Getting to the Uyuni salt flats
¨How to get to the Uyuni salt flats?¨ A recurrent question when you are planning a trip to Uyuni salt flats is how to get there! Are you short of time and/or prefer the comfort of a short flight to Uyuni? Or do you have more time and don’t mind to spend some time in a bus or train (even more, you love the idea of enjoying the scenery during a road trip while you get there)?
For those who wonder how to get to Uyuni to start a Salar de Uyuni trip: Whether you are coming from or heading to a bordering country like Chile or Argentina or from/to another city in Bolivia, almost all the options are covered below.
Check also:
How to get to Uyuni from La Paz
There are several ways to travel from La Paz to Uyuni:
1) By airplane. BoA and Ecojet have flights to Uyuni from La Paz, and connections from other Bolivian cities via La Paz. As the Uyuni salt flat tours start around 10 am, you can catch a morning flight from La Paz to Uyuni and start the trip the same day if you have a reservation already.
2) Several overnight sleeper buses operate between La Paz and Uyuni, covering a distance of 569 KM on a paved road. These (lie-flat) buses depart every evening throughout the week, with no daytime services available. The journey takes approximately 10 hours.
Buses leave La Paz at 9:00 PM and arrive in Uyuni around 7:00 AM the next morning. Bus companies providing this service include Trans Titicaca, Cruz del Norte, Panasur, El Cisne and Trans Omar.
All of our Uyuni salt flats tours get back to Uyuni early enough to catch the bus the same evening.
3) Private transport. The advantage of this option is that you travel during the day so you can enjoy the views.
4) Public transport by bus La Paz to Oruro followed by train from Oruro to Uyuni. You can travel from La Paz to Oruro by public bus (approx. 4 hours) and then take the train from Oruro to Uyuni. You do have to take a taxi from the bus station to the train station in Oruro. The train is clean and leaves on time. Keep in mind that the train does not go every day and that you don’t arrive in Uyuni at the most convenient hour. The FCA (Empresa Ferroviaria Andina) is the railway company transporting passengers to Uyuni. There are 2 trains. There is the Expreso Sur with departures on Tuesdays and Fridays at 15.30 pm and the Wara Wara with departures on Wednesdays and Sundays at 19.00 pm. For the railway company check the train timetables on www.ferroviaria-andina.com.bo
5) Private transport La Paz to Oruro (approx. 4 hours) followed by train from Oruro to Uyuni. The difference with the previous option is that you travel from La Paz to Uyuni with private transport instead of a public bus which is more comfortable. You will also be dropped off directly at the train station in Oruro. On how to obtain train tickets and to check the train timetable please see the previous option.
Check our Uyuni salt flats tours.
How to get to Uyuni from Sucre or Potosi
Distances :
Sucre – Uyuni 377 km (8 hours of driving)
Sucre – Potosi 169 km (paved road) (3 hours of driving)
Potosi – Uyuni 208 km (a paved road now) (4 hours of driving)
There are only a couple of transportation companies that offer direct bus service between Sucre and Uyuni: Trans 6 de Octubre, Exp. 11 de Julio, and Emperador, with departures between 8:30 PM and 9:30 PM (Schedules mentioned are subject to change, always check updated information at the bus station). Most bus companies require a change of buses in Potosí where you can purchase your onward ticket to Uyuni.
Buses leave from Sucre at 07.00 and at 08.30 in the morning. They stop in Potosi and then go on to Uyuni where they arrive in the late afternoon. There is also a bus that leaves from Sucre at 12.30 and arrives in Potosi at 15.30. It then leaves Potosi again at 19.00 and arrives in Uyuni around 02.00. The complete bus ride from Sucre takes approximately 6 hours. The company Todo Turismo has plans to run a night bus between Sucre and Uyuni.
There are no direct flights Sucre-Uyuni-Sucre but flights with one or more stops.
From Uyuni you can also take a bus back to Potosi and/or Sucre. There is a bus that leaves Uyuni at 19.00, which arrives 4-5 hours later in Potosi. This bus does not go all the way to Sucre. In the morning around 10.00 the bus leaves from Potosi to Sucre, which arrives in Sucre around 19.00. There are also day buses from Uyuni to Potosí which leave daily every 1.5 hours from 7:00 until 19:00.
Of course we can also arrange private transport from Sucre/Potosi to Uyuni or vice versa. This option is more expensive, but far more comfortable.
How to get to Uyuni from Santa Cruz or Cochabamba
The airlines Boa and Ecojet fly from Santa Cruz to Uyuni via La Paz (and sometimes directly). Please check www.boa.bo or www.ecojet.com.bo for the flight schedules.
It is also possible to fly to Potosi or Oruro. From either city you can travel over land to Uyuni (we can pick you up from either city).
From Potosi it’s an approx. 3,5 hour drive to Uyuni and from Oruro an approx. 4 hours drive.
You can also take a bus or a flight to La Paz and from there on see information above.
Or take a bus or a flight to Sucre and from there on see information above.
Another option is to take a bus or a flight to Cochabamba. From there you can take a bus to Oruro and afterwards the train, bus, taxi or private transport to Uyuni.
You can book a direct flight from Santa Cruz to Oruro via www.boa.bo, from there you can take the bus to Uyuni. If you prefer private transport we can pick you up from Oruro. Contact us for more info.
There are also flights (twice a week) from Santa Cruz to Potosi with a stop in Cochabamba with BoA airlines (subject to change). From Potosi it’s approx. 3,5 to 4 hours of driving to Uyuni. The road from Potosi to Uyuni is paved all the way.
How to get to Uyuni from Salta through La Quiaca, Argentina (and Villazón)
There are no direct buses from Salta to Uyuni. You will have to take a bus (there are daily buses) from Salta to La Quiaca, border town on the Argentinian side.
You can just walk or take a taxi to the border. Don’t forget to check your visa requirements in advance. You may also be required to show your yellow fever vaccination certificate.
Once in Villazon, on the Bolivian side, you can take the train to Uyuni. Check the train timetable on www.fca.com.bo. There are two type of trains to Uyuni: Expreso del Sur y Wara Waradel Sur.
We also offer tours to Salar de Uyuni starting from Villazón (border with Argentina.) See: Uyuni salt flats tour from Argentina
If you are planning to visit Tupiza, you can take a bus from Villazón to Tupiza. Contact us for information on our Uyuni salt flat tours starting from Tupiza.
How to get to Uyuni from San Pedro de Atacama (and Calama), Chile
With a 3 day tour Uyuni – Uyuni there is the possibility not to drive back to Uyuni on the 3rd day but to cross the Chilean border and to drive on to San Pedro. For a reference program see our tours ending in San Pedro de Atacama
And from San Pedro you can do a 3 day tour to Uyuni, see our San Pedro de Atacama-Uyuni tours
The distance between « El Loa » airport in Calama to San Pedro de Atacama is 100 km, 1.5 hour ride. You can either take the bus or book a transfer service with a transport company (You can book online here: www.transvip.cl or www.transferpampa.cl)
You can also take a bus from Calama to Uyuni. From Calama, the bus company Cruz del Norte offers transportation to Uyuni (bus leaves daily at 5:30 am) and from San Pedro de Atacama to Uyuni (at 3:00 am) via Ollague.
Take notice that:
- The information above is subject to change. (Info last updated in June 2024). If you are looking for specific Bolivia’s Covid related travel information, please check our Covid-19 update.
- We do our best to keep this info up to date and accurate as possible. Do you have any questions or comments? Do we need to update any info? Or do you maybe have any other tips? Please contact us and let us know.
- Don’t expect much comfort on a normal public bus. Buses are often completely full, where people even sit in the isles with their luggage. Such is not the case with the more comfortable tourist bus (sleeper bus/lie-flat bus) between La Paz and Uyuni (Companies: Trans Titicaca, Panasur or Trans Omar).
- Although the Uyuni salt flats are incredibly beautiful all year round, we recommend you to decide which time of the year you want to visit Uyuni, before booking a tour. The best time to visit the Salar de Uyuni really depends on what you want to see, as each season offers a different scenery. Check the weather forecast for Uyuni and our page about the weather in Uyuni and the best time to visit the salt flats.
You can always contact us for more information. Happy travels!
