8 days between Bolivia and Argentina 2024
After Peru as an itinerary we decided to get into Bolivia crossing the border between Puno and La Paz. Bus unfortunately we didn’t had much time in Bolivia so we just visited the capital and Uyuni skipping Sucre, other cities and the Amazon forest. But we manage to do an amazing 3 days tour in Uyuni supposed to be finish in Chile and entering in San Pedro de Atacama with the tour but we couldn’t due to the tourist visa of C that didn’t got approved on time. So from Bolivia we went to Villazon crossings the border to entering in Argentina by bus.
DAY 1 – Sunday 04.02.24
( Night at: Isabela Hotel Suites, La Paz )
( Hotel room Isabela, La Paz )
Woke up at 5:30 am did the breakfast and then took a take to the bus station since it wasn’t wet far but was raining and get on the bus Titicaca at 7 am to Copacabana and from there change bus to La Paz. But well first we had to cross the border doing the controls by walking, time zone changed get on the bus again and after like an hours stopping at Copacabana left the stuff in the office and had an hour free to wondering around and had lunch. Later at 1:15 pm got in the second bus to La Paz, well after an hour stopped to cross the water to we took a little boat then we kept going till La Paz that we got stuck in the traffic quite a bit and finally got at the bus terminal at 6 pm and from there we walked till the hostel, checked in, shower and sleep.
DAY 2 – Monday 05.02.24
( Night on the bus to Uyuni )
( La Paz city from the cable car )
Woke up at 8:30 am, breakfast in the hostel and then walked to the bus station to get the ticket for the bus in the evening. From there called an Uber to Sucre Square went to Burger King for lunch and then at 2 pm did a free walking tour around the city passing by the markets and ending in Plaza Murillo. During the tour we met a South African couple that we went to drink Singani typical Bolivian alcohol in Jean street at the Etno Cafe Cultural. After two drinks we went to catch the cable car up to the city where we could enjoy the sunset, well supposedly to reach a lookout but was too far so we just took few rides up in the city and then we get out said goodbye to our new friends and got on a taxi to go to our hostel where we grabbed our stuff and walked to the bus station to catch the bus to Uyuni at 9 pm and spent the night on the bus.
DAY 3 – Tuesday 06.02.24
( Night at: Hostel Piedra Andina In San Juan )
( Salt flats, Uyuni )
Uyuni tour booked thur Viator: https://www.viator.com/tours/Uyuni/3-Days-tour-to-the-Uyuni-salt-flats-and-colored-lagoons/d22256-108758P6
Got in Uyuni bus terminal at 6:30 am, had breakfast there and then contacted the company of the tour that they comes to pick up us and took us to the office where we got all the instructions left the luggage there and went to cash out and buy some clothes. Then the tour started at 10 am, we were me, Carmel, two American hostess and one British girl plus the tour guide and the driver.
We will visit the Train Cemetery, where you can see the remains of steam locomotives from the 19th centuries.
Arrival in the town of COLCHANI, it is next to the Uyuni salt flats where Cooperativa Rosario works, the main salt iodization plant. It is the best place to observe the different stages that salt undergoes, which is extracted from the salt, such as the drying of the salt, the crushing of sal
Later we will enter the majestic Uyuni Salt Flats , on the shore of the Salar, you can visit the salt eyes, which It is medicinal for rheumatism, arthritis, visit the Dakar monument, visit to the flags of the salar, visit ex-salt hotel Playa Blanca, considered as a salt museum, made with blocks of salt. At noon lunch, later time to take photos and perspective videos, explained by our expert bilingual driver guide. Arrived at Incawasi Island (Casa del Inca ) is located in the center of the salt flat 100 km from Uyuni, a mountainous island covered with giant cacti surrounded by a white sea with hexagonal shapes, volcanoes such as the Tunupa, populated by vizcachas, dominated by the colors blue and white, is an oasis with a unique and isolated ecosystem that is populated by cacti from a few centimeters up to 7 meters high. We went to the shore of the salt flat on the west side to wait for the sunset, then we went to the salt hostel to spend the night, dinner, rest.
DAY 4 – Wednesday 07.04.23
( Night at: Hostal San Bernardo )
( With Carmel at Laguna Hedionda, Bolivia )
Departure at 7:30 am and breakfast at the accommodation. On day 2 a distance of 350 km is covered, altitude of 3660 to 5000 meters, in a time of 9 hours. Departure to the “Laguna Colorada”, it is located 151 km south of the Population of San Juan at an altitude of 4278 meters and covers an area of 60 km2. We will pass through the town of San Juan, we will make a stop in the middle of the Salar de Chiguana from where you can see a chain of volcanoes that surround the plain, later you begin to climb the slope of the Ollague volcano that borders Bolivia -Chile, from the viewpoint we will appreciate this semi-active volcano, you can also do a short walk Among the lava of giant stones of this volcano, which presents figures of animals such as serpent, eagle, etc., later our expert driver guide will drive to visit the altiplanic lagoons such as the Cañapa lagoon, the hedionda lagoon along with a legendary Toyota land cruiser.
We go around the lagoon to have the best shots of the flamingos, the lagoon and the snow-capped mountains, all this great landscape looks like a postcard. They can stay as long as they want, flamingos perceive that someone is approaching and immediately take flight in a flock, that image is beautiful, the birds flying in the celestial sky contrasting with their peculiar and stylized shape accompanied by those beautiful colors.
Laguna Hedionda This is another wonderful lagoon in the highlands. It provides the opportunity to see a lot of flamingos, but it is also great to see it in the surrounding snow-capped hills and volcanoes. This is pretty remote and it’s cool.Incredible landscape of lake, birds, delimited by mountains and volcanoes.Lots of birds, especially Andean flamingos. The Hedionda lagoon has some structure to receive tourists. There is a restaurant, bathrooms and even outdoor tables to receive visitors, with lunch prepared by our company Ande Salt Expeditions, it is here where we have lunch.after lunch we continue through the desert to climb up to 5000 meters high in the siloli desert.
Arbol de Piedra After lunch we continue through the desert to climb up to 5000 meters high in the Siloli Desert. The route passes through spectacular landscapes with multicolored volcanic rock formations, and reaches a height of 5000 meters and then enters the Eduardo Abaroa National Reserve where the Stone Tree is located whose natural form is petrified volcanic lava eroded (volcanic Ignimbrite) by the wind. and the rain for what to reach the most important of the second day attractive red lagoon a lot of flamingos. We will stop in the middle of this desert to observe the 7 colors of volcanoes with their pyroplasts of this desert, in Bolivia called Siloli, in Chile this same desert has the name of the Atacama desert.
Laguna Colorada Then we go we will arrive at Laguna Colorada at approximately 04.00 p.m. Laguna Colorado is located 151 km south of San Juan at an altitude of 4278 meters and covers an area of 60 km2. The rich red coloration is derived from algae and plankton, which thrives on its minerals and the shoreline is lined with bright white deposits of sodium, magnesium, borax.This lagoon has a red tint due to algal blooms and being notice clearly. There are many miles of flamingos when you can walk along the side of the lagoon. Great place for bird watching and a beautiful mountainous backdrop. We will visit this lagoon from 2 viewpoints, Puntas Negras viewpoint, Aguas Calientes viewpoint. Laguna Colorado is known for its beautiful colors and its pink flamingos. Te and coffee at the accommodation and after dinner all together.
DAY 5 – Thursday 08.02.24
( Night at : Hostal Sin Fronteras, Uyuni )
( Villamar Mallcu, Bolivia )
Woke up at 4 am had breakfast at 4:30 and head to the 7 Geiser Sol de la Manana for sunrise and we continue visiting the volcanic area of Geysers “Sol de Mañana”. Here, at 4850 meters, is a geyser basin with bubbling clay pots, infernal fumaroles and a thick aroma of sulfur fumes. This is a site of intense volcanic activity. Inside a small crater we will observe boiling lava, reminding us of the time when the earth was formed. You can take videos, photos, accompanied by our driver guides, observe bubbling mud, they look great (especially in slow motion), and you can get good photos and videos coming out of the fog that comes out of the ground, a very impressive place in this region, a place so Do not forget to bring warm clothes at sunset, otherwise you will literally freeze! Desert we continue with the expedition, we leave for the Laguna Verde, we will have a stop in the Salvador Dali desert, a beautiful desert that bears the name of the famous artist. The mountains, their shapes and colors create something unique, where we will stop to observe the panorama of volcanoes, pyrophlasts, giant rocks. Dalí’s famous painting with the previous title coincides with the location of the rocks in this desert landscape . Surrounded by towering volcanoes, the setting is as surreal as Dalí’s paintings. The rocks placed indiscriminately in the desert sand could easily be Dalí’s painting.
After visiting the Salvador Dali desert, we reached the edge of the Laguna Verde, this is the last stop on the tour, before reaching the border with Chile Hito Cajones, it has a beautiful green color and is a great opportunity to take pictures together With the Licancabur volcano in the background, there are no flamingos here because the water contains arsenic. The green color of this lake arises from the high concentrations of lead, sulfur and calcium carbonate, arsenic from the Licancabur Volcano 5960 meters Laguna Verde is together with Laguna Blanca with some flamingos. The Licancabur volcano borders Bolivia to the south with Argentina to the west with Chile, it is a truly surreal sight. then descend to the Polques lagoon where we will enjoy the hot springs. Aguas Termales de Polques We will arrive at this magical place of the hot springs of Laguna Polques You are in the middle of nowhere surrounded by surreal beauty and you have the opportunity to immerse yourself in thermal pools at a height of 4410 meters. The hot springs themselves are beautiful and have a great view of the lagoon with flamingos in the vicinity the experience is as if you were together with the flamingos in the hot spring water. continuing towards the Villa Mar lagoon and lost Italy natural formation of giant rocks where we can see some flamingos, many llamas and other birds. Laguna Negra Black lagoon of Catal (villa Mar) It is a beautiful place with beautiful views, vegetation, llamas, colors were impressive the dark blue of the water, with yellow and green plants growing around it, in addition to the llamas and wonderful rock formations nearby. A very quiet place. and then passing through the Villa Alota canyon, we continue to go to the town of San Cristóbal where we can see a colonial-era church and finish in Uyuni at 17:00 pm. Once we finished the tour we didn’t know what to do because the plan was getting into chile so we stopped a second to think. Went to the bus stop realizing that the only option was going to Villazon and then Salta making our way to Argentina with the purpose to go to Rio de Janeiro o for the carnival. So we booked the ticket to Argentina for the morning after and for the night we booked an hostel in Uyuni and we went out for dinner at “ La torre de pizza” where we could tried the Uyuni beer and then we went to sleep.
DAY 6 – Friday 09.02.24
( Night at: La San Francisco, Salta )
( International bridge Quiaca, Bolivia / Argentina )
Woke up at 5 am breakfast and then walked to the bus station to catch the bus at 6 am to Villazon which we got there at 11:30 am got at taxi to the border and then waited to get out of Bolivia crossing the border by walk on the bridge. Unfortunately there was a massive queue so we got in Argentina only at 2 pm where we took an other taxi to the bus terminal but the first bus to San Salvador de Jujuy wasn’t till 4:30 pm so we cash out and we had lunch in the streets while we were waiting for the bus. Got at the bus terminal of San Salvador de Jujuy at 11 pm and there were no more buses to Salta unfortunately, we socialized with a Japanese guy and we decided to share an Uber all three together till our Salta Hostel which it took around 2 hours ride. Finally checked in at 1 am and the hostel guy waited for since the reception closed at 12 am, got in the bedroom and went straight to sleep.
DAY 7 – Saturday 10.02.24
( Night at: La San Francisco, Salta )
( Road 68 to Cafayate, Argentina )
Woke up at 6:30 am and being ready for the Cafayate day tour that they come to pick up us at 7 am in the hostel.
Depart Salta and head south along Provincial Route 68, offering panoramic views of the farms and tobacco plantations of the Lerma Valley. Admire the new and old tobacco chimneys made of adobe and clay, and see tobacco leaves being dried under the sun. Pass the town of Alemania and marvel at the red mountains and rock formations of attractions such as the “Devil´s Throat” and “House of the Parrots.” Upon arrival in Cafayate, visit 1 winery to learn more about the local wine industry and famous torrontes wines. Following lunch at Restaurant El Criollo at 1 pm and from there we had two hours to wonder around the Cafayate city before journey back to Salta via a different route to see a completely different landscape from the morning drive.
Once we got back in Slata we got dropped off in the Plaza 9 de Julio where we wondered around, visited the Catedral and the we went to the supermarket to get some food and Salta beer so we went back to the hostel to chill a bit and sleep.
DAY 8 – Sunday 11.02.24
( Night at: AeroHostel 418, Rio de Janeiro )
( Me at Aeroparque International Newbery, Buenos Aires )
Woke up at 8 am roughly got ready, packed everything and did the check out, catch an Uber to the airport and we got there at 9:40 am. We checked the luggage and did the check in, luckily the airport was very quiet and fast so we catch the flight 11:30 am with Aerolineas Argentina and we landed at 13:30 pm in Buenos Aires where we had lunch at McDonald and we waited for the second flight at 17:05 pm again with Aerolíneas Argentina and we landed at 20:00 pm in Rio de Janeiro where we did all the controls and we took an Uber to the Hostel and we went immediately to sleep.
bc travel blogger 