Uyuni Salt Flats and Lagunas

My Jamiroquai jump!
Originally uploaded by louise_parmenter

After literally dragging myself away from Esteban and travelling 1,325km (26hrs) to familiar San Pedro de Atacama I booked myself on an excursion to the coloured lagunas and Uyuni Salt Flats in Bolivia. Despite having left my heart in Santiago I was excited to discover some as yet unknown landscapes and wildlife. The tour took us to the White Laguna (coloured by borax), the Green Laguna (coloured by copper and arsenic) and the flamingo filled Red Laguna (algae) all at between 3,000-4,500m.a.s.l. We spent a freezing night (I without sleep) at a refuge without heating or hot water and then moved on towards the Uyuni Salt Flats; a day of desert landscapes, passing many strange, dalíesque views and formations including the stone tree (see photo). The following day we went to the Salt Flats, and drove across this seemingly never-ending expanse of whiteness, where the white salt meets the perfect blue sky at the horizon. This uniform white and blue environment offered ideal conditions for some pretty funny photos.

Here they are.

DISTANCE TRAVELED SINCE USHUAIA: 17,875KM