When we were in La Paz, we went to the main terminal to buy our tickets for Tupiza which cost 160 BOB1 each plus 2.50 BOB for the terminal fee which is paid at departure. It was an overnight 10-hour 30-minute journey to Tupiza. The seats were the most comfortable I’ve ever been on since they turned into a bed by reclining 180 degrees and the footrest came up so you could lay completely flat. The Tupiza terminal is close to the Independence Plaza which is where you can find several shops, restaurants, and tour agencies. Once we got there, we immediately went looking for a 4 days and 3 nights tour to the Salar de Uyuni. After asking at several places, we decided to go with Valle Hermoso Tours since they seemed to have good reviews. The tour which included meals, shared accommodation, a guide, and transportation dropping us off at Uyuni came to 1300 BOB. All agencies charge a service fee if you pay by credit card so it’s better to pay cash due to the large payment. Note that if you have to withdraw money, the highest ATM limit I found in Tupzia was 2000 BOB. So if you’re paying for multiple people, keep that in mind.
Setting out from Tupiza
The meeting point was at the Valle Hermoso Hostel at 7 AM for breakfast with the rest of the group we would be going with. Our group was a total of 5 people plus the driver/guide. There was also another Jeep with a group of 4 who also left with us. As soon as everyone was done with breakfast, we set out at around 7.30 AM. The first stop is El Sillar which is a short 30-minute drive from Tupiza. At this viewpoint, we get to see some interesting red rock formations. We’re only here for about 10-15 minutes to take some pictures before continuing. The next stop is at the Awana Pampa plains. We pull up by the road and have some time to wander around. There’s a small hill you can climb to get some panoramic shots of the landscape. We make a couple of stops to rest and take pictures of the different landscapes along the journey. For lunch, we arrive at the small town of San Pablo de Lipez. We go inside what looks like a communal house which has some tables and chairs. The driver then preps some food with help from the locals.
Following lunch, we head to the Ghost Town. Once at the site, the guide drops us off at the top of the hill and tells us to walk down where we’ll find a site official to pay the entrance fee. Our guide then said that he’ll pick us up from the bottom in the town. You get some great views from the top of the hill and the trail down is easy to follow. The site official collects the 15 BOB entrance fee from everyone and gives some history of the site. He then points us in the direction of where to go and meet our guide/driver. We continue down and through the ghost town, walking past abandoned decaying buildings. You can make out the remains of what looks to have been a church. At the bottom, there are toilet facilities which you can use before continuing. The next main stop is Lake Morejón. This lake stands at 4855 meters above sea level with a beautiful mountain landscape sitting behind it. At this altitude the weather is cold and windy, so we stayed just long enough to take a couple of pictures before running back to the warmth in the Jeep. Our journey then continues towards the Eduardo Avaroa Reserve. There’s a checkpoint just before reaching Quetena Chico. Everyone has to register here with their passport and pay the 150 BOB ticket. There’s also a stamp here which you can put on your passport.
We then arrive at our lodging for the night just as the sun finishes setting. We unload our bags and settle down in our room while dinner is being prepared. The room is shared between the 5 people in our room. Dinner is served in the dining area around 7 PM. The lights are kept on until around 9 PM so we spent some time playing cards with the other travelers until then. Once it’s lights out, you have to use a torch or the flashlight from your phone to get around as there are no lights in the rooms or outside. The bathrooms are also in another building so you have to step outside to get to the other building if you need the toilet or want to have a shower. It’s quite cold in the room but there are several blankets and our tour provided us with sleeping bags as well. This was enough to keep us warm throughout the night. Facilities are rudimentary but comfortable enough a place to get a good night’s sleep.
