Uyuni stargazing tour

Uyuni stargazing tour

A Uyuni stargazing tour is an amazing choice if you are planning to get out of the city to take a closer look at the stars or if you are looking for a heart-melting romantic experience. Just imagine it, stargazing with that person who is a « sky full of stars » for you, in a place where « stars and salt collide« . Our stargazing tours are combined either with a sunset or a sunrise over the salt flat.  Experiencing a sunset/sunrise over the Salar is an unforgettable and romantic moment.

The Uyuni salt flat is a stargazing centre out of this world! (Check the best places to stargaze) The lack of light pollution (this light pollution world map shows the concentration of light pollution), clean air, wide night skies and visually breathtaking amazing surroundings of ethereal white beauty and wide horizon make this place one of the best stargazing destinations in the world. The white salty surface is highly reflective and when it floods during the wet season (From December to May) the thin layer of water creates a mirror reflection of the night sky above. You can see the sky reflected at your feet. It’s like floating in open space!

Our private stargazing tour on the Uyuni salt flats take place all year-round and only on demand. But we do not operate with bad weather conditions. You might also want to consider if you want to take the tour during a full moon. This is because the visibility of the stars will not be very clear due to the moon’s brightness. Please check the Lunar calendar Bolivia and our stargazing planner.

So which phase of the moon would be best for stargazing? The best phase of the moon for stargazing depends on what you want to do. Some enjoy watching the moon itself. On the other hand, people using telescopes avoid the moon because its glare interferes with deep-sky objects. The ideal situation for most people looking for a sky full of stars would be a new moon (also called the Dark moon) and a night with few clouds.

We observe the stars with the naked eye. You don’t really need a telescope to enjoy a night under the starts seeing or taking photos of the stars and certainly not in Uyuni. Binoculars or a telescope can show more details, but they’re not a must. What you can see with just your eyes under the truly dark sky at the Uyuni salt flats is spectacular.

The Milky Way, the Magellanic clouds (distant dwarf galaxies), Saturn and Jupiter are commonly clearly visible across the sky, and on a good night and with a bit of luck you will see shooting stars.

With 10,582km², more than 10 billion tons of salt and containing up to 70% of the world’s lithium reserves, Salar de Uyuni is the world’s largest salt flat, a vast salt plain near the crest of the Andes in southwest Bolivia.

Heading to South America? But short on time or only able to visit one single highlight? This should be it: A visit to the Uyuni salt flats. Although, not able to come just yet? Then we definitely recommend you add it to the very top of your bucket list!

REFERENCE PROGRAM

You can combine a stargazing tour with either a sunrise or a sunset on the Salar de Uyuni:

Sunset + stargazing tour

REFERENCE PROGRAM Sunset with stargazing

Duration: approx. 6 hours

15:30 Uyuni – Colchani

Colchani – Salar – Salt mounds

Salt mounds – Salt museum

Salt museum – Sunset watching

Stargazing – Drop off in Uyuni or your salt hotel in Colchani.

Stargazing + sunrise tour

REFERENCE PROGRAM Stargazing with sunrise

Duration: approx. 5 hours

03:30 AM (summer) 04:00 AM (winter) Uyuni – Colchani

Colchani – Salar de Uyuni

Sunrise watching on the salt lake

Return to Uyuni/ a salt hotel in Colchani or drop off at the airport (around 08:00 – 08:30 A.M)

« Shoot for the moon, even if you miss you’ll land among the stars. » – Les Brown

Tour includes:

  • Private transport in a 4×4 with oxygen tube.
  • Spanish speaking driver.
  • Snacks and drinks.

Tour does not include:

  • Breakfast/dinner.
  • Guide (English speaking guide available at extra cost).
  • Telescope (We observe the naked eye sky)
  • Hotel accommodation.
  • Tips.

Optional:

  • Hotel reservations in Uyuni after the tour has finished.
  • (Bilingual) guides.
  • Private transport to or from Sucre, Potosi and La Paz in Bolivia.

What we recommend you to take with you:

The route to the salt lake is cold, windy and with high solar radiation. During the day it is generally sunny and the weather is pleasant but at night it can get cold. Our recommendations on what to bring with you are:

  • Warm clothes.
  • Gloves.
  • Woolen socks.
  • Hat that covers your ears.
  • Rain or waterproof boots (to walk « on » the water).
  • Lip moisturizer.
  • Sun glasses (the sun’s rays on the surface of the salt desert creates a dazzling, blinding light. It’s therefore indispensable to wear high protection sunglasses.).
  • Sun block 30+.
  • Flashlight.
  • Raincoat (From December to March).
  • Extra water.
  • Passport and visa.

Check our pages about:

Please contact us in advance for more information.

We also offer the following salt flats tours:

More info about the Uyuni salt flats tour? Check the following travel blogs:

REVIEWS

  • ´Nos han gustado mucho los dos tours. Los chóferes y guías muy bien en ambos casos. Los hoteles nos gustaron mucho y todo ha salido muy bien. El Salar y Lagunas espectacular. En general muy bien todo. Muchas gracias!'

    Estefania Roig y Jordi Garcia Spain
  • ´Gijs, the trip to Uyuni was very good thanks. We were impressed with the overall package and would not hesitate to use your services again. Many Thanks.´

    Simon Rodd UK
  • ´Nos han gustado mucho los dos tours. Los chóferes y guías muy bien en ambos casos. Los hoteles nos gustaron mucho y todo ha salido muy bien. El Salar y Lagunas espectacular. En general muy bien todo. Muchas gracias!´

    Estefania Roig y Jordi Garcia Spain
  • ´It was absolutely fabolous! Excellent driver and guide! And transport to Chile! Loved all we saw! Thanks for organising the trip and for answering all my questions!´

    Marianne Sundin Hestnes Norway
  • ´We had a wonderful trip for 3 days and the weather was nice apart from some snow and hail on the last day which made it kind of special. ´

    Dr. David Lewis Canada
  • ´Hi Gijs, I just wanted to say that we had a wonderful trip. The organisation was perfect - thank you for sorting it all for us. Best regards, Mike´

    Mike Adamson UK
  • ´Dear Gijs, I just wanted to thank you for an incredible experience in the Salar of Uyuni earlier this year. The nature and the people were unforgettable. Ottavio was a great enthusiastic guide. It could not have been better. All the best from Germany, Chris´

    Christian Kell Germany
  • ´Dear Gijs, we would like to thank you for organising such a fantastic tour for us. We had an amazing time. Wilson was a great driver, very professional yet a lot of fun too. We had heard many stories of people having bad experiences so were a little wary about booking a tour. The food was great and the vehicle was very comfortable. If any of our friends head this way, we'll be passing on your details. Thanks again. Regards John and Paul´

    Paul and John Australia
  • ´Dear Gijs, Thank you very much for following through with everything and making this part of our trip to South America go so smooothly. We have had several hassles with other bookings - people not turning up, or no name cards or wrong information etc. It is so refreshing to have everything go right. I shall have no hesitation in recommending you to any of our acquaintances. Regards, Carmen Wells´

    Carmen Well & family Australia
  • ´Gijs, de 3 daagse trip is prima bevallen. We waren heel blij met de omgekeerde volgorde. De eerste dag was best lang maar goed te doen. Onze chauffeur Freddy was helemaal goed. Vriendelijk en behulpzaam. En al kon hij bijna geen woord Engels hij deed erg z´n best on alles duidelijk te maken. Dat lukte ook vrij aardig. Wat we onderweg gezien hebben was top maar dat wis je natuurlijk al. Met name de laatste dag, het zoutmeer was indrukwekkend maar ook de lagunes en flamingo´s waren heel mooi om te zien. Van enige ontbering was geen sprake want de hotels waren prima. Ook hier eenvoudig maar goed. Ook het eten was prima. Onderweg en in de hotels.Je zult uit bovenstaand relaas begrijpen dat wij heel tevreden waren. Ook de prijs kwaliteitsverhouding vonden wij okay. Wel lekker dat we ons eigen tempo konden bepalen. Dus heel erg bedankt voor je dringende advies om naar Uyuni te gaan!Groeten, Suzanne en Kees'

    Suzanne & Kees Jasperse The Netherlands
Other tours that might interest you
Salar de Uyuni: Tips and ideas