The Southwest: Salt-flats, Coloured Lakes and Vineyards

V!VA User‘s Description

Some of Bolivia’s biggest expanses of wilderness, as well as its most prosperous towns and lush valleys, all lie in this southwest corner of the country stretching down to the borders of Chile and Argentina.

To the west, the Altiplano is dominated by huge expanses of salt flats, punctuated with jagged volcanic peaks. Driving through the Salar de Uyuni is a surreal experience – on a sunny day, the bright white salt flats act as a mirror, reflecting the blue sky, clouds and even the stars on a clear night. For most tourists, the highlight is the Reserva Nacional de Fauna Andina Eduardo Avaroa right on the southwestern tip bordering Chile, with its bubbling geyser basins and red and green lakes on which colourful flamingos feed. Given the inhospitable terrain and infrequency of local buses, the easiest way to visit this region is on a four-day tour from Uyuni.

The region is also home to Bolivia’s best-preserved colonial cities, Potosí and Sucre, around 50km apart. Potosí is reported to have been the most prosperous city in the Americas at one point, when huge silver mines were discovered in the late 16th century. Visitors can now take a tour of the mines and see the kind of conditions the workers had to put up with underground. Sucre is another well established traveller hangout, its colonial architecture, warm-ish climate and peaceful surroundings attracting both Bolivian and foreign visitors.

To the east, the highlands drop down into dusty red plains with orchards and vineyards soaking up the hot sun. Occasionally the desolate plains split, creating canyons that plunge down into fertile green valleys. It’s another good area for trekking, with the added bonus of tasting some of Bolivia’s finest vintages along the way.