are a couple smaller ones.
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