The Salar de Uyuni, in Bolivia, is considered one of the most
extreme and outstanding sights in all of South America, if not on Earth.
With an area of 10,582 square kilometers on the Altiplano, it is the
world's largest salty desert, a product of prehistoric lakes that
evaporated long ago. Here, the salt crust extends toward the horizon,
covered in quilted polygonal salt patterns rising from the ground. During
some parts of the year, the nearby lakes overflow and a thin layer of
water transforms this plain into a beautiful reflection of the sky. This
precious otherworldly terrain is a lucrative deposit for extracting salt
and lithium, an element used in batteries for computers, smartphones and
electric cars. In addition to the local workers who collect these
minerals, this landscape is also home to the world's first salt hotel and
is visited by tourists roaming the roads.
Far off the beaten path, the world-famous salt hotels are located in the
tiny desert town of Uyuni, in South-West Bolivia. It is a unique
experience to sleep in a hotel made of salt. These are among the most
unique, exciting and adventurous hotels in the world and offer relative
luxury at the edge of the Salar de Uyuni. The walls, ceilings, tables,
chairs and other room features are all created from this locally-sourced
material. Being surrounded by salt is considered by many to have healing
properties, including improving your breathing, mood and sleep. Most of
these remarkable hotels are situated very near each other.
In the heart of the Salar de Uyuni salt flats lies Isla Incahuasi, one
of the main attractions for most visitors. The name, which means “house
of the Inca” in the native language of Quechua, highlights the
importance of the island to the Incans. Years ago, before the invention
of jeeps, local people would use Isla Incahuasi as a temporary refuge
when crossing the salt flat. This hilly and rocky outcrop of land is the
top of the remains of an ancient volcano which was submerged when the
area was part of a giant prehistoric lake, roughly 40,000 years ago. The
coral composition around the island is a fascinating reminder that the
flats used to be part of a gigantic lake.
Uyuni has long been known as an important transportation hub in South
America and it connects several major cities. In the early 19th century,
big plans were made to build an even bigger network of trains out of
Uyuni, but the project was abandoned because of a combination of
technical difficulties and tension with neighboring countries. The
trains and other equipment were left to rust and fade out of memory.
There are no restrictions in approaching the trains, so visitors often
climb atop or go inside the train cars for taking pictures. Most of the
trains that can be found in the Graveyard date back to the early 20th
century and were imported from Britain. There are over 100 train cars
with unique structure and occasional graffiti. In other places in the
world, the mighty steel trains would have held up better. The salt winds
that blow over Uyuni, which hosts the world’s largest salt plain, have
corroded all of the metal. Without guards or even a fence, these pieces
were picked over and vandalized long ago.
