Bolivia in a week, sounds crazy? Believe me it is crazy! We had booked us in a 3 day cross border desert jeep safari which would bring us from San Pedro de Atacama in Chile to the Salt lake of Uyuni in Bolivia. I need to say that this part of our trip was one of my must to see places and I was excited like a kid in a chocolate shop. From there we would catch an overnight bus across the country to lake Titicaca, from where we would leave Bolivia to Peru after 3 days. But let me give you a few more details about it!
When we left San Pedro in the morning, it started already exciting for me. Our transfer bus to the border was by chance on the same road as the famous Dakar Ralley going to Salta in Argentina this morning. While Natalie did not really understand why I was about to freak out, I could not wait enough for all the fat-tired off-road trucks passing by with an incredible loud sound and speed. It was a bit of a dream of my childhood come true 
After 1,5 hours we left from the paved road of the Jama pass into the desert. It did not take long and we could already see what the next 3 days would all be about: dust, desert and the legendary Toyota Landcruiser jeeps.
Around 20 of them were parked around a barely to spot Bolivian border office. Obviously all different tour operators changed drivers here, passengers and supply goods. Somehow I had the feeling that the sketchy border office was just set up to allow the Bolivian tour operators to get the people easily from Chile to Bolivia in the middle of nowhere. Furthermore the Bolivian border officers there did not look much different from the casual dressed jeep drivers. Even more they seemed to be “part of the business” and everything went quickly considering all folks who were queuing for the entry stamp.
After that we were pretty lucky to share our jeep only with Denise and Carolina from Chile plus our Bolivian driver Adelio, as most of the other jeeps where loaded with 6 plus driver.
When we finally left I recalled the altitudes which we were supposed to pass the first day. From 2500 m in San Pedro up to the highest point today of almost 5000 m and down to 4200 m for the night stay. Last time I really struggled with the quick ascent when we came in to San Pedro, so I still was full of respect of what was ahead of us. Luckily somehow all the other jeeps disappeared in the vastness of the desert and we were just for us most of the time.
What we saw during the next 3 days is hard to put in words. The best is to go through our pictures, even though again we think it is impossible to catch the full vastness of this beautiful shaped and colored landscape in any of the pictures, but it is still stunning to look at them.
Just the first day we passed several lagoons which are named after their unique color. They all have their own story. Languna Blanca for example is white because the main mineral is salt. More interesting, but deadly if you would drink the water of Laguna Verde, which is green colored because the main minerals are based on Arsen and Copper. Most stunning in my point of view, the diva under all the lagoons we visited, Laguna Colorada. It thanks it red and white color to a specific microorganism which causes the deep red color. Laguna Verde and Colorada have one thing in common. They are just white in the early hours of the day, as the microorganism and the minerals in both are heavier as water and sink to the bottom during the night. Only the wind and the raising temperatures during the day cause the necessary circulation in the water that brings up the tiny parts to the surface. Cool he ? We did not name the pictures, so maybe you try to identify Laguna Blanca, Laguna Verde and Laguna Colorada on your own
Another beautiful spot we visited the first day were the hot springs in front of a lagoon at almost 4500 m surrounded by desert mountains. Some travelers used the welcoming warm water to relax a little from the off-road driving. We just enjoyed the stunning view and kept our white as snow bodies protected under the cloth as the sun on this altitude can deliver you a lovely sunburn in a few minutes.
At the highest point we stopped at some mud bubbling and smoking geysers which made us breathless for the sheer altitude and the stunning view of the area The sulfur smelling smoke made it even more difficult to breathe but we just could not get enough from this toxic place.
When we finally reached our accommodation for the night, I already felt the altitude. I had a little man in my head who was hammering against my forehead from inside plus an unresistable desire to vomit, although I had tried almost everything which is recommended to avoid altitude sickness. I had drunk a lot of water, which made me pee almost at every stop, had drunk no alcohol, had stayed away from caffeine, had eaten mostly carbohydrates instead of meat and had chewed coca all day long.
Luckily Natalie insisted that I had at least some noodles for dinner. It helped me to survive the night and the next morning I was almost fine again. Then I realized my environment fully. The people live there mainly to run the accommodations for the tours. They had served us simple but hearty food and made us feel at home at 4200 m altitude.
Our second day was amazing as well. As one of my favorite sights I have to name the stone tree which we visited in the morning. This formation is carved out by wind and rain and stands among other rocks in a plain desert area which was beautiful enlightened in the golden morning sun. We traveled the whole day across the endless desert. Unbelievable but the color of the landscape, the shape of the mountains, the lagoons changed with every meter we drove and every hour of the day light. I felt like travelling on another planet.
At the end of the day we reached the region around the Uyuni salt lake. Thanks to some rain some little agriculture is possible here, mainly quinoa, beans and farming of llamas, but life there is harsh.
We spend the night in one of the salt hotels around the lake which are, guess what, built out of salt bricks. Even the interior as the tables and the chairs were made out of salt bricks and from the window you could already catch a glimpse of the “Great White”: the Salar de Uyuni. It is the world´s largest salt lake with 10.000 sqkm. It was created around 10.000 years ago when a huge lake dried out. There is still a river ending in it, which means there is water under the up to 30 m thick salt crust which allows even buses and trucks to drive on the lake.
The next day we started early when it was still dark. Adelio drove us straight onto the Uyuni salt lake to see the sunrise from the island Inkahuasi in the center of the lake. At first I was scared when I realized that Adelio drove without sight in the dark. He had switched of the car lights and followed just the GPS, but this gave us a fantastic view of the lake and the stars above while the night was fading away.
After a stunning sunrise and tasty breakfast on Island, we did the obligatory photo session on the vast salt lake. What looks like ice and snow is pure salt, almost endless in every direction. It was another incredible sight during our tip. A place somehow out of this world.
Later we visited the by now closed salt hotel on the lake. They had a serious problem with the dumping of waste water into the lake, which led the local government to close it, so now it is just a museum. After that we drove to a saline run by locals close to the shores of the lake. They still produce household salt the old fashioned way by shuffling some salt on small piles to led it dry in the sun.
After another tasty lunch made by Adelio in the small salt producing village we had our last stop at the cemetery of trains close to Uyuni town. It is basically a place where the old mining companies parked their trains in the desert after they were taken out of business. They used the trains to transport ore and minerals from the center of Bolivia to the Coast. It was an amazing end of our trip which was unique and exciting everyday. If anyone ever considers going to the Salar de Uyuni as well, we can only recommend to do the 3 day tour! It gives one such a better idea of the region than just visiting the salt lake for one day on its own. It was definitely one of the best and unforgettable tours on our whole trip!
