Yes, we managed to book a 4 days / 3 nights tour to start from Tupiza for the Uyuni Salar. We went through “Ciudad del Encanto Tours” agency which we recommend without hesitation. It is the only agency in Tupiza that includes a detour and walk to the Ciudad del Encanto.
So on this beautiful Tuesday 9th of April, we leave early morning Tupiza city to start our journey through the Lipez desert in order to reach four days later the Salar of Uyuni.
Loading the 4×4
On that first day of our road-trip, we will sleep at San Antonio de Lipez at around 4250m, which is higher than we have ever been. Higher as well that the Annapurna Base Camp we « climb » (not drive) last march in Nepal.
Below is the detailed map of our journey: (not easy to realize as there is no marks on google map in that part of Bolivia)
Our first day journey is in blue and end up with the little red bed sign
Nice view from Sillar point of view
Around us is lamas, mines, small villages made of adobe as we keep going up on the altoplano, which is a high « plateau » averaging 3,300m of altitude and being shared between Argentina, Bolivia, Peru and Chili (although most of it is in Bolivia)
Copper mine
Through that day, we went through some wonderful places such as the « Ciudad del Encanto ».
Welcome to “La Cuidad del Encanto” at 4,001m
From far, it looks like a city or something else, but this ancient volcano has been reshaped by the wind and the water. Now, you can find funny shapes or some very interesting such as the Cathedral, the monks or the Devil door.
A curtain made by the water and the wind
Inside the cathedral
This rock formations look like monks
This is the main highlight of our day.. We visit during a two hours walk the montain who used to be a hidden place for some of the local during the spanish invasion in South America. As well some stories about devil and noise at night, don’t get you to really want to stay at night.
The lion
Our group (from let to right: Nadine, Lea, Jacques, Naoimh and Anselmo our guide/driver, Caroline takes the picture)
Short gallery on the “Ciudad del Encanto”:
We end up the day in the small village of San Antonio de Lipez, where during dinner time a kid comes to play one of the traditionnal instrument of Bolivia: the flute.
Before arriving ot San Antonio de Lipez
We won’t spend our best night at 4250m.
Below more pics of our first day of road trip in Bolivia:
Blog you soon,
Jacques&Caro
Links toward the other days of the road trip:
- Day 2: Discovering the national reserve “Eduardo Avaroa”
- Day 3: The gem road on the Siloli desert
- Day 4: We walked on the Uyuni Salar
nice.