Private Uyuni Salt Flat (3 days)

• 1 person: US$ 1,580 per person.
• Group of 2 persons: US$ 860 per person.
• Group of 3 persons: US$ 816 per person.
• Group of 4 persons: US$ 615 per person.
• Group of 5 persons: US$ 610 per person.
• Group of 6 persons: US$ 540 per person.*

*Despite the 4x4 vehicle has space for 6 passengers plus the guide, the last seat of the vehicle is narrow, so, in case you want comfort for all the passengers, our suggestion is to make the tour in two groups of 3 people each (two separated bookings).

1. Select the departure date from the calendar.
2. Select the number of people.
3. Click on "Add to cart".
4. Pay online a deposit of the total price of the program.

• Once paid, the booking is subject to confirmation according to the availability. If you want to check the availability before paying, write us to reservas@denomades.com.
• You can reschedule or cancel the tour (with 100% refund), until 31 days before it starts.

• Hotel pickup in San Pedro de Atacama.
• Private transportation.
• Spanish speaking driver/guide.
• All meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner).
• Accommodation in hotels:
  
  • Three nights in 3-stars hotels, in double or queen-size private room, with private bathroom, hot shower and sola panels heating:
  • 1st night in Hotel Tayka del Desierto (Hotel Jardines de Mallku Cueva or Eco Hotel Los Flamencos, according to availability).
  • 2nd night in Hotel Luna Salada (or Hotel de Sal Tambo Loma, according to availability).

• Round trip shuttle between Calama's airport and San Pedro de Atacama.
• Border tax (Bs. 15 per person).
• Beverages in hotel meals.
• Entrances to parks (Bs. 186 per person).
  • Entrance to Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve (Bs. 150 per person).
  • Entrance to Polques Hot Springs (Bs. 6 per person).
  • Entrance to Incahuasi Island (Bs. 30 per person).
• Access to toilets on the way (approximately Bs. 6 each acces).
• Travel insurance with health-care coverage.
• Water.

• English speaking driver/guide: US$ 237 per group.

*Subject to availability when booking.

• Comfortable and warm clothing.
• Comfortable shoes (ideally trekking shoes).
• Swimsuit and towel (for Polques Hot Springs).
• Sunglasses.
• Sunscreen.
• Toiletries.
• Toilet paper.
• Water (1 litre per person, for the first day. The rest of the days you can buy it on the road).
• Passport or ID card. If your a foreigner resident in Chile you should take both to show them in customs.
• Bs. 350 for expenses not included on the tour (entrance fees, taxes, bathroom, water and souvenirs, among others).

• Minimum age required of 7 years old.
• Not recommended for people suffering hypertension, heart failure, asthma or similar, for whom visiting places above 4000 meters of altitude may present a risk for their health (the tour is made mostly above 4000 meters of altitude, even reaching 4850 meters of altitude one of the days of the tour).
• Not allowed for pregnant women.
• Resident in Chile Venezuelan passengers will be able to make the tour only if they have permanent residence in the country.

Beginning: Day 1 at 7:00 am in your hotel in San Pedro de Atacama.
End: Day 3 at 4:00 pm in Uyuni's downtown.

Day 1: We will pick you up at your hotel to leave San Pedro de Atacama and go to the border pass between Chile and Bolivia, same thing that with the Uyuni Salt Flat standard tour. After the border procedures, we will begin a tour by the Verde and Blanca lagoons, and the Polques Hot Springs. Then, we will continue to the Sol de Mañana Geysers, the Colorada Lagoon and the Stone Tree. After that, we will go to our accommodation to get some rest.

Day 2: We will leave early in the morning to visit a series of altiplanic lagoons: Cachi, Honda, Chiarkota, Hedionda and Cañapa. We will make stops in every one of them to see the landscape, take pictures and get some rest after the hours in the vehicle. The last stop of the day will be the Chiguana Salt Flat, before reaching the hotel, where we will have dinner and get rest for the next day.

Day 3: This day will get up very early and begin the tour before dawn, because the idea is to see the sunrise once we are on the salt flat. After this nature's wonder, we will continue to the Incahuasi Island. While our driver-guide makes breakfast, we will go over the tracks to get to the top of the island, where we will have a privileged view of the greatness of the salt flat. Besides, we will have a close look of the giant cactus in this limestone formation. After this walk and the well deserved breakfast, we will go to the Salt Museum and the Dakar Monument, so then we leave the salt flat and visit Colchani and the train cemetery. After this, we will arrive to Uyuni, where we will end the tour.

Altiplano winter

During the months from January to April, it takes place the weather phenomenon known as Altiplano winter, rain season in the central Andes. Due to this, it is possible that the described itinerary is modified as follows:

• The second night is not in the Hotel Tayka de Piedra, but in the Hotel Luna Salada or similar in Uyuni.
• The Incahiasi Island is not visited because this is in the center of the salt flat, place where there is the largest amount of water during the rain season.

Force majeure changes

These are reference itineraries. The route to get to the salt flat, the places visited, the indicated order and the end time will always be subject to changes according to weather conditions, road conditionas, demonstrations and accommodations availability. The confirmation of the itinerary is obtained in the briefing that the local supplier gives a day before the beginning of the activity, which does not mean that it will not be modified due to the happening of some of the situations already mentioned once the tour has already begun.

• If you cancel with a 30-day notice before the beginning of the tour, we will make a full refund of what you paid for the booking.
• If you cancel with less than a 30-day notice before the beginning of the tour, we will not make any refund of what you paid for the booking.

• What days of the week is the tour available?
  As it is a private service, it is possible begin the tour any day of the week, every month of the year.
  
  
• How much time in advance should I book the tour?
  Because of the hotel high demand in the area, we recommend you to book at least one or two months in advance.
  
  
• Is it necessary to have tourist visa to enter Bolivia?
  It depends on the passenger’s nationality. Passengers from Chile and the rest of South America, and passengers from Western Europe do not need tourist visa, while the passengers from United States, Central America, Asia and Africa do need tourist visa, which price is US$ 100 or US$ 160 according to the country (you can check the price per country here). The visa is obtained directly in the border, where along with the payment of the visa in cash (bolivianos or US dollars in good condition), the passengers will have to present their passport and two wallet-size photographs. In case you are a foreign person resident in Chile, besides your passport, you should take your ID card, so you can prove your residence before the police authorities in customs.
  
  
• Do I need to be vaccinated against yellow fever for the tour?
  The vaccine against yellow fiebe is not required for the tour to the Uyuni Salt Flat. It is only required if you subsequently plan to visit the Bolivian jungle.
  
  
• What kind of car is used during the tour?
  The tour is made on a minibus in Chile and on a 4x4 (Toyota Land Cruiser) in Bolivia.

• How is the infrastructure of every program?
  The program with hotels has a similar level of structure for every accommodation. The rooms are private, single, double or triple, according to the availability, all have solar panels heating and private bathroom with warm water. The hostels, on the other hand, have double private rooms, with twin beds or queen size bed, according to availability, no heating and private bathroom with hot water. There is no internet access.

• What type of sockets have the accommodations?
  The accommodations have sockets type C, compatible with the types E and F. Anyway, our recommendation is that you carry an adapter to avoid any inconvenience.

• How many bags or suitcases can I bring??
  Each passenger may carry at most 1 bag or suitcase of 18 kilos which will go above the 4x4.
  
  
• Why is it necessary to bring a sleeping bag?
  The beds in Refugio Huayllajara (accommodation of the first night) do not include sheets, only include blankets and bedspread. If you don´t have sleeping bag, you can rent one directly in San Pedro de Atacama, the day before the tour. The rent has a price of CLP$ 5.000 per person, for the 4-day tour.
  
  
• How is the weather along the tour?
  In summer (December to March), the temperature ranges from about 4 °C as a minimum, to 23 °C maximum. In winter (June to September) the temperature ranges from about -20 °C as a minimum, to 16 °C maximum.
  
  
• How much money should I bring to the tour?
  We recommend to bring 300 bolivianos per person for expenses not included in the tour, as entrances to parks (186 bolivianos per person), access to toilets and buying of souvenirs.

• Where can I exchange money to bolivianos?
  In Toconao Street, in San Pedro de Atacama (intersection with Caracoles Street), you will be able to find some exchange offices where you can obtain bolivianos to take for the tour.

• How likely is suffer "puna" or altitude sickness during the tour?
  Most of the tour is made above 13,123 ft. of altitude so it is quite likely to suffer from altitude sickness specially the first day of the tour. To avoid or reduce the general feeling of discomfort, we recommend acclimate to the altitude one or two days above 8,202 ft., drink lots of water before and during the tour, eat light meals (avoid meat) the previous days, and do not drink alcohol the night before the beginning of the tour.
  
  
• What is it about the meals?
  The meals are varied, and includes tea, coffee, bread, cookies and fruit for breakfast, and meat, pasta, rice, soup and vegetables for lunch and dinner. In case you need a vegetarian menu, you must ask for it writing at reservas@denomades.com at the moment you make the online booking.
  
  
• What about the tour in case it rains?
  In case of rain, the order of the places visited, the possibility to see the sunrise and the accommodation places are subject to change, because some of the roads might be closed. Added to the previous information, water in the Uyuni Salt Flat is an important obstacle and the Incahuasi Island (located in the center of the salt flat) remains closed. This means the Incahuasi Island cannot be visited and we enter to the salt flat only for a certain distance, so the passengers are safe.
  
  
• When is it possible to see the mirror effect on the Uyuni Salt Flat?
  The mirror effect occurs when there is water on the salt flat. This happens only in rainy periods (January and February) and after them (March).

• Why all the restrictions to make the tour?
  The tour is made in the Altiplano area, at an altitude above 9,842.5 ft. Just with this, our body is submitted to an abnormal stress, which can cause discomfort and risk in people with the conditions mentioned in the restriction’s section. Moreover, the tour does not have health insurance and there are not health centers to treat this kind of situations in a proper manner on the route.

• Is it possible to do the tour in another language?
  Yes. The English-speaking guide service for the whole tour, has an additional cost of US$ 237 per group and it is subject to availability when booking.