Uyuni Bolivia. Salt Desert (Salar de Uyuni) in Bolivia

Brief conclusion:

▫ Book no need online(more expensive and useless)
▫ In Uyuni, we immediately go to agencies and choose who we like. All of them are opposite the railway station, coordinates: -20.463591, -66.823359

▫ All tours start from Uyuni to 10.00-10.30
▫ Agencies are open from 7.00 to 19-20.00. If you arrive by night bus, you have time to book a tour for today, buy a hat and have breakfast.

▫ We bought in Andes Salt Expeditions, but everything depends on the guide-driver, and not on the agency. Three days tour 105$ + additional payment for the national park 22$

▫ You don’t have to spend the night in Uyuni, tours end at 17.00 . Then by night bus to where the free wind calls

▫ « Mirror"should be during the rainy season from January to early April. In fact, in 2018 there was water in the salt marsh in May and even in July.

Bolivian Altiplano, Lagoon Colorada

Below there will be a lot about prices. Multiply the amount in Bolivians by 10 to get ≈ in rubles.

How to get to Uyuni

▪ Airplane from La Paz, 45 minutes, 80-95$ one way

▪ Bus

From Potosi - 4 hours, from 20 BOB / 3$
From Tupis - 6 hours, from 40 BOB / 6$
From La Paz - 10 hours, from 60 BOB / 9$
Tickets at ticketsbolivia.com or at the station.

There is only a direct bus from La Paz to Uyuni. at night. 15$ for seven-kama and 22$ behind cama (expands 160 degrees).

During the day with a transfer in Oruro. We took tickets at the station on the day of departure, there are many buses, not all of them are available on the Internet. We went like this:

La Paz-Oruro, 9.30, 30 BOB ( 5$ )
Oruro-Uyuni, 14.00, 30 BOB ( 5$ ). The road is good, the information about poor coverage is outdated.
Arrived in Uyuni 18.00 , spent the night, and in the morning we left on a tour for three days.

We went during the day because at night we wanted to sleep in bed. During the day the buses are cheap, old and uncomfortable. From La Paz to Oruro, the guy sold impotence powder. I yelled into the microphone for 3 hours to the whole salon. I wanted to kill him, but people liked the speech - they bought everything.

If you know how to sleep on a bus, take a ticket for night tourist no transfers. It’s quiet there, the backrests recline (you almost lie down), they give you food.

Uyuni on the map

Hotels in Uyuni

We booked Castillo de Liliana for one night, rating 7.3, $25. Pros: hot water, heater, breakfast, check-out at 10.30. The downside is that the bed linen was not changed, overall, wow.

Returning from the tour, we spent the night at Hotel Jumari, rating 8.6 , paid 50$ for a double with shower. There was a heater, hot water and a clean bed, better than the first option.

Sal Casa Andina stands out from a number of monotonous lodging houses (rating 9.2 ), but it's worth it 90$.

Prices for tours to Uyuni

Price per one on Spanish. On English 30-50% more expensive. I indicate average prices. Includes transportation, overnight stay, food, guide services (the driver will say a few words about each place).

1$ ≈ 7 bolivians (BOB)
1 BOB ≈ 9 rubles

1. Tour to 1 day(locomotive cemetery, Dakar statue, Uyuni salt marsh, cactus island, museum). 150 BOB + 30 BOB for the island of cacti. Total $26

2. Tour to 2 days(everything above + two lagoons and/or ascent to the Tunupa volcano, 4500 m), 500-550 BOB + 30 BOB for cacti. Total $84

3. Tour to 3 days(everything in the first + volcanoes + colorful lagoons with flamingos, geysers, swimming in thermal springs)

The lower threshold according to reviews is 600 BOB / 90$ (did not find such a price), average tour 720-850 BOB + 30 BOB cactus island (optional) + 150 BOB entry to Laguna Colorada National Park (required) + 6 BOB hot springs (optional). Total $130

Transfer to Chile is possible for a surcharge 10$ or return to Uyuni.

4. Tour to 4 days, ≈180$, return to the city of Tupiza, from there you can go to Argentina

How to choose a tour operator?

Salar de Uyuni

There are more than 50 operators in Uyuni. Those in the top ten according to tripadvisor reviews are located opposite the train station. They drive in their own cars or hire freelance drivers.

We went to eight agencies. I wanted to find a jeep where there would be fewer people. The price and program are the same for everyone. Jeeps carry 6 passengers + driver. Departure to 10.00-10.30

We took a tour to Andes Salt Expeditions behind 105$ per person. They are #3 on tripadvisor and ready to negotiate. We bought it an hour before departure, no need to book in advance.

Overall ok. He was driven by a smart guy (he warmed up the car, treated him to lollipops, and joked).

It is believed that best time in Uyuni is February-early April when there is water and a mirror effect. We were in mid-May. The driver knew where to look for the “mirror” at this time and made a detour on his own initiative.

I read hundreds of reviews about tours with different agencies, and they all had mistakes. Cars break down, delays, delays. It will be ideal only if you take individual tour/ rent a car and go according to your program. Private tours for 3 days ≈ $700-800.

What to take on tour?

In such clothes it is warm in the evening and in the morning, during the day you can without a jacket and hat

▪ Toilet paper, soap - you can buy it in the night shelters on the salt marsh, but it’s just 3 times more expensive. I rented a towel at the hotel for 5 BOB ($0.7)

▪ Small money. Toilets during the tour cost from 2 to 5 BOB

▪ Power bank for the phone (there were no sockets during the second night)

▪ Chocolates, icicles, tangerines, water (3 liters was enough for two)

▪ Warm clothes: hat, gloves, jacket, sneakers, thermal socks. Sunglasses, cap, 50 sfs cream (not needed), sleeping bag (optional). Flip flops for the shower, swimsuit and towel for the hot springs.

Backpacks with MacBooks and summer clothes were left at the agency. Take with you only small backpacks with the necessary items. You can take a large backpack, it will go on the roof of the jeep.

Internet and money

There is no connection during the tour.

There were sockets only on the first night (about 30 in the common room)

There are ATMs in Uyun. Change currency at a bank, but it is better in La Paz (the exchange rate is more favorable).

We paid for the tour in dollars, for the hotel and cafe in Bolivians.

It's hard to breathe due to the height and strong wind

Altitude and mountain sickness

The heights are:
City of Uyuni, 3700 m
Solonchak, 3650 m
Overnight in San Juan, 3900 m
Overnight in the Colorado Lagoons National Park, 4400 m
Geysers, 5000 m

Below 4000 meters everything is ok. It's hard to spend the night at 4400. I had a headache and even missed dinner.

The French in our group drank three bottles of beer every evening and cheerfully ran around the Altiplano. The driver was chewing coke and looked great. Everything is individual.

Tour program by day

1200 km in three days on roads without asphalt

Day 1

▪ Locomotive Cemetery, 20 minutes. Before the trains transported useful metals and minerals to Chile. Then everything was covered, the locomotives were abandoned.

▪ Village with souvenirs, 1 hour

▪ Saline Uyuni. Dakar statue, island with flags (no Belarusian ones)

▪ Dinner in a hotel made of salt. The drivers carried food with them. We had llama meat(haven't tried it), rice, salad, banana, omelette.

▪ Salt marsh again, games with perspective

▪ Incahuasi Cactus Island, entrance 30 BOB. You can climb for free somewhere on the side. We didn’t go to the island, we hid in its shadow and enjoyed the absolute silence.

Cacti 12 m tall

▪ "Mirror"— we stopped by where the water remained in May. The Italians took mirror photos of themselves. It came out beautifully. At the same time, the boots were bleached with salt.

▪ We drove past fields with quinoa, watched how the grains were separated from the spikelets (they rode on them in a jeep).

▪ At 18.00 we arrived at the hotel from salt. A room with two beds, shower and toilet for everyone. We slept in our clothes.

Shower is paid 10 BOB. I quickly went because an hour later 7 more cars (40 people) arrived at the hotel.

For dinner, chicken, fries, fried eggs.

Day 2

▪ Breakfast at the hotel (tea, rolls, jam). Departure at 7.30

▪ The railway and volcanoes of Chile in the distance

▪ Observation room with a view of the volcano

▪ Canapa Lagoon, flamingos

▪ Hedionda Lagoon, more flamingos. Lunch here and 2 hours

▪ Another lagoon where no one wants to live

▪ Arbol de Piedra- many, many stones and a “Stone Tree”. Four viscachas (mountain viscachas) met there. This is such a huge rabbit with the tail of a squirrel and the behavior of a chinchilla. He eats from his hands and allows him to stroke his head.

▪ Laguna Colorada— a red lagoon and thousands of flamingos somewhere far below. We flew to Bolivia for the winter from Chile and Argentina. How are they not blown away by the wind? Here they paid for entry into the national park 150 BOB (22$ )

Modern travelers, who travel around the world and have seen a huge number of sights, are rarely surprised by anything. It seems that everything natural monuments, cultures and histories have already been explored. However, it is not. And Lake Salar de Uyuni proves it! In this article you will learn everything about this lake.

General information about the salt marsh

There are places on our planet that literally take your breath away. It's like you've arrived on an unknown planet. Uyuni is a salt marsh located in Bolivia, a country famous throughout the world for its deposits. Here, in the southwest of the country, at an altitude of almost 4000 above sea level, the most large salt marsh peace. Its area is more than 10 thousand square meters. km.

The thickness of the salt layer sometimes exceeds 10 meters. Every year crowds of tourists from all over the planet attack Uyuni, a salt marsh that attracts not only natural beauty, but also many attractions. And taking a photo against the backdrop of the “heavenly mirror” is considered a real success!

The history of the formation of an amazing lake

Lake Uyuni is part of the Altiplano plateau. This mountain plateau is located at an altitude of 4 thousand meters above the sea and holds not only Uyuni, but also other small salt marshes, as well as dry lakes. How was the miracle of nature formed - the Uyuni salt marsh? Its history takes us back to ancient times. About 40 thousand years ago, the lake was part of the giant Lake Minchin. Under the influence of time, Minchin was transformed into the Tauka reservoir, then into Koipasa. After drying out, lakes remained Uru Uru, Poopa (still exist) and the salt marshes of Coipas and Uyuni. The salt marsh is subject to flooding during the rainy season as it is inundated by nearby Poopo and Titicaca. The water that covers the layer of salt turns it into a mirror. Tourists here get the impression that there is sky above their heads and below their feet. People seem to be floating in the air.

Climate of the area

The rainy season here lasts from November to March. The approximate air temperature in summer is 22 °C. As in many deserts and mountains, a hot day on the Bolivian plateau gives way to a cool night. On summer months V South America It is winter, but despite this, the main influx of tourists occurs at this time. In winter, the air temperature near Uyuni (salt marsh) reaches +13 °C, and at night drops to -10 °C.

Due to the high altitude above sea level, many tourists (especially those unaccustomed to changes in altitude) experience inconvenience here. They feel dizzy and their ears are blocked. Attacks of nausea and vomiting occur, but the symptoms quickly pass. The body gets used to the climate, and local residents they know how to help tourists. They advise visitors to chew coca leaves - a strong tonic that helps relieve discomfort. However, people visiting the Salar de Uyuni salt marsh (Bolivia) should remember that coca leaves are not a weak drug!

Flora and fauna of a lake in the mountains

Due to the huge accumulation of salts, the local soil is unsuitable for life. There is almost no vegetation here. You can only notice tall cacti and rare shrubs, which the aborigines use as fuel. By the way, the cacti here are very interesting. Reaching a height of 12 meters, they all have different shapes and thicknesses. It is difficult to find two identical cacti.

In the summer, you can see a real miracle on the salt marsh: hundreds of beautiful birds flock here - pink flamingos, sedately walking along the mirror-like surface. Chilean, Andean and James's flamingos come here every year to breed.

About 80 species of birds live nearby. Among them there are interesting individuals, such as the Andean goose and the Andean hummingbird. You can also see Andean foxes and small viscacha rodents here. The appearance of the latter slightly resembles the rabbits we are used to.

Salar de Uyuni: economic significance

The salt marsh is of enormous importance to the Bolivian economy. Of course, its main wealth is its truly significant reserves of salt. Experts suggest that there are ten billion tons of salt here. This is a huge number! Moreover, about 25 thousand tons of mineral are mined from the lake every year. Lithium is also mined here. It is used to produce batteries. More than 50% of the world's supply of this substance is found in Lake Bolivia.

During the dry season, the flat surface of the salt marsh is one of the main thoroughfares of the Altiplano. And of course, it is considered one of the main attractions of the country. Crowds of tourists flock here, replenishing the state treasury.

Another fact in favor of the lake: it has a flat mirror surface, clear skies and dry air. These are excellent conditions for testing and calibrating orbiting satellites. This is why the Salar de Uyuni salt marsh is so dear to the Bolivian government.

Local Attractions: Locomotive Cemetery

The locomotive cemetery is located three kilometers from the city of Uyuni. Now this once large town has a population of 15 thousand people. But once upon a time the most important railway lines of the country passed here. In the 40s of the 20th century, production at the mines fell, and the city gradually began to empty out. The collapse of the railway service was not long in coming... Locomotives and carriages were abandoned just like that.

Tourists can even see steam locomotives here that are more than a century old. But unfortunately, all these historical objects are in a terrible and unkempt state. The authorities have tried to raise the issue of creating a museum, but so far to no avail.

Salt hotels

Bolivians who work to extract salt use it for more than just food. Traders offer visitors to the country souvenirs made right here from salt. But the inventive people didn’t stop there! People visiting the Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia and wanting to experience the local flavor as closely as possible, stay overnight in hotels made from blocks of salt.

The first hotels were built in the 90s of the last century. They were erected in the middle of the lake. Due to sanitation problems that had a negative impact on the environment, the hotels were demolished and rebuilt in compliance with all regulations. Now the famous salt hotels are located on the edge of the lake.

The Hotel Palacio de Sal is one of the most famous hotels made of salt. The walls and roof, floor, furniture, sculptures here are made of salt. Tourists will also be offered a sauna and jacuzzi. The only prohibition of all salt block hotels is that you cannot lick the surroundings!

Pescado Island

Another attraction of Uyuni is located right in the middle of the lake. Pescado Island (translated as “fish”) during the rainy season really resembles a fish with its outlines. The area of ​​the island is approximately 2 square meters. km. The mouth of an ancient extinct volcano rises above the salt desert.

It is covered with many fossilized corals and huge cacti. The cacti here are ancient; there are even thousand-year-old specimens. Pescado Island is famous for the ruins left over from the Inca settlement.

Other local attractions

When visiting the village of Kolchani, a tourist should definitely look into local museum, where interesting pieces of furniture and sculptures made of mineral are exhibited.

The lagoon of Lake Edionda is also interesting. There are flocks of flamingos here, and you can also spot llamas and alpacas. Flamingos also fly to the nearby Colorado Lagoon.

50 km from Lake Colorado there is a geyser basin called Sol de Mañana. The reservoir bubbles and emits sulfur gas with a characteristic unpleasant odor. Very close you can swim in thermal spring. This is especially useful for people suffering from arthritis.

If these attractions aren’t enough for you, then head to Laguna Verde. This salt Lake green color is located almost on the state border with Chile. Sedimentary deposits with copper give the water an interesting color.

Aymara Indians tell tourists ancient legend. The mountains surrounding the salt marsh, according to the aborigines, were giants in ancient times. Kusku was married to Tunupe, but was fascinated by Cousin. The giant abandoned his wife and little child, and Tunupa shed bitter tears for a very long time. Streams of tears mixed with the milk she fed the child, and a huge lake was formed. Locals greatly respect the legend of Tunula and believe that the area should bear her name.

Reminder for tourists

When going to a new and unknown place, do not forget to take everything you need with you. Take sunglasses if you don't want to squint all the time. If you want to take a night photo of the Uyuni Salt Flats in Bolivia, bring warm clothes.

The nights here can be very cool. Waterproof shoes and moisturizer should definitely fit in your suitcase, because the local climate makes your skin very dry.

If you are staying in a budget hotel, take a blanket or sleeping bag. Such hotels are often not heated.

The best place to visit Uyuni is February; it is in this month that the lake truly becomes a giant mirror. Don't forget to take photos of the local cute llamas walking along the shore. Their ears are decorated with funny earrings of different colors.

Salar de Uyuni: how to get there?

Tourists usually get to the salt marsh from the capital of Bolivia, the city of La Paz. Several types of transport run to famous lake. So, how to visit the Uyuni Salt Flats in Bolivia?

If you want to admire a truly wonderful view of the endless mirror lake, flocks of charming pink flamingos, stay in an exotic hotel made of salt blocks and watch an ancient volcano, then be sure to visit dry lake Uyuni in South America.

When the Uyuni salt marsh is covered with water, it looks like a huge mirror reflecting the sky

The Uyuni salt marsh is made of gypsum, and its inner surface, which has a depth of 2 to 8 m, is covered with a layer of rock salt - halite. According to experts, it contains at least 10 billion tons of table salt.

From November to March, when the rainy season comes to the plateau, the surface of the salt marsh is covered with a thin layer of water, and then Uyuni resembles a giant mirror. The horizon line becomes almost invisible, the surface of the lake merges with the sky, and the landscapes around the Uyuni salt marsh acquire an unearthly beauty. Excellent conditions for photographers!

Many tourists from different countries peace. Peak tourist season falls between June and August. Especially for travelers, local residents have built hotels, the walls of which are made of salt blocks, and you can spend the night in them. A night in a salt hotel costs about $20. The owners even post notices for guests asking “not to lick” the interior items.

Next to the salt marsh is the mining town of Uyuni, home to 10.6 thousand inhabitants. Here you can see several monuments to workers, a monument to a railway carriage and sculptures in the steampunk style. The town is small; an hour is enough to explore it.

Bolivians have beautiful legend about the birth of the Uyuni salt marsh. It is framed by the Kusku, Kuzina and Tunupa mountain ranges. The Aymara Indians believe that these mountains were once inhabited by giant people. Tunupa was Kusku's wife and bore him a son. However, the beautiful Cousin separated the spouses, and Kusku went to live with her, taking with him the infant. Tunupa was very worried about what happened and cried. Her tears mixed with breast milk and gave birth to a huge salt marsh. Since then, local residents have called it Tunupa.

Origin of the Uyuni Salt Flat

In ancient times, on the Altiplano there was a huge reservoir called Minchin, the depth of which reached 100 meters. About 40 thousand years ago, due to the hot sun and lack of tributaries, it began to shallow. Gradually, on the site of Minchin, two lakes (Uru Uru and Poopo) and two large salt marshes - Uyuni and Salar de Coipasa - formed. By the way, the Coipasa salt marsh with an area of ​​2,218 km² is the second largest in Bolivia after Uyuni.

Climatic features

On the high plateau where the Uyuni salt marsh lies, the air temperature is stable. From November to January, the thermometer during the daytime reaches +21...+22°C, and in June it drops to +13°C. Since the salt marsh is located at an altitude of more than 3500 m above sea level, it is cold at night at any time of the year. In July, temperatures drop below 0°C and can sometimes drop to -10°C.

Relative humidity in the area mountain plateau always low – 30-45%. The air is dry and precipitation is low. Even during the rainy season, there are only five days of precipitation per month.

Industrial significance of the salt marsh

The Uyuni Salt Flat plays a large role in the Bolivian economy. Rock salt is mined there. Every year it reaches 25 thousand tons. Tourists can visit the small village of Colchani, located 22 km from the city of Uyuni, in the east of the salt marsh. Its residents have long been involved in salt mining, and most of the village's houses are built from rock salt blocks.

The salt marsh also contains huge reserves of lithium chloride. From this salt, the light alkali metal lithium, needed for the production of batteries, is extracted. Uyuni contains from 50 to 70% of all lithium reserves on the planet - about 100 million tons. There are also large reserves of magnesium chloride here.

The Salar de Uyuni has been used in space research earth's surface. It is used to calibrate and test remote sensing instruments carried on orbiting satellites. Calibration at Uyuni is five times more successful than at the surface of the ocean. The reason for this is the high reflectivity, large size and flat surface of the salt lake.

Salt in Uyuni is mined for the needs of the food industry and for making tourist souvenirs. Rock salt blocks are used not only to make walls, but also to make tables, beds and various interior decorations.

The first salt hotels appeared in the 1990s in the very center of the salt marsh, and they became very popular among tourists. However, due to non-compliance with sanitation standards, such hotels heavily polluted the environment, and local authorities decided to dismantle them. The hotels were rebuilt on the outskirts of the Uyuni salt marsh. Now they work in compliance with all sanitary rules and environmental standards.

Panorama of the Uyuni salt marsh

What you can see in the Uyuni salt flat

In November, when the rainy season begins, more than 90 species of birds come here to breed, including three species of flamingos. They feed on algae algae and crustaceans, and from this the feathers of graceful birds acquire a bright pink color. The salt marsh is also home to several rare species of hummingbirds.

The area surrounding the Uyuni salt marsh is home to rabbit-like rodents - viscachas, foxes and alpacas. Soft and extremely warm, alpaca wool is similar in properties to sheep wool, but much lighter. It has long been used by local residents to make blankets, rugs and clothing items.

The surface of the Uyuni salt marsh is covered with large salt “honeycombs”. At the beginning of spring, when the rainy season ends, the salt crust dries out. The water that has accumulated below begins to break out through it to the surface, and small cone-shaped volcanoes are formed.

Uyuni is almost completely devoid of vegetation. In its center there are several islands, which, by their geological origin, are craters of volcanoes extinct in ancient times. During the existence of Lake Minchin, they were entirely hidden under the surface of the water.

Many tourists travel by jeep to Fish Island (Isla de los Pescados), covered with coral deposits. Giant cereus cacti up to 10 m high grow here. Botanists believe that the age of individual specimens exceeds 1200 years. In addition to cacti, several types of shrubs grow on the island, and local residents use them as fuel. There are also three small restaurants on Pisces Island for travelers to rest and refresh themselves.

Fish Island

Another attraction of the huge salt marsh is the Valley of Stones (Valles de Rocas). This is the name of the place where you can see unusual stone remains. The bizarre shapes of these stone sculptures over many millions of years they were created by the forces of wind, water and sunlight. And in the center of Uyuni there is a platform made of blocks of rock salt. Travelers leave the flags of their countries on it.

3 km from the city of Uyuni, near the single-track line railway, leading from Bolivia to the northern provinces of Chile, there is an unusual museum - the “graveyard” of steam locomotives (Cementerio de Trenes). Here, under open air You can see examples of rusted railway equipment that were used until the middle of the last century. Steam locomotives were abandoned as unnecessary after production from local mines fell sharply. Of particular interest are the articulated steam locomotives of the Meyer and Garratt systems.

Video: Reflections from Uyuni

Salt perfectly reflects sunlight. It glitters so much that it hurts your eyes, so it is difficult to do without sunglasses and a hat on the Uyuni salt flat. Experts advise to be sure to use sunscreen, because you can get very sunburned in 1-2 hours.

In addition, you need to understand that the salt marsh is located in the highlands, and some tourists at the beginning of the trip may experience signs of altitude sickness - lethargy, apathy, dizziness, nausea and sleep disturbances. It takes time for your health to normalize. A local acclimatization remedy is coca leaf tea.

The cheapest salt flat tours are sold in the city of Uyuni or online. They are usually designed for two days and two nights so that tourists can explore the main local attractions. Many people travel around the Uyuni salt flat on their own using rented vehicles.

How to get there

The Uyuni salt marsh is located 500 m south of the city of La Paz, the capital of Bolivia. Nearest locality – small town Uyuni.

Opened next to the salt marsh since 2011 international Airport(El Aeropuerto Joya Andina). Two local airlines fly here from the Bolivian capital. Traveling by air is the fastest way to get to the salt marsh, as the flight takes only 40-45 minutes.

In addition, you can come to the Uyuni salt flat on ground transport– rented car or bus. Tourist buses run from La Paz and other major cities. The length of the road from the capital through the city of Oruro is 569 km. Tourists leave La Paz at 21.00 and arrive in Uyuni in the morning; accordingly, they travel from 10 to 15 hours.

There is another route option: you can travel from La Paz to Oruro by bus in 4 hours, and then get to Uyuni by local train.

Salar de Uyuni- this is a salt marsh, that is, a dried salt lake. Salar de Uyuni has the world's largest salt field at 10,582 km². Salar is located in southwestern Bolivia, at an altitude of about 3650 m above sea level,close foothills of the Andes.

The thickness of the salt layer here is more than 10 meters in the center. During the dry season, the salt occupies a completely flat space, and during the rainy season, the salt marsh is covered with a thin layer of water, turning into the world's largest mirror, which creates stunningly beautiful reflections.

The lake was formed 13,000 thousand years ago as a result of the retreat of the ocean from the depths of the continent, and now there is what many know as the Altiplano or Lake Titicaca (remember Jack London and his “Love of Life”?).

In the middle of this formation there are two wells of natural origin, with a diameter of 10-15 centimeters and a depth of 120 meters.

Many tourists get an unforgettable experience crossing the salt field by car in the summer. During the summer season, everything looks very original - clear blue skies and snow-white salt below. Everything ends at the horizon - and it is difficult to understand where the earth ends and the sky begins.

In addition, during the rainy season, when the salt is covered with a small layer of water, the lake is the largest mirror in the world. Probably, each of us would like to see this beauty with our own eyes.

Yes, the winters in this place are quite harsh - and imagine how unusual the snow drifts on the salt lake look. Frozen water crystals are very difficult to distinguish from table salt crystals...