You may be wowed and at times astounded by the cultural variance of such a country but Bolivia is more than just a cultural eye opener, it\u2019s a place of spectacular landscape too. Much of Western Bolivia lies across the Altiplano, the widest part of the Andes and the highest plateau outside of Tibet, which in itself suggests that the scenery would be second to none.<\/p>\n I recall being on a seven hour bus journey from Potosi to the town of Uyuni. The bus made a brief stop at the side of the road where there was a broken down car. Myself and Phil (a fellow traveller<\/em>) decided to offer a helping hand and push the car, foolishly not taking into consideration that we were at high altitude. Wow\u2026 Talk about hard work, I was almost passing out!<\/p>\n Pulling into Uyuni feels a little like you have reached the end of the road. This small dusty town in the middle of nowhere sits on the edge of the high altiplano with its primary purpose being to provide a gateway to largest salt flats in the world. It\u2019s a bit of a strange town really, almost like being on a movie set where you are expecting to bump into John Wayne or see tumble weed come rolling by.<\/p>\n After arriving at our hotel my friend Jo realised that she had left her i-phone on the bus. Now let\u2019s face it the chances of her ever seeing it again was pretty none existent right?\u00a0 But\u2026 Our honest and trusty bus driver had found the phone and was able to return it to her. Top marks Bolivia!!<\/p>\n The next morning we were up with the sun and away on our 3-day, 4WD expedition into Salar de Uyuni. This 4,086 square miles of salty residue is one the most surreal places I have ever been fortunate enough to see.<\/p>\n Our first stop was a train cemetery which lies on the outskirts of an old trading post in Uyuni. A resting place for old 20th<\/sup> century locomotives which have reached the end of the line. The fascinating but corroding and disintegrating shells provide an adventure playground for the many tourists passing through.<\/p>\n Without doubt our next stop provided us with a sizeable amount of amusement as we became competitive with one another to see who could obtain the best perspective\u2013defying photographs.\u00a0 Anything from plastic toy dinosaurs and beer cans to pringle tubes and brimmed hats were being used to create these bazar illusions.<\/p>\n Inkawasi Island was a pretty amazing place to stop for lunch. \u00a0It\u2019s a hilly island of gigantic cacti which really emphasises the vastness of this region! Looking out from the top of the island gives you an infinite view of hexagonal shaped salt deposits.<\/p>\n This trip can be pretty tough going with some long travel days but the rewards are endless.\u00a0 As your 4WD speeds across the ivory like ocean you look to the horizon where the endless white salt meets the crystal blue skies. It\u2019s just incredible!<\/p>\n Spending the night in a salt hotel was somewhat of a novelty. It\u2019s exactly what the name suggests, a hotel built out of salt blocks, with salt tables, salt chairs, salt beds and salt \u2018carpets\u2019! \u00a0The nights can be extremely cold in Salar de Uyuni so we were sure to layer up and drink a few pe\u010den\u00e1s (a local beer) to lock in the warmth! Beverage induced dancing on the salt tables was an optional extra but it isn\u2019t for everyone! <\/em> <\/em><\/p>\n Electricity is run off a generator and its lights out around 9:00pm, \u2018if\u2019 the generator lasts out that long of course!\u00a0 With no artificial light to taint your view a stroll outside into pitch black is essential, giving you a perfect and unobstructed view of the Milky Way. \u00a0It\u2019s really quite overwhelming being stood there in complete silence, just gazing up into the clear night sky.<\/em><\/p>\n The remainder of our journey saw us driving through yet more amazing landscapes, spotting Llamas, foxes and vizcachas.<\/em><\/p>\n Another fantastic stop –\u00a0 \u2018Laguna Colorado\u2019 (The Red lake). This picture perfect sight looks like it has been photo- shopped with the vividly coloured reds and whites created by the algae and rich minerals which lie within. <\/em> <\/em><\/p>\n I thought that it would be hard to top Laguna Colorado but we made an equally amazing stop for lunch alongside Laguna Hedionda – another picturesque lake with a stunning backdrop of volcanoes. Hundreds if not thousands of pink flamingos line the shores of this lake. It\u2019s a photographers dream!<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n Our last day in Salar de Uyuni had us up and on the road early, allowing us to arrive at the Solar de <\/em>Mana\u00f1a geyser basin while the sun was rising. There was a truly majestic ambiance as the sun began to penetrate the huge plumes of geyser steam. The lighting was spectacular.<\/p>\n If not fully awake by this point you soon would be with intense roar from the geysers as they release the pressure which lies beneath the ground. I was astounded as I walked around the boiling pools and watched the mud being thrust three or so metres into the air.<\/p>\n A perfect way to reflect on the sights and experiences that Salar de Uyuni had given to us was to submerge ourselves in the <\/em>Termas de Polques hot springs. After a couple of full on days crossing the world\u2019s largest salt flats it was a chance to relax and take it all in!<\/p>\n Bidding farewell to this inconceivable land of wonder we headed across the Border to Chile and into the Atacama Desert.<\/p>\n Anyone wanting to travel to Bolivia, I would urge you to visit this astonishing region. I guarantee you will not be left feeling disappointed.<\/p>\n![\"Salt](\"https:\/\/www.tucan.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/18909_10152357805400171_612317972_n.jpg\" "\\"Salt")
\n<\/em><\/p>\n![\"Train](\"https:\/\/www.tucan.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/312844_10152357797270171_394743484_n.jpg\" "\\"Train")
<\/p>\n![\"Salt](\"https:\/\/www.tucan.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/252225_10152357823145171_802750054_n.jpg\" "\\"Salt")
<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.tucan.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/IMG_21921.jpg\" "\\"The")
\n<\/em><\/p>\n![\"Laguna](\"https:\/\/www.tucan.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/66779_10152357845640171_187889493_n.jpg\" "\\"Laguna")
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