Bolivia's Spectacular Southwest

At breathtaking altitudes between 3,800 and 5,000 metres near the frontier between Boliva and Chile are some of the strangest and most spectacular landscapes you'll ever see. The rich colours of minerals seep through the earth's surface while giant volcanoes line the horizon. Amidst this surreal landscape is world's largest salt lake, the Salar de Uyuni.

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At 4,700 metres above sea level, Laguna Colorada looks like the surface of another planet. The pink colour comes from algae that are stirred up by the wind and sun during the day, and spread across the lake. A refuge near here offers a chilly night's accomodation for travellers on the road from the Chilean border to Uyuni.

 

Optical illusions abound on the incredible Salar de Uyuni, the world's largest salt lake. Created from the remnants of an inland sea that was shut off from the coast by geological movements, the Salar is a dazzling expanse of 10,000 km sq of pure salt. The two people apparently 'standing' on the hands of the girl in the foreground are simply another twenty metres behind her. You can find many better 'Uyuni optical illusions' on the internet.

 

 

The 'Stone Tree' in the high desert near the border between Bolivia and Chile is one of the artistically sculpted rock forms that are collectively known as the Bosque de Piedra ('Stone Forest'). Moulded by wind, dust and sun, against a background of sweeping shades of red and brown, the rocks appear uncannily like something out of a Salvador Dali dreamscape.

 

 

In the middle of the blinding salt of the Salar de Uyuni is an island known as Incahuasi (Inca's House, in Quechua) or Isla del Pescado (Fish Island, in Spanish). The latter name is supposed to derive from the fact that the island is shaped somewhat like a fish. The giant cactus dotted across the island are up to 1,200 years old.

 

Despite the desolate, otherworldly landscapes, there is a range of wildlife on the volcanic terrain of the alitplano. In fact, three different varieties of flamingo make this area their home: the Andean, James and Chilean flamingos. With their larger, pinker bodies, these appear to be Chilean flamingos. This lagoon is named Laguna Hedionda (smelly lagoon), for the slight aroma of sulphur that drifts up from the surface.

 

 

 

 

Picnic lunch on the Salar de Uyuni: a classic scene from the adventurous backpackers' tour through South America. Here, the 4WD vehicles of several tour companies gather around midday under the shade of canopies while travellers dine on canned tuna with crackers and play surreal games of volleyball on the endless salt.

 

Laguna Verde meets Laguna Blanca at around 4,500 metres above sea level, a stone's throw from the Bolivia-Chile border. Laguna Verde sits on slightly higher ground and is richer in minerals. This gives it a greenish colour and prevents its shallow waters from freezing.

 

 

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