Glasswave:
Sorry for being unfriendly, but... in reference to research, try this:

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...tances-28035-2

or this:
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...ma-uyuni-34664

Both of these two threads where updated in the last three weeks, so aren't too far down the threads under "south-and-central-america-mexico". Easy to find, and both come up as one of the top items if you search "salar de uyuni" and select "route planning" and "South and Central America and Mexico" as the topics to search in. Lots of other helpful threads as well.

It would have taken less time to do the search than write your questions. And a little bit more to skim through the messages and find answers.


Yes, you could join a jeep tour with the understanding that you would meet up with them at various points along the route. if you were indeed doing the same route.

The ruts the 4-wheels follow are soft and/or washboard. Out of the ruts, and its soft - not sand so much - more like either a very course sand or fine gravel - but you sink into it. You can't easily switch ruts. The 4-wheels go much faster over this, and can easily cut across tracks. Where the road is a single double track and very rough, the motorcycle can go faster than the 4-wheels. I found that once in a rut, I was pretty much stuck in that rut.


Your choice of words. If you said "4 walls and a roof" you'd be describing the places better. Calling them hotels is certainly embellishing their status.

Well, again, you didn't say when or where. In places where its over 4500m, (lago Colorado) its likely to be closer to -20C. The salar is something like 3800m, so lots likely warmer. And the salar is not what I call remote - its the stretch from San Juan to Lago Colorado I would call remote. To my way of thinking, that's more remote than sleeping in the seclusion of a forest days from the nearest person. There's places where there's nobody or nothing around, and then places where there is indeed "nothing".


Well again, you didn't define a route, so its hard to know what you are talking about. On my map of Bolivia, there were "dots" on the map with a name, but when at that spot, they were barely what you would call a village.

So what I'm confused about - you actually have traveled through there before, in a 4-wheel vehicle, and you are asking these questions about hotels and villages? You must have dozed off in the back of that jeep.

so I should apologize for being so sarcastic in my answers! You're on a trip, not sitting at home.

I'm in Africa now - got to run (there's a lion on my ass).

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quastdog
Chiang Mai, Thailand