Today was the day we had been waiting for, the pinnacle of the tour and the reason we had been stuck in the back of a jeep for the past few days. Just when we couldn’t wait to get out on to the salt flats the driver stops so we can check out some giant cactuses.
The Edge of the Salt Flat
As we approach the salt flats we worry about how far we can go, there were thunder storms last night and it rained heavily. February is in the wet season and the salt flats are flooded. If the water is too deep it is impossible to pass.
Our 4x4 stops a little way in to the salt flats and we all get out, the water on the flats is barely a centre metre deep.
Already this place is amazing and it’s time for everybody to take the obligatory perspective altering photographs.
Leanne has me right where she wants, in the palm of her hand.
But I know she’s no match for me when I’m hungry.
Although it’s absolutely amazing I still can’t wait to head out deep into the middle of the flats. We are still close to the surrounding mountains and it’s hard to get a feel for the enormity of the place.
But perhaps this would be as far as we would go, we still hoped the water level would be low enough to allow us to pass through.
The Middle of the Dry Salt Flats
Slowly the jeeps headed out into the vast expanse which is the Solar de Uyuni, at 10,000 square kilometres it’s actually so big that it can be seen from space and it is used by Nasa as a means to configure their satellites.
We stopped at a dry point where the full vastness of the salt landscape could really be appreciated. In every direction there was white salt, only ending where it met the sky.
So we took the opportunity to kick some dinosaur arse.
And felt like making humans look very small.
We sat in the salt and ate lunch in the most spectacular setting possible.
Wet Salt Flats and Driving Into Heaven
Just when we thought it could not get much better we journeyed far into the never-ending horizon. The water splashing around the jeeps got deeper and we slowed to a crawling pace. Then, gazing out of the window, appeared scenery so spectacular there was no other word to describe it but heavenly.
The sky and earth merged into one, the horizon between land and sky blurred to produce the effect of floating through the clouds.
The awe-inspiring reflections created a feeling of tranquillity and other worldly presence.
We stepped out of the vehicle and the salt flat was layered with 10cm of warm salty water, each step we took produced ripples far into the distance.
When the ripples ceased the whole world became perfectly still, the ground became sky, and the sky became the earth.
The fading light, edging though the cloudy sky, created a dream like landscape, beyond the scope of imagination.
Without a doubt this was the most beautiful place on earth.
Sadly, it is unlikely it will remain the same in the future. It’s estimated that 70% of the world’s lithium is held in the salt flats. Lithium is an essential ingredient in the production of batteries for electric cars. In a few years this vast resource has the potential to change Bolivia from poverty stricken to the Saudi Arabia of South America.
Salt Hotel and Train Graveyard
We got back into the jeeps and wondered in amazement, gazing at the awe inspiring beauty out of the window. Then, an hour later, slowly growing in the distance appeared a salt hotel, the magical feeling soon subsided when hundreds of other jeeps arrived carrying tourists on day trips spoiling the tranquil effect. A swift visit to the salt hotel and we left, making our way to Uyuni where our final stop was a rather gloomy looking train graveyard.
The rain that made the salt flats so beautiful dampened the mood as I dirtied myself climbing on the wet and rusty trains. Cold and wet we hastily headed back to Uyuni, drawing a line on another amazing chapter on this crazy adventure.
