Salar de Uyuni — Sunrise Salt Flats & TunupaLoop.
Distance
290 km
Duration
2 days
Climb
800 m
Salar de Uyuni — Sunrise Salt Flats & Tunupa Loop.
Two days riding the world's largest salt flat — 10,582 sq km of perfect white at 3,656m. The hexagonal salt crust extends to the horizon in every direction. The route from Uyuni crosses the salar to the cactus-covered Isla Incahuasi, then continues to the Tahua/Coqueza coast at the foot of Tunupa Volcano (5,432m), where pre-Inca mummies still rest in caves above the salt. Salt flat riding only Apr–Nov (dry season) — the wet season turns the salar into a vast mirror lake, but is impassable.
Quick facts
SurfaceMixed
Distance290 km
Days2
Total climb800 m
DifficultyModerate
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2 days, 2 moods.
A suggested split across 2 days with 10 waypoints to discover along the way.
UyuniStart · Start in Uyuni (3,670m). Frontier feel — the town exists for the salar. Fuel up, carry extra water, snacks, and salt-corrosion-proof gear.
Train CemeteryPhoto Spot · Rusting Victorian-era steam locomotives abandoned in the desert outside Uyuni — the relic infrastructure of Bolivia's mining boom. Iconic.
Colchani Salt Processing VillageScenic Point · The entry point onto the salt flat. Salt blocks stacked outside houses. Iodised salt processed here for all of Bolivia.
Salar de Uyuni HexagonsPhoto Spot · Mid-salar — the perfect hexagonal salt crust extends to the horizon. Forced-perspective photo classic. Use waypoints — there are no roads or landmarks.
Isla Incahuasi (Cactus Island)Scenic Point · A coral-rock outcrop in the salt sea, covered in 1,200-year-old Echinopsis cacti up to 12m tall. 45-min walk to the summit for 360deg views.
CoquezaOvernight · Overnight in Coqueza on Tunupa's southern slope. Tiny Aymara village with a single salt-block hostel. Starlit nights — the Bolivian altiplano is a Bortle 1 dark sky zone.
Coqueza Mummy CavesScenic Point · Pre-Inca mummies preserved by the dry cold air, in caves on Tunupa's flank. 15-min walk above the village. Ask a local guide.
Tunupa Volcano Mirador (5,000m)Mountain Pass · The track climbs the volcano flank to a saddle. Coloured rock layers (red, yellow, green) make Tunupa one of the most photogenic peaks in the Andes.
Salar Crossing ReturnScenic Point · Cross the salt flat south back toward Colchani. The sky reflects in any wet patches — riding through the clouds.
UyuniEnd · End in Uyuni. Wash the bike immediately — salt corrodes anything aluminium or chromed within hours.
More routes in Bolivia
South Yungas Road — La Paz to ChulumaniBO L · 120 kmSorata Descent — La Paz to the Foot of IllampuBO L · 150 kmChapare Cloud Forest — Cochabamba to Villa TunariBO C · 160 kmTarija Wine Route — Valle de la Concepción & San LorenzoBO T · 90 kmSur Lípez Circuit — Uyuni to San Pedro de Atacama via Laguna ColoradaBO P · 600 kmSucre to Potosí — Silver Mountain HighwayBO H · 165 km
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