May 15 

To the salt flats. Where Lake Titicaca is a fresh water collection in a basin in the altiplano, the Salar de Uyuni are almost the opposite. It is speculated to have formed after a huge prehistoric lake, called Lake Minchin, dried up over 40,000 years ago. 

And they are huge (check them out on Google Earth).

We embarked upon our journey across just a part of them complete with our own pan-pipe soundtrack…. Which got a lot of airplay that day (see.. erm listen to the video). 

First stop was the salt hotel for lunch. Yes the name is structurally descriptive. 

After exploring around the hotel we both admitted to thinking “Ok, seen the salt flats. Do we really have to keep going?” 

Well we were about to be disabused of our skepticism. 

We crossed further into the centre of the flats (pan pipe accompaniment included) to the “island” of Isla Incahuasi, a volcanic and coral outcrop festooned with astounding cacti. Because of their isolation they were well protected from parasites and infestations and thus have grown for several hundred years to become huge and Seuss-like. 

We got to walk amongst them (but not touch them.. 🤕) while admiring the incredible expanse of the salt flats surrounded by the ancient mountains and volcanoes. 

We were suitably impressed and humbled. 

But it was to get even better.